Undergraduate Criminology
About the Criminology & Criminal Justice Program
The Criminology and Criminal Justice curriculum includes classes in criminological theory, policing, courts and adjudication, corrections, research methodology, and justice administration. The broad array of elective courses allows students to explore their specific areas of interests, including: crime and the media, inside-out, sexual violence, white collar crime, criminal investigations, and criminal justice policy.
What Can I Do With a Criminology & Criminal Justice Degree?
If you want to help people and assist with protecting the public, Criminology and Criminal Justice is the perfect major. Criminology and Criminal Justice is a broad-based field that seeks to understand, treat and respond to criminal behavior. Students can work for nonprofit, private, state, and federal agencies in the areas of security, law enforcement, probation, parole, victim’s rights, investigations, substance abuse treatment, and counseling. Career opportunities include police officer, court administrator, correctional officer, treatment specialist, and many more. The program also prepares students for law school and other graduate programs.
Why Choose a Criminology & Criminal Justice Degree?
- Learn Outside of the Classroom
Students have the opportunity to learn outside of the classroom through our study-abroad program and Inside- Out class, which is a class students take with inmates in prison. - Hands-on Experience
Students use our crime lab to apply their knowledge in the areas of criminal investigations, police response to crime scenes, and role-playing scenarios. - Activities
Students can actively participate in the student-run CRIM Club, take part in prison tours and other field trips, hear guest speakers and network with practitioners ad professionals in the field. - Support and Guidance
Each student is assigned a faculty member as their academic adviser who will mentor and guide them through the program and assist with career planning. - Small Class Sizes
The average class size is 33, providing students with the opportunity to get to know their professors, receive individualized instruction, and participate in small group exercises. - Faculty-student Research
Students have the opportunity to work on various research projects with faculty members as well as presenting their research at local, state, and national conferences. - Experienced Faculty
Students are taught by full-time faculty members, not graduate assistants. Our faculty have received the highest degrees in their disciplines and bring real-life examples and research and/or practitioner knowledge to enhance the learning experience. - Preparation
The department offers several workshops that will enhance students’ skills and competitiveness when applying for jobs in the field (e.g.; police academy prep workshop, interviewing skills, etc).
