Criminology BA

Admission Criteria

Current UB students seeking admission to the Criminology BA will be added to the major upon request by completing the College of Arts and Sciences Major/Minor Change Request Form.

Course Requirements

Academic Requirements

Minimum GPA of 2.000 overall.Transfer credit policy:  

Minimum grade of C required in SOC 101 , SOC 206 , SOC 293 , SOC 294 , SOC 307  and SOC 317  , or approved substitutes.

Joint majors (not to be confused with double majors) are not permitted.

Sociology Department course overlap policy:  For Sociology/Criminology double majors, no shared classes are allowed other than the 3 shared required classes (101, 293, 294).  For Sociology and/or Criminology majors also minoring in a departmental minor, and/or for double minors, a minimum of 4 of the classes required for the minor must be unique, i.e., not shared across other departmental majors or minors.

Transfer Credit Policy

The department accepts up to 5 transferred classes or up to 16 credit hours (whichever limit is reached first) of appropriate sociology/criminology courses toward the major requirements. Course descriptions and syllabi may need to be provided.

Program Honors

Students eligible to enroll in Program Honors have junior or senior standing, achieve a department and overall GPA of at least 3.25 and complete six (6) honors credits in the department, normally over two semesters. Students must also meet the remaining criteria outlined in the Academic Honors policy. Students who successfully complete the honors program and meet the criteria will have the appropriate notation on their official transcript.

Program Distinction

A student in this major is eligible for Program Distinction upon degree conferral if the criteria are met. Criteria are found under Academic Honors in the Policy and Procedure section of this Catalog. Program Distinction is noted on the official transcript.

Curricular Plan

A Curricular Plan provides a roadmap for completing this academic program and the UB Curriculum on time. Your actual plan may vary depending on point of entry to the university, course placement and/or waivers based on standardized test scores, earned alternative credit and/or college transfer credit.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Criminology BA, students should be able to:

• Identify the major research methods used by sociologists, compare and contrast the utility and relevance of a range of methods to the study of different social issues, and apply some basic research methods to the analysis of social issues.
• Obtain knowledge of basic social science statistical methods and be able to conduct basic statistical analyses.
• Identify and understand key criminological theories, as well as key findings from criminological research.
• Think critically and sociologically about crime and criminality. This may entail:
• Understanding causal theories of crime, deviance, and/or juvenile delinquency, and the issues related to defining, measuring, and explaining crime, deviance, and/or delinquency;
• Identifying and challenging popular misconceptions about crime and understand how and why they are perpetuated;
• Understanding how social inequality, including class, race, and gender inequalities, relate to crime and criminality;
• Understanding how criminological theories are applied in everyday social life, especially in law and social policy;

(HEGIS: 22.09 CRIMINOLOGY, CIP: 45.0401 Criminology)