Courses focus on explanations for the development of law within society, why people break laws and how society reacts to law-breaking. Interdisciplinary breadth in the study of criminology is essential for those majoring in criminology. Majors may enroll in relevant courses offered outside the department to help satisfy tracking requirements (listed below under Foundation Coursework).
After obtaining a B.A. in criminology, students can seek careers as professionals working within the criminal or juvenile justice systems (i.e., courts, law enforcement, corrections). Many students also attend law school, while others attend graduate school where they may conduct research on criminological issues.
Coursework for the Major
The major requires 34 credits. At least 22 of the 34 must be taken at UF in courses offered by the department with prefixes of CCJ, CJC, CJE, CJJ, or CJL. Students may apply no more than 6 credits of 1000/2000-level coursework to the major.
A maximum of 12 credits of criminology courses can be transferred toward the major. Students who transfer six credits of 1000/2000-level (lower division) credits into the major should not take CJL 2000. There are restrictions on which lower-division courses will transfer to the major. Lower-division courses that transfer into the major include introductory courses on criminology, criminal justice and criminal law/procedure. Students who wish to take interdisciplinary courses and transfer credits from another institution need to be careful about the 22-credit residency requirement.
Minimum grades of C must be earned in courses that count toward the major. The only exceptions are CCJ 4940 and CCJ 4905 which require grades of S.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation (Tracking) Coursework | ||
| In the first four terms, students enroll in criminology-related foundation courses, which include: | ||
| STA 2023 | Introduction to Statistics 1 | 3 |
| Select one option: | ||
| Option A: Select 9 credits of introductory criminal justice/criminology courses (CCJ, CJL or CJE prefixes), including: | ||
CCJ 3024 | Advanced Principles of Criminal Justice | |
CJL 2000 | Law and the Legal Process | |
CJL 3038 | Law and Society | |
| Option B: Select 9 credits from the following or their equivalents: | ||
AMH 2010 | United States to 1877 | |
AMH 2020 | United States Since 1877 | |
ANT 2000 | General Anthropology | |
ANT 2410 | Cultural Anthropology | |
ECO 2013 | Principles of Macroeconomics | |
ECO 2023 | Principles of Microeconomics | |
PHI 2010 | Introduction to Philosophy | |
PHI 2630 | Contemporary Moral Issues | |
POS 2041 | American Federal Government | |
POS 2112 | American State and Local Government | |
PSY 2012 | General Psychology | |
SYG 2000 | Principles of Sociology | |
SYG 2010 | Social Problems | |
| Required Coursework | ||
| Criminology Core Courses | ||
| CCJ 3024 | Advanced Principles of Criminal Justice 1 | 3 |
| CCJ 3701 | Research Methods in Criminology 1 | 4 |
| CCJ 4014 | Criminological Theory 1 | 3 |
| CJL 3038 | Law and Society 1 | 3 |
| Select at least one law-driven requirement course: | 3 | |
CJL 2000 | Law and the Legal Process 2 | |
CJL 4050 | Juvenile Law | |
CJL 4110 | Criminal Law | |
CJL 4410 | Criminal Procedure | |
| Criminology Electives | ||
| Select a minimum of 18 credits 3 | 18 | |
| Students may select up to 9 additional credits from approved interdisciplinary courses outside of criminology. 4 | 0-9 | |
| Statistics Course Requirement | ||
| STA 2023 | Introduction to Statistics 1 | 3 |
- 1
These courses are the basis for meeting the student learning outcomes in the major’s academic learning compact, therefore they must be taken at UF.
- 2
Students should take this course only if they have not already completed six credits of 1000/2000-level criminology courses.
- 3
Majors may choose from any course offered in the department not used to meet this requirement.
- 4
These approved interdisciplinary courses may also apply to the CLAS electives requirement. These courses do not apply toward the 22-credit residency requirement.
Students may apply only 3 credits of CCJ 4940 or 3 credits of CCJ 4911 (if taken as S/U) to the 34 credits for the major. CCJ 4940 is automatically graded S/U. CCJ 4911 may be taken as either a letter grade or S/U, but the student must submit an application to the registrar’s office for this course to be taken as an S/U grade.
Exit Exam Requirement
To complete the major students must pass a department exit examination regarding crime, criminal justice, law and society, and criminological theory, administered online.
Recommended Coursework
Students who meet CLAS honors criteria (3.5 upper-division GPA) may take up to six credits in CCJ 4970 or enroll in up to two graduate seminars as honors courses, depending on instructor permission and course availability. However, students should keep in mind the tuition differences between undergraduate and graduate credits.
Combination Degree Programs
The opportunity to get an early start on graduate work by enrolling in graduate credits exists in a combination B.A./M.A. program. Interested students must apply and be accepted to the undergraduate phase (so that graduate credits can count toward the major to earn the B.A. degree). Independently, they also must apply for admission to the graduate phase and compete with all other applicants for admission to a limited number of openings each fall.
Overseas Studies
The major has no affiliated overseas programs. Criminology majors, however, frequently study abroad and can often transfer credits to the major.
Placement
CCJ 3024 is a prerequisite or corequisite for most of the other courses in the major. During advanced registration, there may be restrictions placed on lower-division students for registration in many upper-division courses to make sure juniors and seniors get the credits they need to graduate on time.
Research
Majors may pursue original research through the upper-division honors program in the major, especially via senior thesis credits (CCJ 4970). Others pursue independent research through Undergraduate Research in Criminology (CCJ 4911). The major also offers a research internship (CCJ 4940), which enables students to work in ongoing research projects.