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 and law 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.

After being accepted to this program, students can pursue the degree without moving to Gainesville. Coursework will be offered via electronic distance learning, and UF faculty will teach and advise students in the program. This program is designed to be pursued entirely online, and thus, students will not be permitted to take any courses on campus while enrolled in the program.

Students will need access to a personal computer capable of connecting to the web and sending and receiving electronic mail. It is recommended but not required that the student's computer have a video conferencing capability.

requirements for the Major

The major requires 34 credits of Criminology courses, and 3 credits of STA 2023. Students may apply no more than six credits of 1000/2000-level coursework to the major, including CJL 2000. 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. 

In addition to the required coursework, students must pass an online department exit examination regarding crime, criminal justice, law and society, and criminological theory to complete the major.

At least 22 of the 34 credits of Criminology courses must be taken from UF in courses offered by the department with prefixes of CCJ, CJC, CJE, CJJ or CJL.

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 UF’s 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.

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Foundation Coursework
In the first four terms, students enroll in criminology-related foundation courses, which include:
STA 2023	Introduction to Statistics 1	3
Select one option:		9
Option A
Select 9 credits of introductory criminal justice/criminology courses (CCJ, CJL or CJE prefixes), including:
CCJ 3024	Advanced Principles of Criminal Justice
CJL 2000	Law and the Legal Process
CJL 3038	Law and Society
Option B
Select 9 credits from the following or their equivalents:
AMH 2010	United States to 1877
AMH 2020	United States Since 1877
ANT 2000	General Anthropology
ANT 2410	Cultural Anthropology
ECO 2013	Principles of Macroeconomics
ECO 2023	Principles of Microeconomics
PHI 2010	Introduction to Philosophy
PHI 2630	Contemporary Moral Issues
POS 2041	American Federal Government
POS 2112	American State and Local Government
PSY 2012	General Psychology
SYG 2000	Introduction to Sociology
SYG 2010	Social Problems
Required Major Coursework
Criminology Core Courses
CCJ 3024	Advanced Principles of Criminal Justice 1	3
CCJ 3701	Research Methods in Criminology 1	4
CCJ 4014	Criminological Theory 1	3
CJL 3038	Law and Society 1	3
Select at least one law-driven requirement course:		3
CJL 2000	Law and the Legal Process 2
CJL 4050	Juvenile Law
CJL 4110	Criminal Law
CJL 4410	Criminal Procedure
Criminology Major Electives
Select a minimum of 18 credits
Of the 18 credits of major electives, students may select up to 9 credits from approved interdisciplinary courses outside of criminology.
Related Coursework
Statistics Course Requirement
STA 2023	Introduction to Statistics 1	3
Total Credits		31

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

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.

⁴

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

⁵

These approved interdisciplinary courses may also apply to the CLAS electives requirement. These courses do not apply toward the 22-credit residency requirement. A list of the approved interdisciplinary courses appears below the recommended semester plan.

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.

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

• Complete 1 criminology-related foundation course (criminology-related foundation courses include introductory criminal justice and criminology courses -- CCJ, CJL or CJE prefixes, such as CCJ 3024, CJL 2000, CJL 3038 -- or related courses: AMH 2010, AMH 2020, ANT 2000, ANT 2410, ECO 2013, ECO 2023, PHI 2010, PHI 2630, POS 2041, POS 2112, PSY 2012, SYG 2000, SYG 2010)
• 2.3 UF GPA required

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
  • Or 1 core criminology course and 1 law-based course: CJL 2000, CJL 4050, CJL 4110, CJL 4410 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, Civic Literacy, summer enrollment, and Quest requirements while in the process of taking the courses below. Students are also expected to complete the general education international (GE-N) requirements concurrently with another general education requirement (typically, GE-C, H, or S) as part of the CLAS Basic Distribution requirements. One of the two general education mathematics courses must be a pure math course.

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences allows students additional flexibility in its Distribution Requirements. Students may count a maximum of 6 credits TOTAL from the CLAS Distribution course lists towards Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences, or Biological and Physical Sciences, with no more than 3 credits of Humanities, 3 credits of Social and Behavioral Sciences, or 6 credits of Biological or Physical Sciences.

The full list of major-specific requirements for this major can be found on the Overview tab. College of Liberal Arts and Sciences degree requirements can be found on the College’s degree requirements page.

Up to 9 credits of approved Criminology electives outside of the Criminology department 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 One		Credits
Criminology-related course (Critical Tracking)		3
State Core Gen Ed Biological or Physical Sciences		3
State Core Gen Ed Composition; Writing Requirement		3
CLAS Foreign Language Proficiency Requirement 1		4-5
	Credits	13-14
Semester Two
Quest 1		3
CCJ 3024	Advanced Principles of Criminal Justice (Critical Tracking; recommended)	3
Gen Ed Mathematics, pure math		3
Gen Ed Biological or Physical Sciences (area not taken in semester one)		3
CLAS Foreign Language Proficiency Requirement 1		3-5
Natural Science Laboratory 2		1
	Credits	16-18
Semester Three
Quest 2 Course (Gen Ed Social and Behavioral Sciences, if needed)		3
STA 2023	Introduction to Statistics 1 (Critical Tracking; State Core Gen Ed Mathematics)	3
State Core Gen Ed Humanities		3
Criminology-related course (Critical Tracking)		3
Elective (or CLAS Foreign Language Proficiency Requirement if 4-3-3 language option) 1		3
	Credits	15
Semester Four
Gen Ed Biological Sciences		3
Gen Ed Humanities		3
State Core Gen Ed Social and Behavioral Sciences		3
Gen Ed Social and Behavioral Sciences		3
Electives		3
	Credits	15
Semester Five
CCJ 3024	Advanced Principles of Criminal Justice (Critical Tracking; if not taken previously)	3
Gen Ed Physical Science		3
Gen Ed Composition; Writing Requirement		3
Elective (3000 level or above, not in major)		3
Gen Ed Humanities		3
	Credits	15
Semester Six
Criminology core courses; Critical Tracking		6-7
Approved Criminology electives; Critical Tracking		6
Elective (3000 level or above, not in major)		3
	Credits	15-16
Semester Seven
Criminology core course; Critical Tracking		3-4
Approved Criminology elective; Critical Tracking		6
Electives (3000 level or above, not in major)		6
	Credits	15-16
Semester Eight
Criminology core course; Critical Tracking		3
Approved Criminology electives; Critical Tracking		6
Electives (3000 level or above, not in major)		6
Elective		1
	Credits	16
	Total Credits	120

¹

CLAS Foreign Language Proficiency Requirement

²

Degree Requirements

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

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
ANT 3451	Race and Racism	3
ANT 3520	Skeleton Keys: Forensic Identification	3
BUL 4310	The Legal Environment of Business	4
EEX 4520	Disabilities: Legal Aspects and Policies	3
MDU 4031	Medicine and the Law	3
MMC 4200	Law of Mass Communication	3
PAD 3003	Introduction to Public Administration	3
SPM 4723	Legal Issues in Sport	3
SYP 3510	Deviance	3

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

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

Communication

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

Curriculum Map

I = Introduced; R = Reinforced; A = Assessed

Academic Learning Compact 5

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

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