Program: Criminology Minor - University at Buffalo

Apr 03, 2025

2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

Admission Criteria

Current UB students seeking admission to the Criminology minor should complete the College of Arts and Sciences Major/Minor Change Request Form.

Course Requirements

Criminology Core (6 credits)

SOC 206LEC - Social Problems Credits: 3
SOC 307LEC - Criminology Credits: 3

Four Criminology Electives (12 credits)

SOC 311LEC - Drugs and Society Credits: 3
SOC 317LEC - Criminal Justice Systems Credits: 3
SOC 319LEC - Juvenile Justice Credits: 3
SOC 327LEC - Victims & Victimization Credits: 3
SOC 337LEC - Sociology of Punishment Credits: 3
SOC 339LEC - Crime & the Life Course Credits: 3
SOC 343LEC - Gender & Crime Credits: 3
SOC 345LEC - Sociology of Deviance Credits: 3
SOC 346LEC - Beyond The Walls: Reentry After Incarceration Credits: 3
SOC 347LEC - Schools & Crime Credits: 3
SOC 356LEC - Green Criminology Credits: 3
SOC 357LEC - Race, Crime, & Criminal Justice Credits: 3
SOC 359LEC - Incarceration and Family Life Credits: 3
SOC 361LEC - Incarceration and Work Credits: 3
SOC 366LEC - Crime & Popular Culture Credits: 3
SOC 369LEC - Prison Ecology Credits: 3
SOC 373LEC - Law & Society Credits: 3
SOC 387LEC - Sociology of Race & Racism Credits: 3
SOC 388LEC - Communities & Crime Credits: 3
SOC 396LEC - Global Criminology Credits: 3
SOC 495TUT - Undergraduate Supervised Teaching Credits: 3
SOC 496TUT - Internship Program Credits: 1-6
SOC 499TUT - Independent Study Credits: 1-12

Notes

*May count SOC 495 once, for 3 credits, as an elective course

Total Credits Required for Minor: 18

Total Credit Hours Required represents the minimum credits needed to complete this program, and may vary based on a number of circumstances. This chart should not be used for financial aid purposes.

Academic Requirements

Minimum GPA of 2.000 overall.

Minimum grade of C required in SOC 206 , SOC 307 , or approved substitutes.

Sociology Department Course Overlap Policy

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 9 credit hours of appropriate sociology/criminology courses toward the minor requirements. Course descriptions and syllabi may need to be provided.

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.

Learning Outcomes

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

Think critically and sociologically about crime and criminality;
Identify and understand the theories, methods, and findings of key research conducted by criminologists;
Understand causal theories of crime, deviance, and/or juvenile delinquency, and the issues related to defining, measuring, and explaining crime, deviance, and/or delinquency;
Identify and challenge popular misconceptions about crime and understand how and why they are perpetuated;
Understand how social inequality, including class, race, and gender inequalities, relate to crime and criminality;
Understand how criminological theories are applied in everyday social life, especially in law and social policy;
Know how to acquire and evaluate data associated with crime and justice issues, and acquire the skills needed to assess the validity and reliability of such data.