About this Program
- College: Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Degree: Bachelor of Arts
- Credits for Degree: 120
- Additional Information
- Contact: 1.855.99GATOR
- Related Criminology Programs
To graduate with this major, students must complete all university, college, and major requirements.
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.
After obtaining a B.A. 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.
Coursework for the Major
The major requires 34 credits. At least 22 of the 34 must be taken from UF in courses offered by the department with prefixes of CCJ, CJC, CJE, CJJ or CJL. Students may apply no more than six credits of 1000/2000-level coursework to the major, including CJL 2000.
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.
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).
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation (Tracking) Coursework | ||
| In the first four terms, students enroll in criminology-related foundation courses, which include the following: | ||
| STA 2023 | Introduction to Statistics 1 | 3 |
| Select one of the following options: | 9 | |
| 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 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 of the following law-driven requirement courses: | ||
| Law and the Legal Process 2 | ||
| Juvenile Law | ||
| Criminal Law | ||
| Criminal Procedure | ||
| Criminology Electives | ||
| Select a minimum of 18 credits 3 | 18 | |
| Students may select up to 9 additional credits from approved interdisciplinary courses outside of criminology 4 | 0-9 | |
| Total Credits | 43-52 | |
| 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. A list of the approved interdisciplinary courses appears below the recommended semester plan. |
Students may apply only three credits of CCJ 4940 and three credits of CCJ 4905 to the 34 credits for the major.
Additional Requirements
Exit Exam Requirement
To complete the major students must pass a department exit examination regarding crime, criminal justice, law and society, and criminological theory.
Upper Division Transfer
The transfer admissions process is competitive, so students should prepare their applications carefully and be attentive to their grades.
To be considered for admission to the online program, students must have completed or be in process of completing three criminology-related foundation courses (or the equivalents) from the following list:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Introductory criminal justice/criminology courses (CCJ, CJL or CJE prefixes) | ||
| AMH 2010 | United States to 1877 | 3 |
| AMH 2020 | United States Since 1877 | 3 |
| ANT 2000 | General Anthropology | 3 |
| ANT 2410 | Cultural Anthropology | 3 |
| ECO 2013 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 4 |
| ECO 2023 | Principles of Microeconomics | 4 |
| PHI 2010 | Introduction to Philosophy | 3 |
| PHI 2630 | Contemporary Moral Issues | 3 |
| POS 2041 | American Federal Government | 3 |
| POS 2112 | American State and Local Government | 3 |
| PSY 2012 | General Psychology | 3 |
| SYG 2000 | Principles of Sociology | 3 |
| SYG 2010 | Social Problems | 3 |
| STA 2023 | Introduction to Statistics 1 | 3 |
Related Criminology Programs
Critical Tracking records each student’s progress in courses that are required for entry to 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
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).
| 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 | |
| Foreign language | 4-5 | |
| Credits | 13-14 | |
| Semester Two | ||
| CCJ 3024 | Advanced Principles of Criminal Justice (Critical Tracking; recommended)) | 3 |
| IDS 1161 | What is the Good Life (Gen Ed Humanities) | 3 |
| State Core Gen Ed Mathematics | 3 | |
| Foreign language | 3-5 | |
| Elective | 4 | |
| Credits | 16-18 | |
| Semester Three | ||
| Criminology-related course (Critical Tracking) | 3 | |
| STA 2023 | Introduction to Statistics 1 (Critical Tracking; recommended; Gen Ed Mathematics) | 3 |
| State Core Gen Ed Humanities | 3 | |
| Elective (or foreign language if 4-3-3 option) | 3 | |
| Elective | 4 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Semester Four | ||
| Gen Ed Biological or Physical Sciences (area not taken in semester one) | 3 | |
| Gen Ed Humanities | 3 | |
| State Core Gen Ed Social and Behavioral Sciences (if needed; several criminology-related courses meet this requirement) | 3 | |
| Science laboratory (Gen Ed Physical or Biological Sciences) | 1 | |
| Electives | 5-6 | |
| Credits | 15-16 | |
| 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 | 3 | |
| Gen Ed Composition (Writing Requirement) | 3 | |
| Criminology elective | 3 | |
| Elective (3000 level or above, not in major) | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Semester Six | ||
| Criminology core courses | 6-7 | |
| Criminology electives | 6 | |
| Elective (3000 level or above, not in major) | 3 | |
| Credits | 15-16 | |
| Semester Seven | ||
| Criminology core course | 3-4 | |
| Criminology elective | 3 | |
| Gen Ed Physical Sciences | 3 | |
| Electives (3000 level or above, not in major) | 6 | |
| Credits | 15-16 | |
| Semester Eight | ||
| Criminology core course | 3 | |
| Criminology electives | 6 | |
| Electives (3000 level or above, not in major) | 6 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 120 | |
Choose any CCJ, CJE, CJL or CJJ elective and up to 9 credits from these approved interdisciplinary courses.
Some of these courses have prerequisites.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANT 3451 | Race and Racism | 3 |
| ANT 3520 | Skeleton Keys: Forensic Identification | 3 |
| BUL 4310 | The Legal Environment of Business | 4 |
| 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 and Physical Activity | 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
- Define and describe the criminal justice system, the interrelationships among its components and their fit with society.
- Define and describe the legal institutions, the law and their interaction in society.
Critical Thinking
- Analyze theories of crime and their implications for programs and policies to reduce crime.
- Interpret and evaluate research in criminology, law and society and exhibit proficiency in the techniques used to conduct such research.
Communication
- 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