Mar 28, 2024  
2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Criminology, B.A.


The Criminology Department offers a four-year bachelor of arts (BA) degree in criminology. The program provides students with a liberal arts education focused on the complex relations among crime, law, and society, and which emphasizes the social sciences. The curriculum is a rigorous series of courses which provides students with a comprehensive knowledge of crime and crime control in contemporary, historical, and comparative perspective. The core of the curriculum is an integrated set of required courses. These courses are designed as a cumulative set of experiences and should be taken in sequence if possible. Elective courses enable students to place their criminological interests in a broader perspective.

Many students in the program are interested in social and human service occupations related to criminal, juvenile, and social justice. The program also prepares students for a wide variety of other career options and provides an excellent basis for graduate study in criminology, other social sciences, and law.

Program Requirements


The minimum number of credits (exclusive of the University’s Core curriculum) required for the major: 36. A grade of “C” or better is required in any course used for criminology major credit.

Recommended Course Sequence


Curriculum Summary and Guide

The criminology curriculum is a series of structured and integrated courses that should be taken in sequence, if possible.

Year Required Courses Elective Courses
1 Introduction to Criminology
Crimes Against the Environment
 
2 White-Collar Crime
Research Methods
 
3 Race and Punishment
Gender and Crime
Electives
4 Classical Theories of Social Order
4 Senior Seminar
Electives

USM Core Requirements


The USM Core Curriculum is a coherent, integrative, and rigorous liberal education that enables our graduates to be world-minded, intentional, life-long learners and captures your general education degree requirements. 

Please Note: Core requirements may be part of your major and/or minor, and Core may have been fulfilled with transfer credit. Please consult your MaineStreet Degree Progress Report (DPR) and review your degree progress with your Advisor.  For additional information, access the USM Core webpage.