Criminology B.A.
Criminology is an area of study within sociology that examines the social causes and consequences of crime. Coursework focuses on the dynamics of victimization and offending, the operation of the criminal justice system, and the impact of income inequality and racial disparities on crime and punishment. Students will graduate from the Criminology program with a deep knowledge of the criminal justice system, a systemic understanding of inequality, and strong data analysis and critical thinking skills. The Bachelor of Arts in Criminology prepares students for professional careers in law enforcement, social services, law, applied research, and academia.
General Degree Requirements
To earn a baccalaureate degree, all students must complete successfully, in addition to any other requirements, the University of Montana General Education Requirements. Please refer to the General Education Requirements page for more information.
Additional requirements for graduation can be found on the Degree/Certificate Requirements for Graduation page.
Unless otherwise noted in individual program requirements, a minimum grade point average of 2.00 in all work attempted at the University of Montana-Missoula is required for graduation. Please see the Academic Policies and Procedures page for information on how your GPA is calculated.
Courses taken to satisfy the requirements of a major, minor, or certificate program must be completed with a grade of C- or better unless a higher grade is noted in the program requirements.
BACHELOR OF ARTS - CRIMINOLOGY
- Students can apply only 6 credits of non-Sociology (SOCI) courses to the major.
Course Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| Complete all of the following courses: | ||
| SOCI 101S | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| SOCI 202 | Social Statistics | 3 |
| SOCI 211S | Introduction to Criminology | 3 |
| SOCI 221 | Criminal Justice System | 3 |
| SOCI 318 | Sociological Research Methods | 3 |
| SOCI 439 | Advanced Criminological Theory | 3 |
| Criminology Perspectives | ||
| Complete one course from each of the following perspective categories: | 12 | |
Macro and Historical Perspectives | ||
Complete one of the following courses: | ||
| Comparative Criminology | ||
| Sociology of Punishment | ||
| Communities and Crime | ||
| Deviant and Criminal Behavior | ||
Criminal Justice | ||
Complete one of the following courses: | ||
| Juvenile Justice System | ||
| Sociology of Law Enforcement | ||
| Sociology of Corrections | ||
| Work, Labor, and the Criminal Justice System | ||
| Forensic Psychology | ||
Interpersonal Violence | ||
Complete one of the following courses: | ||
| Family Violence | ||
| Victims and Society | ||
| Prostitution & Human Trafficking | ||
| Gender, Crime, and Justice | ||
| Homicide | ||
Structural Inequality | ||
Complete one of the following courses: | ||
| Human Rights and Mass Incarceration | ||
| White Supremacy - History/Defeat | ||
| Native American History from 1830 | ||
| Indigenous World View Perspectives | ||
| Tribal Sovereignty | ||
| Race, Gender & Class | ||
| Social Stratification | ||
| Criminology Electives 1 | ||
| Complete 12 credits of the following courses: | 12 | |
| Forensic Psychology | ||
| Race, Gender & Class | ||
| Careers in Criminology | ||
| Criminal Justice Ethics | ||
| Social Stratification | ||
| Juvenile Justice System | ||
| Sociology of Law Enforcement | ||
| Comparative Criminology | ||
| Family Violence | ||
| Sociology of Punishment | ||
| Sociology of Corrections | ||
| Victims and Society | ||
| Communities and Crime | ||
| Deviant and Criminal Behavior | ||
| Prostitution & Human Trafficking | ||
| Gender, Crime, and Justice | ||
| Homicide | ||
| Work, Labor, and the Criminal Justice System | ||
| Service Learning Internship | ||
| Total Hours | 42 | |
- 1
Courses not used to fulfill the Sociology Perspectives requirement may count toward the elective requirement. Special topics and other Sociology courses may also count toward the elective requirement with the consent of the program director.
Double Majoring with Sociology
- Students who want to double major in Criminology and Sociology must complete the following additional requirements.
- Special topics and other Sociology courses may also count toward this requirement with the consent of the program director.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete the following course: | ||
| SOCI 455 | Classical Sociological Theory | 3 |
| Complete 7 of the following courses: | 21 | |
| Race, Gender & Class | ||
| Gender and Society | ||
| Sociology of Work | ||
| Sociology of the Family | ||
| Sociology of Organizations | ||
| Rural Sociology | ||
| The Community | ||
| Social Psychology and Social Structure | ||
| Capstone: Inequality and Social Justice | ||
| Sociology of Poverty | ||
| Prostitution & Human Trafficking | ||
| Environmental Sociology | ||
| Writing for Sociology | ||
| The following courses cannot be used to satisfy this requirement: | ||
| Introduction to Criminology | ||
| Criminal Justice System | ||
| Careers in Criminology | ||
| Criminal Justice Ethics | ||
| Juvenile Justice System | ||
| Sociology of Law Enforcement | ||
| Comparative Criminology | ||
| Family Violence | ||
| Sociology of Punishment | ||
| Sociology of Corrections | ||
| Victims and Society | ||
| Communities and Crime | ||
| Seminar in Crime & Deviance | ||
| Advanced Criminological Theory | ||
| Deviant and Criminal Behavior | ||
| Gender, Crime, and Justice | ||
| Homicide | ||
| Work, Labor, and the Criminal Justice System | ||
Advanced Writing Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| The following Sociology courses also fulfill the General Education Advanced Writing requirement: | ||
| Victims and Society | ||
| Seminar in Crime & Deviance | ||
| Capstone: Inequality and Social Justice | ||
| Homicide | ||
| Writing for Sociology | ||