Criminology

major

The Department of Sociology and Criminology offers the largest interdisciplinary degree program at UF. Students seeking a degree in criminology will study the complexities of relationships among the legal, social, political, historical, and psychological influences affecting law processes and crime and justice.

About this Program

To graduate with this major, students must complete all university, college, and major requirements.

Department Information

The Department of Sociology and Criminology & Law has over 1,000 undergraduate majors and 100 graduate students. The department’s faculty are internationally known for their research in the areas of families, gender, and sexualities; health, aging, and the life course; environmental and resource sociology; race and ethnicity; criminology and criminal justice; and psychology and law.
Website

CONTACT

Criminology Email Sociology Email

352.294.7164 (tel) | 352.392.6568 (fax)

P.O. Box 117330
3219 TURLINGTON HALL
GAINESVILLE FL 32611-7330
Map

 Curriculum

Courses focus on explanations for the development of law within society, why people break laws, and how society reacts to law-breaking. Interdisciplinary breadth in the study of criminology is essential for those majoring in criminology. Majors may enroll in relevant courses offered outside the department to help satisfy tracking requirements (listed below under Foundation Coursework).

After obtaining a BA in Criminology, students can seek careers as professionals working within the criminal or juvenile justice systems (i.e., courts, law enforcement, corrections). Many students also attend law school, while others attend graduate school where they may conduct research on criminological issues.

Coursework for the Major

The major requires 34 credits. At least 22 of the 34 must be taken at UF in courses offered by the department with prefixes of CCJ, CJC, CJE, CJJ, or CJL. Students may apply no more than 6 credits of 1000/2000-level coursework to the major.

A maximum of 12 credits of criminology courses can be transferred toward the major. Students who transfer six credits of 1000/2000-level (lower-division) credits into the major should not take CJL 2000. There are restrictions on which lower-division courses will transfer to the major. Lower-division courses that transfer into the major include introductory courses on criminology, criminal justice and criminal law/procedure. Students who wish to take interdisciplinary courses and transfer credits from another institution need to be careful about the 22-credit residency requirement.

Minimum grades of C must be earned in courses that count toward the major. The only exception is CCJ 4940, which requires a grade of S.

Foundation (Tracking) Coursework
In the first four terms, students enroll in criminology-related foundation courses, which include:
STA 2023Introduction to Statistics 13
Select one option:
Option A: Select 9 credits of introductory criminal justice/criminology courses (CCJ, CJL or CJE prefixes), including:
Advanced Principles of Criminal Justice
Law and the Legal Process
Law and Society
Option B: Select 9 credits from the following or their equivalents:
United States to 1877
United States Since 1877
General Anthropology
Cultural Anthropology
Principles of Macroeconomics
Principles of Microeconomics
Introduction to Philosophy
Contemporary Moral Issues
American Federal Government
American State and Local Government
General Psychology
Principles of Sociology
Social Problems
Required Coursework
Criminology Core Courses
CCJ 3024Advanced Principles of Criminal Justice 13
CCJ 3701Research Methods in Criminology 14
CCJ 4014Criminological Theory 13
CJL 3038Law and Society 13
Select at least one law-driven requirement course:3
Law and the Legal Process 2
Juvenile Law
Criminal Law
Criminal Procedure
Criminology Electives
Select a minimum of 18 credits 318
Students may select up to 9 additional credits from approved interdisciplinary courses outside of criminology. 40-9
Statistics Course Requirement
STA 2023Introduction to Statistics 13
1

These courses are the basis for meeting the student learning outcomes in the major’s academic learning compact, therefore they must be taken at UF. 

2

Students should take this course only if they have not already completed six credits of 1000/2000-level criminology courses. 

3

Majors may choose from any course offered in the department not used to meet this requirement.

4

These approved interdisciplinary courses may also apply to the CLAS electives requirement. These courses do not apply toward the 22-credit residency requirement.

Students may apply only 3 credits of CCJ 4940 or 3 credits of CCJ 4911 (if taken as S/U) to the 34 credits for the major. CCJ 4940 is automatically graded S/U. CCJ 4911 may be taken as either a letter grade or S/U, but the student must submit an application to the registrar’s office for this course to be taken as an S/U grade.

Exit Exam Requirement

To complete the major students must pass a department exit examination regarding crime, criminal justice, law and society, and criminological theory, administered online.

