纽约州立大学水牛城分校

Why study Criminology BA at UB?

The major in Criminology focuses on the nature and causes of crime, criminal behavior and how society reacts to crime and criminals. Career fields such as law enforcement, surveillance and reconnaissance, and data protection/security are growth areas for post-graduation employment. Consequently, the Criminology BA is ideal for students who plan to work in settings which require a strong background in crime or law, with skills associated with analyzing and interpreting data. It is also an appropriate area of concentrated study for students whose plans include graduate training in sociology, criminology, criminal justice, or law, or who are interested in pursuing advanced training in any of the wide range of crime, law, or justice professions.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Criminology BA, students should be able to:

• Identify the major research methods used by sociologists, compare and contrast the utility and relevance of a range of methods to the study of different social issues, and apply some basic research methods to the analysis of social issues;
• Obtain knowledge of basic social science statistical methods and be able to conduct basic statistical analyses;
• Think critically and sociologically about crime and criminality;
• Identify and understand the theories, methods, and findings of key research conducted by criminologists;
• Understand causal theories of crime, deviance, and/or juvenile delinquency, and the issues related to defining, measuring, and explaining crime, deviance, and/or delinquency;
• Identify and challenge popular misconceptions about crime and understand how and why they are perpetuated;
• Understand how social inequality, including class, race, and gender inequalities, relate to crime and criminality;
• Understand how criminological theories are applied in everyday social life, especially in law and social policy;
• Know how to acquire and evaluate data associated with crime and justice issues, and acquire the skills needed to assess the validity and reliability of such data.

Career Outlook

The major in Criminology will provide students with both depth and breadth of knowledge in the social sciences that creates a strong foundation to gain employment in any aspect of federal, state, and local criminal justice, security, law, public policy, and social work. The Criminology BA also provides an appropriate intellectual foundation for advanced training in a range of professional and graduate programs of study, including law, public policy, sociology and other social sciences.