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Bachelor of Arts — Major & Minor in Criminology

Note: See Bachelor of Arts in Community Criminal Justice for information on this program.

Description

The Bachelor of Arts, Major in Criminology program provides students with a broad, liberal education in social science, criminal justice, and law. Students learn scientific research methods, legal and philosophical approaches to aid in understanding crime and related social problems, and social responses to crime. The BA degree program builds on the central core of method and theory established in two year programs and affords students opportunities to hone abstract, logical thinking, and critical understanding of the issues, arguments, and debates that shape the discipline's character and aims. Contemporary criminology courses developed especially for this degree expose students to cutting-edge theory and research. This program also provides students with highly transferable and marketable knowledge and skills.

Careers

The Bachelor of Arts, Major in Criminology provides a wide range of opportunities to students. Graduates of criminology programs find employment in every aspect of the criminal justice system, including law, law enforcement, corrections, crime prevention, and public and private justice administration. Many graduates pursue careers within the public and private sectors in occupations where familiarity with justice and the law is valued by employers; examples include customs and border security, regulatory and other public agencies, insurance and other private companies. Labour market predictions for criminal justice and related areas are very favourable, as demographic trends and public safety and security concerns have increased demand for criminal justice professionals. The conceptual, critical, and applied skills that students acquire in this program will be attractive to employers in a wide range of settings.

Criminology programs also offer excellent educational preparation for those who intend to major in law, social work, psychology, sociology, or philosophy. Students who wish to do graduate work in criminology are encouraged to take both CRIM 3103 and CRIM 3104 (both are required for entry into the Honours degree option for the Bachelor of Arts, Major in Criminology).

Entrance Requirements

For admission to the BA program, students must have a grade of 'B' in English 12 (or equivalent) and a grade of 'C' in either Principles of Math 11 (or equivalent) or Applications of Math 12. Students may be admitted to the BA program at any point at which admission requirements are met. Students who do not qualify upon initial application to Kwantlen may be eligible for entry to the Qualifying Year. (Students who possess at least a 'C' in English 12 (or equivalent) and a passing grade in Principles of Math 11 (or equivalent) or Applications of Math 12 will be able to apply for entry to the BA Qualifying Year.) Students will be admitted to the BA program in the second year provided they have successfully completed appropriate qualifying courses. Other applicants who do not qualify are encouraged to consult an Educational Advisor for the appropriate qualifying courses that satisfy the application criteria.

Registration access to third or fourth year courses is first awarded to students who have completed at least 60 credits of coursework with a cumulative GPA of 2.00, as well as a grade of 'C' in all required courses including the English writing requirement, 2 Quantitative courses, 12 credits of breadth courses, the language requirement, Principles of Math 11 (or equivalent), and all first and second year course requirements for their declared major and/or minor program(s).

Content

During the first two years, the Bachelor of Arts, Major and Minor in Criminology will provide students with a broad foundation in the liberal arts tradition. Specifically, courses will expose students to the theoretical and methodological bases of psychology, sociology, history, political science, and the natural sciences. The third and fourth years of the program include courses falling into four main groupings:

Knowledge and skill mastery will develop as students approach issues and utilize skills across the various streams. The relationships between definitions of crime, criminological theories and research, and the criminal justice system are critically examined throughout the curriculum. Their complex relationships to political, social, and economic conditions are stressed. Problem solving and skill development will be an integral part of all courses.

Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree must complete all requirements in the Bachelor of Arts framework in addition to their major or minor program requirements.

Criminology Major

The following are requirements for the Criminology Major:

1000 LEVEL

2000 LEVEL

*Students who commenced their studies at Kwantlen prior to September 2005 may complete either PSYC 2300 or SOCI 2365 in place of CRIM 2103.

Plus one of:

3000 AND 4000 LEVEL

Students will complete a minimum of ten upper-division criminology courses.

Students must complete at least TWO courses drawn from group 1 below.

1. Theory and Methods:

Students must complete at least ONE course from each of groups 2 and 3.

2. Criminal Justice

3. Law, Advocacy, and Conflict Resolution

Students may complete a maximum of TWO courses from group 4 to meet criminology requirements. Note: If more than two are taken, you can count them towards upper-level electives.

4. Additional Courses

*Note: The area of study for CRIM 4900 will be established in advance by the department. Please email crimprograms@kwantlen.ca for proposed offerings. Please note that you will be allowed to take multiple offerings of CRIM 4900, as long as the course deals with a different topic each time.

Criminology Major, Honours Degree Option

Students interested in applying to graduate school, or into a more extensive research experience, are encouraged to undertake a structured program leading to a Bachelor of Arts, Major in Criminology, Honours degree. In order to be considered for admission into the honours program students will normally have completed 90 credits or more at the time of application, must achieve a CGPA of 3.5, and have completed CRIM 3103 and CRIM 3104. Students with a CGPA less than 3.5 (but not below 3.0) may be granted admission with special permission. Interested students can obtain an application from the Criminology Degree Program Coordinator. A limited number of seats are available.

In addition to the 120 credits required by the Bachelor of Arts, Major in Criminology program, honours students will need to complete the following additional 12 credits of course work:

Criminology Minor

The following are requirements for the Criminology Minor:

1000 LEVEL

The 1000 courses in criminology provide the foundation for further undergraduate study in criminology. Required 1000-level courses in psychology and sociology introduce students to key concepts and issues that reflect the multidisciplinary subject matter of criminology.

Students are required to take all of the following courses:

2000 LEVEL

2000-level courses are built on the multidisciplinary foundations developed in the 1000 level. Students begin to synthesize material from sociology, psychology, law and criminal justice to understand aspects of criminality and criminalization.

Students are required to take all of the following courses:

Note: Students in the Minor program are not required to complete a 2000-level statistics course as required in the Major. Those specifically interested in upper-division research courses may wish to incorporate a 2000-level statistics course within the Faculty of Social Sciences into their lower-division courses. Students may elect to take any of the courses listed below towards their lower levels electives:

3000 AND 4000 LEVEL

Criminology courses at the 3000 and 4000 level build on the foundational skills and knowledge of law, social science theory and research, and criminal justice developed in the 1000 and 2000 levels. Students will apply these skills and concepts to emerging issues in criminological theory, research, and criminal justice policy. These upper level courses will generally be accessible to students who have completed CRIM 2330, 2331 and 2341. Students are required to complete fifteen credits at the 3000 or 4000 level. This must include at least one course from each of the three core areas.

1. Theory and Methods

2. Criminal Justice

3. Law, Advocacy, and Conflict Resolution

Additional Courses *

*Note: Students may not take more than one of CRIM 3115, 3512, 4150, 4400, and 4900 towards the minor requirement. Students who complete more than one of these may use the additional course(s) as part of their electives.

Graduation

Upon successful completion of these programs, students are eligible for a Bachelor of Arts, Major in Criminology, a Bachelor of Arts, Major in Criminology Honours, a Minor in Criminology as a supplement to any Bachelor of Arts degree program, or a Bachelor of Arts - Double Minor when combined with a second minor program.

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