Criminology, BA Major in

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Administered by the Department of Sociology

Program Description

Criminology is an exciting, multidisciplinary field that studies the creation, causes, and consequences of crime, as well as the institutions designed to address it. Hofstra’s Criminology Program offers an undergraduate major and minor, and it is structured to provide students with a broad-based liberal arts education that draws from a variety of disciplines, including forensics, linguistics, philosophy, political science, psychology, and sociology.

Hofstra’s Criminology curriculum centers on rigorous analytic and methodological skills that are rooted in the social scientific method. Our approach leads to a critical understanding of crime, its social and psychological context, and its relation to other social institutions, including but not limited to the criminal justice system.

Students with a criminology degree are prepared to begin careers in law, government, and nongovernmental agencies that deal with diverse issues in criminal justice, such as mass incarceration, rehabilitation and re-entry, firearms policy, human rights, community empowerment, and equitable and restorative justice. The program is also a superior foundation for graduate studies in numerous related fields.

Program Requirements

The major in criminology requires the successful completion of a minimum of 32 s.h. of course work, including:

1) Required Courses - Semester Hours: 20

CRM 001 - (IS) Introduction to Criminology Semester Hours: 3 (See footnote*)
or
SOC 007 - (BH) Crime and Delinquency Semester Hours: 3 (See footnote*)
CRM 002 - (IS) Theoretical Perspectives on Crime and Justice Semester Hours: 3
SOC 180 - Statistics in Sociology Semester Hours: 4
SOC 181 - Research Methods in Sociology Semester Hours: 4
CRM 191 - (IS) Advanced Research Seminar in Criminology Semester Hours: 3

2) Three s.h. in each of the following categories - Total Semester Hours: 6

Category I: Crime and Justice

PHI 121 - (HP) Crime and Punishment Semester Hours: 3
PSC 129 - (BH) The Administration of Justice in America Semester Hours: 3
SOC 008 - (BH) Sociology of Substance Abuse Semester Hours: 3
SOC 117 - (BH) Sociology of Terrorism Semester Hours: 3 (See footnote*)
or
PSC 136 - Terrorism in World Politics Semester Hours: 3 (See footnote*/**)
SOC 172 - (BH) Punishment and Society: Sociology of Correctional Institutions Semester Hours: 3

Category II: Law, Politics, and Society

PHI 015 - (HP) Law, Philosophy, and Public Life Semester Hours: 3-4
PHI 120 - (HP) Philosophy of Law Semester Hours: 3
PHI 122 - Morality and the Law Semester Hours: 3
PSC 120 - (BH) Law and Politics: Judicial Process Semester Hours: 3
PSC 126 - (BH) Politics of Public Administration Semester Hours: 3
PSC 127 - Constitutional Law Semester Hours: 3
PSC 128 - The Constitution: Political Freedom and Civil Liberties Semester Hours: 3
PSY 012 - Psychology and the Law Semester Hours: 3
SOC 170 - (BH) Sociology of Law Semester Hours: 3

3) Electives, chosen under advisement - Total Semester Hours: 9

In addition to the following, courses taken from among those listed under categories I and II above that are beyond the required minimum of 3 s.h. will count as electives.

CRM 003 - (IS) Domestic Violence Semester Hours: 3
CRM 004 - (IS) Mental Illness and Criminal Behavior Semester Hours: 3
CRM 005 - (IS) Gender, Crime and Criminal Justice Semester Hours: 3 s.h.
CRM 006 - (IS) Ethics in Policing Semester Hours: 3
CRM 007 - (IS) Delinquency and Juvenile Justice Semester Hours: 3
CRM 187 A-Z - (IS) Special Topics in Criminology Semester Hours: 3
CRM 190 - Internship in Criminology Semester Hours: 1-4
FOR 100 - (NS) Survey in Forensic Science Semester Hours: 3
FOR 101 - (NS) Crime Scene Investigation Methods Semester Hours: 3
GS 108 - (CC, IS) Globalization and Human Trafficking Semester Hours: 3
LING 137 - Introduction to Corpus Linguistics Semester Hours: 3
LING 158 - (IS) Forensic Linguistics Semester Hours: 3
SOC 009 - (BH) Youth, Crisis, and American Culture Semester Hours: 3
SOC 153 - (BH) Sociology of Human Rights Semester Hours: 3 (See footnote*)
or
GS 109 - (CC, IS) Globalization and Human Rights Semester Hours: 3 (See footnote*)

Footnotes

* Credit toward the major or minor is given for one of these courses, not both.

** When topic approved by the director of the criminology program.

Complete BA Requirements

BA Requirements in HCLAS.

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