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 and law 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.
After being accepted to this program, students can pursue the degree without moving to Gainesville. Coursework will be offered via electronic distance learning, and UF faculty will teach and advise students in the program. This program is designed to be pursued entirely online, and thus, students will not be permitted to take any courses on campus while enrolled in the program.
Students will need access to a personal computer capable of connecting to the web and sending and receiving electronic mail. It is recommended but not required that the student's computer have a video conferencing capability.
Coursework for the Major
The major requires 34 credits. At least 22 of the 34 must be taken from UF in courses offered by the department with prefixes of CCJ, CJC, CJE, CJJ or CJL. Students may apply no more than six credits of 1000/2000-level coursework to the major, including CJL 2000.
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 UF’s 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: | 9 | |
| 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 credits from approved interdisciplinary courses outside of criminology to count toward the criminology electives requirement 4 | 0-9 | |
| Total Credits | 46-55 |
- 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. A list of the approved interdisciplinary courses appears below the recommended semester plan.
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.
Additional Requirements
Exit Exam
To complete the major students must pass a department exit examination regarding crime, criminal justice, law and society, and criminological theory, administered online.