Program Overview

Program Overview

The Bachelor of Science in Sociology with a major in Criminology is a comprehensive program designed to provide students with a deep understanding of the social, cultural, and economic factors that contribute to crime and the criminal justice system.

Program Curriculum

The program curriculum consists of 120 credits, including 43 credits of sociology core degree courses and 21 credits of additional courses for a criminology major. The sociology core degree courses include:

• SOC 1004: Introductory Sociology (3 credits)
• SOC/HD 2104: Quantitative Approaches to Community Research (3 credits)
• or STAT 3604: Statistics for Social Science
• SOC 3104: Sociological Theory (3 credits)
• SOC 3204: Social Research Methods (4 credits)
• SOC 3004: Social Inequality (3 credits)
• SOC 4194: Senior Seminar (3 credits)
• Africana Studies, American Indian Studies, and Women’s and Gender Studies Elective Courses:
  • Select one of the following:
    • AFST 1714: Introduction to African American Studies
    • NDIG 1104: Introduction to American Indian Studies
    • WGS 1824: Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies

Major Requirements

The major requirements include:

• SOC 2404: Deviant Behavior (3 credits)
• CRIM 3414: Criminology (3 credits)
• CRIM 3434: Systems of Justice (3 credits)
• Elective Courses:
  • Select 12 credits from the following:
    • CRIM/HIST 2504: Crime and Punishment in American History
    • CRIM/HIST 3124: Murder in American History
    • CRIM 3474: Women and Crime
    • CRIM 4224: Victimology
    • CRIM 4424: Juvenile Delinquency
    • CRIM 4454: Topics in Criminology
    • CRIM 4474: Cyber Criminology
    • CRIM 4484: Hate Crimes
    • CRIM 4504: Family and Crime
    • CRIM 4754: Internship
    • CRIM 4974: Independent Study
    • CRIM 4994: Undergraduate Research
    • PSVP 2044: Peace and Violence
    • PSVP 2444: Conflict Resolution, Mediation, and Peacebuilding
    • PSVP 4444: Schools, Violence, and Justice
    • SOC 4404: Sociology of Law
    • SOC 4414: Drugs and Society

Graduation Requirements

To graduate, students must complete:

• 120 credits
• 43 credits of sociology core degree courses and 21 credits of additional courses for a criminology major
• 32 credits of free electives
• 45 credits of the Pathways General Education Curriculum
• A minimum 2.0 in-major GPA and 2.0 overall GPA
• All courses with a SOC prefix, CRIM prefix, or cross-listed with SOC and/or CRIM are included in the calculation of the in-major GPA
• Courses taken as part of the sociology core degree and criminology major must be taken for a letter grade of A-F

Foreign Language Requirement

Students who did not successfully complete at least two years of a single foreign, classical, or sign language during high school must successfully complete six credit hours of a single foreign, classical, or sign language at the college level. Courses taken to meet this requirement do not count toward the hours required for graduates.

Requirements for Satisfactory Progress

Students must have completed SOC 1004 Introductory Sociology, SOC 3104 Sociological Theory, SOC 3204 Social Research Methods, and an additional 6 credits of required or elective courses for the criminology major prior to attempting 72 credits. Upon having attempted 60 credits, students must have an in-major GPA of 2.0 and an in-major GPA of 2.0 thereafter to be considered as making satisfactory progress toward the degree. If satisfactory progress is not made, procedures will be followed as required by the Academic Eligibility Policy.