Program Overview

Introduction to the Criminology, Law and Society Ph.D. Program

The doctoral program in Criminology, Law and Society focuses on the study of crime, institutional responses to illegal behavior, and the interaction of law and society. Students examine issues related to the etiology of crime, the process of changing criminal behavior, social regulation, the civil justice system, and the social and cultural context of law.

Program Requirements

To complete the program, students must fulfill the following requirements:

• Complete the following courses:
  • CRM/LAW C201 Research Methods
  • CRM/LAW C202 Research Methods II
  • SOCECOL 264A Data Analysis
  • SOCECOL 264B Data Analysis
• Complete one additional graduate research methods course, selected from the following:
  • CRM/LAW C203A Qualitative Methods Practicum
  • CRM/LAW C203B Quantitative Methods Practicum
• Complete the following core courses:
  • CRM/LAW C228 Criminology: Micro Approaches
  • CRM/LAW C229 Criminology: Macro Approaches
  • CRM/LAW C239A Law and Society I
  • CRM/LAW C239B Law and Society II
• Complete four elective courses in Criminology, Law and Society, chosen according to a plan that best meets the needs of the individual student, as determined in consultation with the student's faculty advisor.

Research and Advancement

Students become involved in research activities from the earliest stages of their training and complete an independent, supervised research project during the second year of graduate study. To advance to candidacy, students must complete a written comprehensive examination during year three, which requires them to demonstrate mastery of major issues in criminology and law and society.

Completion of the Program

The normative time for completion of the Ph.D. is six years, and the maximum time permitted is seven years. Students are required to advance to candidacy by the end of fall quarter of their fifth year of study, adjusted for any approved leaves of absence. The fourth and, possibly, fifth years of study are devoted to developing and defending a dissertation proposal and completing dissertation research. All Ph.D. students in the Criminology, Law and Society program are required to pass a final oral defense of the dissertation.