Criminology, B.S.

HEGIS Number: 2209

Curriculum Code: U0810

The Criminology major is offered by the Sociology Department, and therefore it draws extensively from the sociological discipline to prepare students for understanding crime and delinquency. The major in criminology leads to the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree. The Sociology Department provides students with the tools to critically evaluate the structural, cultural and institutional social forces which affect the processes of making laws, breaking laws, and the societal reactions towards deviance and the breaking of laws. The major is highly relevant to those seeking to advance in the fields of law enforcement, corrections, and legal professions.

The Criminology Major has four components:

1. Basic courses provide students who have no training in sociology with a general introduction to the discipline.
2. Foundation courses provide necessary grounding in sociological and criminological theory, analysis, and methods.
3. Elective courses chosen by majors allow students to delve more deeply in specific areas pertaining to both criminological and sociological study. (These courses are open to non-majors as well.)
4. The Senior Seminar Capstone course requires all majors to conduct an original primary research project and complete a senior thesis.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this major program, graduates will:

LO1: gain knowledge of key theories, concepts, and perspectives that define the sociological discipline, and learn to utilize them accurately in their own work (Theories/Knowledge of Content)

LO2: understand quantitative and qualitative skills and techniques employed by social scientists in research projects, and appropriately apply them in their own work (Methods)

LO3: assess issues within and across different cultural contexts to understand how social phenomena are shaped, changed, and interpreted by others across the globe (Cross Cultural Component)

LO4: recognize cultural rules, biases, and differences and to interpret the intersection of such factors as race, gender, social class, and other categories through a critical worldview (Social Justice)

LO5: incorporate sociological theory and social research methods to build a clear, analytical argument supported by evidence within an original research project (Integration of Theory and Methods)