Criminology is the sociology-based study of crime and the criminal justice system. Through the criminology and criminal justice studies major, students learn about the dimensions of the crime problem, explanations of the prevalence of various types of crime, and the various agencies and programs designed to prevent and control crime and delinquency. These agencies and programs include the police, courts, probation and parole systems, and correctional institutions. Attention also is given to such issues as youth and crime, women and crime, and the place of control agencies in the larger societal context. As a social science/liberal arts field, criminology provides majors with a variety of techniques for examining and responding to important questions about the causes and consequences of crime and the workings of the criminal justice system.

An undergraduate major in criminology and criminal justice studies provides an excellent liberal arts foundation, and graduates are able to apply their skills and knowledge across a wide variety of occupations and professions and for graduate or professional education. Some graduates enter directly into the labor force in law enforcement, delinquency prevention and control services, crime prevention, corrections, probation or parole, criminal justice administration, and research. Like other social science majors, undergraduate criminology majors also are employed in non-crime-related sectors: health and social services (in substance abuse and rehabilitation counseling); community work (in child welfare agencies); and federal, state and local government (in urban planning and housing). The criminology major provides a foundation for postbaccalaureate work in law, public policy, social work, business, theology and urban planning. Many students also will use the undergraduate major as preparation for graduate work in criminology or in a related field, such as sociology. Graduate degrees lead to teaching and/or research positions in universities or colleges, governmental agencies, business and industrial firms, research institutes in the nonprofit sector, or self-employment and consulting