Criminology

Program Curriculum

• Major

  Criminology majors take 13 courses: seven required and six electives. This breadth of coursework prepares students for a variety of engaging career paths.

  Required Courses for Criminology Majors (7)

  SOC 121 or SOC 122	Principles of Sociology or Social Problems
  CRM 130	Introduction to the Criminal Justice System
  CRM 160	Criminology
  SOC 300	Statistics
  SOC 390	Sociological Research Methods
  CRM 485	Internship Seminar I
  CRM 486	Internship Seminar II
  CRM 495	Police Academy Seminar (May be taken in place of CRM 485 and CRM 486)

  Elective Courses (6)

  Criminology majors must take three courses from Deviance/Law and Society and three from Structural & Cultural Factors.

  DEVIANCE LAW AND SOCIETY

  CRM 215	Introduction to Gender-based Violence
  CRM 243	Juvenile Delinquency
  CRM 255	Special Topics
  CRM 272	Deviant Behavior
  CRM 275	Sociology of Law
  CRM 280	Sociology of Punishment
  CRM 301	Victim Advocacy
  CRM 325	Victimology
  CRM 333	Prisoner Rehabilitation and Reentry
  CRM 335	Family Violence
  POL 316	Constitutional Law

  STRUCTURAL FACTORS

  SOC 206	The Sociology of Urban Life
  SOC 216	Racial and Ethnic Relations
  SOC 218	Social Movements
  SOC 224	Gender Issues in Society
  SOC 232	Social Inequality in Society
  SOC 234	Social Policy
  SOC 250	Public Sociology
  SOC 315	Masculinities

   Course Descriptions

  • Major in Criminology Course Descriptions

  Academic Catalog & Advising Guide
• Minor

  The criminology minor is a six-course, 18 credit curriculum.  Students must take CRM 130 Introduction to the Criminal Justice System, CRM 160 Criminology, and either SOC 121 Principles of Sociology or SOC 122 Social Problems.  For the three elective courses, students select two deviance/law and society electives and one structural and cultural factors elective.  Students majoring in economics, health and human services, political science, psychology, or sociology may find such a minor particularly useful.

  Required Courses (3)

  SOC 121/SOC 122	Principles of Sociology or Social Problems
  CRM 130	Introduction to the Criminal Justice System
  CRM 160	Criminology

  Elective Courses (3)

  Choose two from Deviance/Law and Society and one from Structural and Cultural Factors

  DEVIANCE/ LAW AND SOCIETY (2)

  CRM 243	Juvenile Delinquency
  CRM 255	Special Topics
  CRM 272	Deviant Behavior
  CRM 275	Sociology of Law
  CRM 280	Sociology of Punishment
  CRM 325	Victimology
  CRM 333	Prisoner Rehabilitation and Reentry
  CRM 335	Family Violence
  POL 316	Constitutional Law

  STRUCTURAL AND CULTURAL FACTORS (1)

  SOC 206	The Sociology of Urban Life
  SOC 216	Racial and Ethnic Relations
  SOC 218	Social Movements
  SOC 224	Gender Issues in Society
  SOC 232	Social Inequality in Society
  SOC 234	Social Policy
  SOC 250	Public Sociology
  SOC 315	Masculinities

   Course Descriptions

  • Minor in Criminology Course Descriptions

  Academic Catalog & Advising Guide
• Accelerated Double Major

  Assumption University offers an accelerated double major program in sociology and criminology, completed in just 18 courses, to better prepare students for graduate school and careers of meaning.

• NACP Provisional Credential

  Students who complete the course, HRS/SOC/CRM 301 Victim Advocacy: Working with Survivors of Violence will be eligible, at minimum, for the NACP Provisional Credential, but potentially at a higher level of Credentialing based upon their verifiable field experience. For more information, please visit https://www.thenacp.org/.

  

• Learning Goals

  Learning Goals for Criminology Majors

  • Develop an understanding of and appreciation for how the criminal justice system operates.
  • Understand how the risks of criminal offending and victimization are based upon divisions in class, race, ethnicity, gender, age, and sexual orientation. 
  • Develop an understanding of sociological and criminological approaches to analyzing and addressing the complex interactions between individuals and societal, historical, and cultural forces in defining law-violating behaviors and our responses to them.
  • To gain specific competencies in social research as related to the fields of criminology and sociology.
  • To acquire the essential skills necessary for successful careers and post-graduate education.