Criminology, Bachelor of Arts

Criminology is the study of crimes, criminals, crime victims, theories explaining illegal and deviant behavior, the social reaction to crime and criminals, the effectiveness of anti-crime policies and the broader political terrain of social control. The major contains courses in sociology, other social science disciplines and the humanities. Students who are planning to attend graduate or professional schools and students who are currently working in criminal justice or other public service fields as well as those planning to do so in the future will find this major of interest.

Learning Outcomes. Students will:

• Demonstrate a critical understanding of how social structures and forces, such as inequalities, shape social constructions of crime and punishment and how criminologists study these topics
• Demonstrate familiarity with criminological theories, core literatures and debates, and be able to apply theories to specific contexts
• Be able to utilize and critically evaluate methods of criminological inquiry
• Utilize critical thinking skills, theories, and data to make sound arguments about crime, punishment, and broader social and political issues
• Demonstrate understanding and analytical skills through writing and presentation

Credits Required.

Criminology Major	42-45
General Education	42
Electives	33-36
Total Credits Required for B.A. Degree	120

Coordinator. Professor Carla Barrett, (212-237-8683, [e-mail]), Department of Sociology. 

Advising resources. Criminology and Sociology Advising, contact [e-mail]. Visit the department's website for advising resources (course worksheet and advising handbook). Criminology Advising Resources (including Sample Four-Year Degree Map).

Honors option. To qualify for honors in the major, a student must have completed the credit requirements for the major and have earned at least a 3.5 cumulative grade point average in courses above the 100-level in the major. Credit for courses required as prerequisites for major courses applied to the major will not be calculated into the major cumulative grade point average. Students must have also earned at least a 3.2 overall cumulative grade point average. This honor will be noted on the student’s transcript.

Experiential Learning Opportunities. Students in the Criminology major can participate in a variety of experiential learning opportunities, primarily in the later parts of their studies. Some courses in the major incorporate visits to courts, correctional facilities, museums, local organizations, or other sites in the city. In their junior and senior years, students can participate in an internship course (SOC 377) or the Faculty Mentored Research Experience in Sociology course (SOC 387).  

Additional information. Students who enrolled for the first time at the College or changed to this major in Fall 2025 or thereafter must complete the major in the form presented here. Students who enrolled prior to that date may choose either the form shown here or the earlier version of the major. A copy of the earlier version may be obtained in the 2024-2025 Undergraduate Bulletin.

Program Codes:
IRP Program Code: 88120
HEGIS Code: 2209.00
CIP Code: 45.0401

 

Foundation courses

Required

SOC 101	Introduction to Sociology	3
MAT 108	Social Science Math	3
	OR
MAT 141	Pre-Calculus	3

Total Credit Hours: 3-6

Advisor recommendation: SOC 101 will fulfill the Flexible Core: Individual and Society area and MAT 108 or MAT 141 can fulfill the Required Core: Math and Quantitative Reasoning area of the General Education program depending on students mathematics placement.

Part One. Disciplinary Requirements

Required

SOC 203	Criminology	3
SOC 213	Sociology of Race and Ethnic Relations	3
SOC 314	Theories of Social Order	3
SOC 440	Senior Seminar in Criminology	3
SSC 325	Research Methods in Criminology and Sociology	3
STA 250	Principles and Methods of Statistics	3

Total Credit Hours: 18

Part Two. Applications of Criminology

Select three (two courses must be at the 300-level or above)

SOC 216	Probation and Parole: Theoretical and Practical Approaches	3
SOC 236/CRJ 236	Victimology	3
SOC 275	Political Imprisonment	3
SOC 301	Penology	3
SOC 308	The Sociology of Violence	3
SOC 309	Youth, Crime and Justice	3
SOC 335	Migration and Crime	3
SOC 351	Crime and Delinquency in Asia	3
SOC 354	Gangs and Transnationalism	3
SOC 360/ECO 360	Corporate and White-Collar Crime	3
SOC 366	Drugs in U.S. Society	3
SOC 385	Selected Topics in Criminology	3
SOC 420/CRJ 420	Women and Crime	3

Total Credit Hours: 9

Part Three. Advanced Methods

Select one course

SOC 324	Social Statistics	3
SOC 327	Advanced Sociological Methodology	3
SOC 328	Qualitative Research Methods	3
SOC 329	Evaluation Research	3

Total Credit Hours: 3

Part Four. Electives

A. Multi–Disciplinary Electives

Select one

AFR 215	Police and Urban Communities	3
AFR 317	Environmental Racism	3
ANT 230	Culture and Crime	3
ANT 330	American Cultural Pluralism, Justice and the Law	3
ANT 340	Anthropology and the Abnormal	3
CJBA 356	Queering Crime and Justice	3
ECO 315/PSC 315	An Economic Analysis of Crime	3
LAW 310/PHI 310	Ethics and Law	3
LIT 326	Crime, Punishment and Justice in U.S. Literature	3
LIT 327	Crime, Punishment and Justice in World Literature	3
LLS 325	Latinx Experience of Criminal Justice	3
LLS 341	Immigrant Rights in the Americas	3
PSC 216	Crime Mapping	3
PSY 242	Psychological Disorders and Distress (formerly Abnormal Psychology)	3
PSY 332	Psychology of Adolescence	3
PSY 372	Psychology of Criminal Behavior	3

B. Sociology Electives

Select two

SOC 201	Urban Sociology: The Study of City Life	3
SOC 202	Sociology of Families	3
SOC 206	The Sociology of Conflict and Dispute Resolution	3
SOC 222	Crime, Media and Public Opinion	3
SOC 227	Sociology of Mental Health	3
SOC 240	Deviance and Conformity	3
SOC 251	Sociology of Human Rights	3
SOC 275	Political Imprisonment	3
SOC 278/POL 278	Political Sociology	3
SOC 302	Social Problems	3
SOC 305	The Sociology of Law	3
SOC 350	Social Change	3
SOC 364	Food Justice	3
SOC 377	Internships for Sociology	3
SOC 387	Faculty Mentored Research Experience in Sociology	3

Total Credit Hours: 9

Total Credit Hours: 42-45