Program Description
Criminology is an expanding field that explores the causes and consequences of crime and the institutions designed to address it. The Bachelor of Arts and minor program in criminology are interdisciplinary and strongly based in the liberal arts. They offer a broad array of courses from social and physical sciences, as well as humanities, in disciplines such as sociology, political science, philosophy, forensics, and linguistics. The program is designed to provide students with sound methodological and analytical skills, leading to critical understanding of criminal behavior and the operation of the criminal justice system. The goal of the program is to prepare students for further studies as well as leadership positions in the fields of law, criminal justice administration, policy development, and national security.
Students with criminology degrees will be able to work in governmental criminal justice agencies, nonprofit foundations, and community organizations that deal with various issues in criminal justice, such as rehabilitation, uniformity in sentencing, prison over-crowding, recidivism, de-criminalization of certain drugs, gun control, community policing, crime prevention, treatment of drug offenders, and human rights violations, among others.
As part of the degree, the program offers credited internships in the specialized courts of Nassau and Queens Counties — for example, the youth court, mental health and drug courts, the domestic violence and sex crimes prosecutorial units, the Department of Probation, and community-based educational, advocacy, and rehabilitation programs.