Recommended Coursework

Students who meet CLAS honors criteria (3.5 upper-division GPA) may take up to six credits in CCJ 4970 or enroll in up to two graduate seminars as honors courses, depending on instructor permission and course availability. However, students should keep in mind the tuition differences between undergraduate and graduate credits.

Combination Degree Programs

The opportunity to get an early start on graduate work by enrolling in graduate credits exists in a combination BA/MA program. Interested students must apply and be accepted to the undergraduate phase (so that graduate credits can count toward the major to earn the BA degree). Independently, they also must apply for admission to the graduate phase and compete with all other applicants for admission to a limited number of openings each Fall.

Overseas Studies

The major has no affiliated overseas programs. Criminology majors, however, frequently study abroad and can often transfer credits to the major.

Placement

CCJ 3024 is a prerequisite or corequisite for most of the other courses in the major. During advanced registration, there may be restrictions placed on lower-division students for registration in many upper-division courses to make sure juniors and seniors get the credits they need to graduate on time.

Research

Majors may pursue original research through the upper-division honors program in the major, especially via senior thesis credits (CCJ 4970). Others pursue independent research through Undergraduate Research in Criminology (CCJ 4911). The major also offers a research internship (CCJ 4940), which enables students to work in ongoing research projects.

Critical Tracking records each student’s progress in courses that are required for progress toward each major. Please note the critical-tracking requirements below on a per-semester basis.

For degree requirements outside of the major, refer to CLAS Degree Requirements: Structure of a CLAS Degree.

Equivalent critical-tracking courses as determined by the State of Florida Common Course Prerequisites may be used for transfer students.

Semester 1

Semester 2

  • Complete 1 additional criminology-related foundation course
  • 2.5 UF GPA required

Semester 3

  • Complete 1 additional criminology-related foundation course with 2.65 critical-tracking GPA
  • 2.65 UF GPA required

Semester 4

  • Complete STA 2023 with a 2.75 critical-tracking GPA
  • 2.8 UF GPA required

Semester 5

  • Complete CCJ 3024 (if not previously taken) and maintain 2.75 critical-tracking GPA
  • 2.80 UF GPA required

Semester 6

  • Complete at least 2 additional core criminology courses: CJL 3038, CCJ 4014, CCJ 3701 with minimum grades of C
  • Complete 1 criminology elective or an additional core criminology course with a minimum grade of C

Semester 7

  • Complete at least 1 additional core criminology course with minimum grades of C
  • Complete 3 additional criminology electives

Semester 8

  • Complete the last core criminology course, if needed, with a minimum grade of C
  • Complete the law-based requirement, if needed: CJL 2000, CJL 4050, CJL 4410, or CJL 4410 with a minimum grade of C
  • Complete the 2 remaining criminology electives
  • Pass the criminology exit exam

Students are expected to complete the Writing Requirement while in the process of taking the courses below. Students are also expected to complete the General Education International (GE-N) and Diversity (GE-D) requirements concurrently with another General Education requirement (typically, GE-C, H, or S).

Up to 9 credits of approved Criminology electives outside of the Criminology department may also count towards the 3000 level or above electives outside of the major.

To remain on track, students must complete the appropriate critical-tracking courses, which appear in bold. These courses must be completed by the terms as listed above in the Critical Tracking criteria.

This semester plan represents an example progression through the major. Actual courses and course order may be different depending on the student's academic record and scheduling availability of courses. Prerequisites still apply.

