Criminology (B.A./B.S.)

Program Coordinator/Contact

Elizabeth Koob, Professional Advisor
School of Psychology, Sociology and Rural Studies
Agricultural Engineering 110
605-688-6296

Program Information

Criminology is the study of crime as a complex and multi-layered social phenomenon including its causes and consequences. Criminologists explore criminal behavior and societies’ responses to crime. Without a clear understanding of why people commit crime, society cannot effectively rehabilitate criminals. The theoretical aspects of criminology encompass the research design and philosophy of science components of evidence-based science. The program focuses on the scientific research and evaluation processes that generate evidence to support improved practice in the field, to address the underlying methodological and structural components of crime and criminality, and to bolster criminal justice processes. The Criminology major will prepare students interested in a variety of careers related to crime and the control of crime as well as others more focused on the study of criminality.

Student Learning Outcomes

In the Criminology major, students will:

• Identify structural patterns of social inequality and their effects on groups and individuals and explain the intersections of race, social class, gender, and other social factors as they relate to the development of criminal behavior, the criminal justice system, and values of social justice.
• Explain how criminal justice structures change as a result of social forces including: the actions of social groups through social movements and collective action; the impact of macro-level changes such as industrialization, secularization, and globalization; and struggles over social institutions that are linked to social and economic development and mobility.
• Demonstrate how to apply sociological and criminology theories and concepts to the social world around them by using the sociological imagination to analyze criminal acts in context and to generate and evaluate solutions; and by applying other criminology theories and concepts to understand how crime evolves and is controlled, both locally and globally.
• Describe the role of theory in building criminological knowledge and evaluate the limitations of different theoretical frameworks and critically evaluate claims about criminology and criminal justice systems by identifying and appraising assumptions underlying theory construction and social policy.
• Demonstrate the ability to conduct and critique empirical research in criminology through the articulation of the effective use of evidence, the generation of research questions or hypotheses from criminological theories and concepts, and the recognition of the limits of the scientific method in understanding social behavior related to crime.
• Demonstrate informational, technological, and quantitative literacy and be able to express criminological and criminal justice-related ideas in a clear and coherent manner, in both written and oral communication, to the general public.

Academic Requirements

Students must earn a “C” or better in courses in the major and maintain at least a 2.20 cumulative GPA. Students pursuing the Criminology major are not eligible for the Criminal Justice minor. 

Course Delivery Format

Courses are delivered in multiple formats including face-to-face lecture and laboratory courses, as well as online courses.