Criminology, B.A.

Contact

James Roche, J.D.
Assistant Director, School of Criminology, Society & Politics
jroche@une.edu

Mission

The Criminology program will: provide a deeply contextualized understanding of crime, law, justice and punishment; facilitate the development of critical competencies including, critical reading, writing, and analysis within the study of criminology; enable the focused study of how crime and the law shape the worlds in which we live; and afford opportunities for experiential learning via student research and professional experiences.

Major Description

Criminology focuses on the study of crimes, criminals, crime victims, theories explaining illegal and deviant behavior, the social reaction to crime and criminals, the effectiveness of anti-crime policies and the broader political terrain of social control. Criminology programs are interdisciplinary, but ordinarily borrow much from sociology as well as other social sciences and humanities disciplines. Criminology programs are thus grounded in the liberal arts, and provide a rigorous engagement with crime and the institutions that are created to contend with it. The professional profile of instructors in criminology is generally an academic background and a terminal degree in criminology or a related field.

Transfer Credit

See Undergraduate Admissions for more information.

Admissions

See Undergraduate Admissions for more information.

Financial Information

Tuition and fees for subsequent years may vary. Other expenses include books and housing. For more tuition and fee information, please consult this catalog’s Financial Information section.

Curricular Requirements

Nor'easter Core Requirements
Nor'easter Core Requirements40
Program Required Courses
CRL 205The Criminal Justice System3
CRL 345Critical Criminology3
PSC 125Understanding Law:An Introd3
or PSC 210 Constitutional Law
SOC 170Deviance and Crime3
SOC 268Practice of Social Science Research3
SOC 270Classical Social Theory3
or SOC 280 Contemporary Social Theory
SOC 300Sociology Internship3-15
or PSY 300 Psychology Internship I
SOC 311Theories of Race and Racism3
SOC 370Applied Field Method in Sociology3
SOC 493Capstone: Internship3-16
or SOC 494 Capstone Experience: Thesis
Four Program Specific Electives 12
Open Elective Courses (Students complete open elective credits as necessary to meet the University’s 120-credit minimum for graduation. The total number of elective credits required will depend on the student’s completed program, core, and other degree requirements.)38
Total Hours120-145

Program Specific Electives

ANT 312Human Trafficking3
CRL 206Juvenile Justice (Justice)3
CRL 210Forensic Eyewitness Interviews3
HIS 266History of Drugs in the Americas3
PSC 241The Role of Human Rights in World Politics3
PSC 275Human Traditions II: Liberty and its Limits3
PSC 277Human Traditions II: Law & Politics3
PSC 278Human Traditions II: Empire, Genocide, and Politics3
PSC 330Theories & Politics of War3
PSY 205Abnormal Psychology3
PSY 236Mental Health & Society3
PSY 370Drugs, Society, and Behavior3
SOC 333Sociology of Law (Sociology of Law)3
SOC 421A Just Society?3

Please note: While some courses can fulfill both core and program requirements, the credits earned do not count twice towards the minimum total required credits for the degree.

Academic and Technical Standards

A grade point average of 2.00 is necessary to be approved to add a major in Criminology. A minimum grade of C- must be achieved in all courses used toward program requirements in Criminology. See Undergraduate Academic Policy also.

Learning Outcomes

At the completion of the Bachelor of Arts with a major in Criminology program students will be able to:

  • Distinguish the differing agencies associated with the social control of criminal, regulatory, and international law violations.
  • Summarize and differentiate the major theories of crime and criminalization.
  • Recognize, theoretically and empirically, structural inequalities and their relation to crime and social control.
  • Use criminological methods, or investigative techniques, to assess patterns of crime, criminalization, and victimization.