Criminology and Criminal Justice (BA)

Students in the Criminology and Criminal Justice degree program learn about crime, deviance, and the American criminal justice system. Working toward a BA in Criminology and Criminal Justice, students explore the issues of greatest interest to criminologists working in the field today. At Webster University, the criminology curriculum combines the fundamentals of criminology and criminal justice into one field of study. The courses focus on training in multiple data-analysis methods commonly used by criminologists and criminal justice professionals. Studying crime and deviance with a particular emphasis on critical-thinking skills, students learn the ways professionals explain, predict, and prevent crime and victimization. 🔍👮‍♂️

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

• Identify the strengths and weaknesses of major criminological theories. 🧠
• Analyze the policy implications of criminological theories. 📋
• Describe the elements and development of the criminal justice system and its role in maintaining social order. 🚔
• Evaluate how the institutions and elements of the criminal justice system vary across jurisdictions and interact with one another. 🌎
• Apply principles of crime prevention to policy efforts that attempt to effectively reduce crime and victimization. 🚫
• Compare the theoretical foundations of crime analysis and their abilities to predict and analyze patterns of crime. 🔍
• Articulate several major types of crime, their causes, and proposed solutions to reduce them. 🕵️‍♂️
• Compare the techniques, sources, and means of analysis of criminological data research methods. 📊

For information on the general requirements for a degree, see Baccalaureate Degree Requirements under the Academic Policies and Information section of this catalog.

• 43 required credit hours ✅
• 3 international language requirement credit hours 🌐
• Applicable University Global Citizenship Program hours 🌍
• Electives 📖

• Within the required 43 hours for the major, 18 hours must be at the 3000-level and above, with at least 6 hours at the 4000-level. 📈📊
• No more than 6 credit hours obtained in senior thesis, practica, independent learning experiences, reading courses, and assessment of prior learning may be applied toward the 43 credit hours required for a major. 📚✍️
• Transfer students can apply up to 15 credit hours of approved criminology coursework from other colleges/universities toward the major. 🏫🔄
• Students must complete the 43 credit hours for the major as specified below with a grade of C- or better. 🅾️✔️
• In the final semester of study, each student must register for CRIM 4900 Senior Capstone in Criminology (3 hours) and submit an overview paper. 🎓📝