2018-19 Catalogs

BA in Criminology

The Criminology Department offers a four-year bachelor of arts (BA) degree in criminology. The program provides students with a liberal arts education focused on the complex relations among crime, law, and society, and which emphasizes the social sciences. The curriculum is a rigorous series of courses which provides students with a comprehensive knowledge of crime and crime control in contemporary, historical, and comparative perspective. The core of the curriculum is an integrated set of required courses. These courses are designed as a cumulative set of experiences and should be taken in sequence if possible. Elective courses enable students to place their criminological interests in a broader perspective.

Many students in the program are interested in social and human service occupations related to criminal, juvenile, and social justice. The program also prepares students for a wide variety of other career options and provides an excellent basis for graduate study in criminology, other social sciences, and law.

The minimum number of credits (exclusive of the University's Core curriculum) required for the major: 36. A grade of "C" or better is required in any course used for criminology major credit.

Required Courses (24 credits)
     CRM 100 Introduction to Criminology
     CRM 216 White-Collar Crime
     CRM 220 Research Methods in Criminology
     CRM 225 Crimes Against the Environment
     CRM 310 Classical Theories of Social Order
     CRM 317 Gender and Crime
     CRM 365 Race and Punishment
     CRM 402 Senior Seminar


Elective Courses (12 credits)
Students must choose four elective courses (12 hours) from the following list:
     CRM 217 Crime in Maine
     CRM 222 Field Studies in Informal Social Order
     CRM 230 Introduction to the Criminal Justice System
     CRM 320 Film and Social Order
     CRM 325 Domestic Violence
     CRM 327 Animal Abuse
     CRM 337 Youth Crime
     CRM 340 Criminal Law
     CRM 345 Criminology in Sweden
     CRM 350 Topics in Criminology
     CRM 360 The Death Penalty
     CRM 370 Reflexive Criminology
     CRM 375 Media, Crime, and Criminalization
     CRM 380 Restorative Justice
     CRM 390 Independent Projects
     CRM 395 Internship

For the best overall Financial Aid package, submit your USM application and complete your FAFSA by January 15. However, you can apply at any time. Undergraduate applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.  

Learn More about the Undergraduate Application Requirements & Process

Recommended Course Sequence

Curriculum Summary and Guide

The criminology curriculum is a series of structured and integrated courses that should be taken in sequence, if possible.

YearRequired CoursesElective Courses
1Introduction to Criminology 
 Crimes Against the Environment 
2White-Collar Crime 
 Research Methods 
3Race and PunishmentElectives
 Gender and Crime 
 Classical Theories of Social Order 
4Senior SeminarElectives