Plan of Study Grid
Semester OneCredits
State Core Gen Ed Biological or Physical Sciences 3
State Core Gen Ed Composition; Writing Requirement 3
Criminology-related course (Critical Tracking) 3
Foreign language 4-5
 Credits13-14
Semester Two
CCJ 3024 Advanced Principles of Criminal Justice (Critical Tracking; recommended; or other criminology-related course) 3
Quest 1 (Gen Ed Humanities) 3
State Core Gen Ed Mathematics 3
Foreign language 3-5
Elective 4
 Credits16-18
Semester Three
Quest 2 (Gen Ed Biological or Physical Science) 3
STA 2023 Introduction to Statistics 1 (Critical Tracking; Gen Ed Mathematics) 3
Criminology-related course (Critical Tracking) 3
State Core Gen Ed Humanities 3
Elective (or foreign language if 4-3-3 option) 3
 Credits15
Semester Four
Gen Ed Biological or Physical Sciences (area NOT taken in semester 1) 3
Gen Ed Humanities 3
Science Laboratory (Gen Ed Biological or Physical Sciences) 1
State Core Gen Ed Social and Behavioral Sciences (if needed; several criminology-related courses meet this requirement) 3
Electives 6
 Credits16
Semester Five
CCJ 3024 Advanced Principles of Criminal Justice (Critical Tracking; if not taken previously; Gen Ed Social and Behavioral Sciences) 3
Gen Ed Biological Sciences or Physical Science (area not taken for Quest 2 course in Semester 3) 3
Gen Ed Composition; Writing Requirement 3
Approved Criminology elective; Critical Tracking 3
Elective (3000 level or above, not in major) 3
 Credits15
Semester Six
Criminology core courses; Critical Tracking 6-7
Approved Criminology electives; Critical Tracking 6
Elective (3000 level or above, not in major) 3
 Credits15-16
Semester Seven
Criminology core course; Critical Tracking 3-4
Approved Criminology elective; Critical Tracking 3
Electives (3000 level or above, not in major) 9
 Credits15-16
Semester Eight
Criminology core course; Critical Tracking 3
Approved Criminology electives; Critical Tracking 6
Electives (3000 level or above, not in major) 6
 Credits15
 Total Credits120

Select any CCJ, CJE, CJL, or CJJ elective and up to 9 credits from these approved interdisciplinary courses.

AEB 4085Agricultural Risk Management and the Law3
AMH 3551Constitutional History of the United States to 18773
AMH 3552Constitutional History of the United States Since 18773
AMH 3558United States Legal History3
AMH 4316Violence and Social Conflict in American History3
AMH 4319Crime and Punishment in American History3
AMH 4550Origins of the US Constitution3
ANT 3451Race and Racism3
ANT 3520Skeleton Keys: Forensic Identification3
ANT 4273Anthropology of Law3
ANT 4740Introduction to Forensic Science3
BUL 4310The Legal Environment of Business4
ECP 4451Law and Economics4
EEX 4520Disabilities: Legal Aspects and Policies3
ENC 3464Writing in the Social Sciences3
ENC 3465Writing in the Law3
LEI 4800Legal Aspects of Tourism, Events and Recreation3
MDU 4031Medicine and the Law3
MMC 4200Law of Mass Communication3
PAD 3003Introduction to Public Administration3
POS 3603American Constitutional Law3
POS 3606American Civil Liberties3
POS 4624Race, Law and the Constitution3
SPM 4723Legal Issues in Sport3
STA 3024Introduction to Statistics 23
STA 4222Sample Survey Design3
SYP 3510Deviance3
URP 4882Defensible Space and CPTED in Urban Design3

The Bachelor of Arts in Criminology (both the on campus and the online degree programs) introduces students to the study of criminal behavior, criminal justice systems from a multidisciplinary, liberal arts perspective. It enables students to understand crime, how society reacts to it (especially through the criminal justice system), and the interrelationships between features of society and law. It includes learning about the theories of crime and methods for studying crime, law, and society.

Before Graduating Students Must

  • Pass a department exit examination regarding crime, criminal justice, law, and society and criminological theory.
  • Complete a research paper for CCJ 3701 demonstrating the ability to research and to interpret research in criminology, law, and society.
  • Complete requirements for the baccalaureate degree as determined by faculty.

Students in the Major Will Learn to

Student Learning Outcomes | SLOs

Content

  1. Define and describe the criminal justice system, the interrelationships among its components, and their fit with society.
  2. Define and describe the legal institutions, the law, and their interaction in society.

Critical Thinking

  1. Analyze theories of crime and their implications for programs and policies to reduce crime.
  2. Interpret and evaluate research in criminology, law and society and exhibit proficiency in the techniques used to conduct such research.

Communication

  1. Communicate ideas clearly and effectively in an accepted style of presentation.

Curriculum Map

I = Introduced; R = Reinforced; A = Assessed

Courses SLO 1 SLO 2 SLO 3 SLO 4 SLO 5
CCJ 3024 I, R, A
CCJ 3038 I, R, A
CCJ 3701 I, R, A I, R, A
CCJ 4014 I, R, A

Assessment Types

  • Exams
  • Papers