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Criminology Major: BA Degree Requirements

Students earning a degree in Criminology receive a liberal arts education that enhances their critical thinking skills, research proficiencies, and writing abilities. Students who earn the degree enter the field with greater understanding of social and cultural differences, and how these impact experiences and attitudes about crime, offenders, and the criminal justice system.

The Criminology major appeals to students interested in careers in adult and juvenile justice systems-including law enforcement, the courts, corrections, counseling, non-profit/community organizations-as well as those contemplating graduate degrees in criminology and related subjects.

Students are required to complete an internship

Students majoring in Criminology are required to complete an internship.  Internships allow students to connect what they're learning in the classroom to professional settings.  They also help students explore career paths, develop personal and professional skills, and gain practical experience in the field.  Criminology students at Eastern intern with a variety of state and local organizations, for example, the Connecticut Judicial Branch, local and state police departments, the Connecticut Department of Corrections, and community agencies such as Perception Programs, Inc., and the Justice Resource Institute.

Students typically complete an internship in the second semester of their junior year or later.  Visit the Criminology Internship FAQ for answers to frequently asked questions. Find more information about the process of getting an internship. If you have other questions about internships, please send an email to crminternships@easternct.edu and your inquiry will be addressed.

 

Admission Requirements

Any student interested in studying criminology may declare a major in Criminology. Transfer students wishing to complete a major in Criminology must complete 21 of the credits applied to the major at Eastern. All Criminology majors must maintain an overall 2.0 GPA and a 2.0 GPA in the required courses. Students majoring in Criminology may double count up to six credits in the LAC and major.

University Writing Requirements

Criminology majors satisfy the Tier II writing requirement by taking SOC 350: Methods of Social Research. They satisfy the Tier III writing requirement by completing CRM 450: Criminology Senior Seminar.

Required Courses

  • SOC 100* Introduction to Sociology - 3 credits
  • CRM 210 Introduction to Criminology - 3 credits
  • SOC 350^ Methods of Social Research - 4 credits
  • SOC 351 Statistics for Social Research - 4 credits
  • CRM 410 Criminological Theory - 3 credits
  • CRM 450^^ Criminology Senior Seminar - 3 credits

Crime Topics - Electives

Choose nine (9) credits:

  • SOC 101 Criminal Justice and Society - 3 credits
  • CRM 105 Criminal Justice and Community Relations - 3 credits
  • SOC 209 Juvenile Delinquency - 3 credits
  • SOC 220 Sociology of Corrections - 3 credits
  • SOC 310 Women and Crime - 3 credits
  • SOC 311 Drugs and Society - 3 credits
  • SOC 315 Crime and Media - 3 credits
  • CRM 317 Race, Gender, and the Criminal Justice System - 3 credits
  • SOC 318 Violence in Relationships - 3 credits
  • CRM 320 The Death Penalty in America - 3 credits
  • SOC 325 Law and Society - 3 credits
  • CRM 350 Gangs, Guns, Drugs, and Violence - 3 credits
  • ANT 358 Anthropology of Violence - 3 credits
  • CRM 340 Current Controversies in Criminology - 3 credits
  • CRM 345 Crime in Time and Space - 3 credits
  • CRM 360 Justice Alternatives and the Arts - 3 credits
  • CRM 365 Special Topics in Criminology - 1-3 credits
  • CRM 480 Independent Study - 1-6 credits

Social and Cultural Diversity - Electives

Choose nine (9) credits:

  • SOC 208 Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Lives - 3 credits
  • SOC 240** Sociology of Gender - 3 credits
  • SOC 250 Social Inequality - 3 credits
  • SOC 307** Deviance - 3 credits
  • SOC 312 Sociology of Mental Illness - 3 credits
  • SOC 346 Race and Ethnic Relations - 3 credits
  • ANT 225 Contemporary Puerto Rican Culture and Society - 3 credits
  • ANT 240 Latinos in the United States - 3 credits
  • ANT 345 Transnational, Racial, and Ethnic Identity - 3 credits

Experiential Learning

  • Choose one:
    • CRM 475 Criminology Internship: Group Supervision - 3 credits
    • CRM 490 Criminology Internship: Individual Supervision - 3 credits

*approved reuse to meet Liberal Arts Core Tier I Social Sciences

**approved reuse to meet Liberal Arts Core Tier II Individuals and Societies

^meets Stage 2 University Writing Requirement

^^meets Stage 3 University Writing Requirement