Department of Sociology
Sociology Major with a Criminology Concentration
The Department of Sociology offers concentrations in Criminology at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. The concentration in Criminology in the undergraduate program is designed to provide students with a sociological understanding of criminal and deviant behavior and the formal and informal strategies for controlling crime within the context of a broad liberal arts education. The undergraduate concentration also includes a strong foundation in research methods, data analysis, and theory essential for students interested in careers in the administration of justice or those who intend to pursue graduate studies.
Students within the Criminology concentration will take classes from faculty with a wide range of expertise and specialization within the field. Faculty members are currently involved in research projects on gender and crime, cross-national homicide, determinates of arrest rates across the U.S., gang activity, the conviction of the innocent, and juvenile delinquency as a public health issue.
Goals for Learning
Upon completion of the BA in Sociology with a concentration in Criminology, we expect majors to achieve all of the learning goals established for the general program in Sociology. In addition, students within the concentration are expected to be able to:
- Define and apply basic sociological and criminological concepts that are used in micro and macro criminological theory and research;
- Distinguish between theories and research applicable to norm violations (deviance) and those applicable to legal code violations (criminal and civil);
- Demonstrate a basic understanding of the functioning of the criminal justice system and the processing of adult and juvenile offenders within a larger social context of U.S. society.
Course Requirements
The Sociology major with the concentration in Criminology requires a minimum of 33 hours of completed coursework with a minimum 2.0 GPA.
See the online bulletin for more information.
Links of Interest to Students in the Criminology Concentration
Students can learn more about Criminology by visiting any of the following links to professional associations and organizations.
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