Criminology

About the Department

Peter English, Department Chair
Science II Building, Room 159
559.278.2305
FAX: 559.278.7265
socialsciences.fresnostate.edu/criminology/

The Department of Criminology offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminology, a Bachelor of Science degree in Forensic Behavioral Sciences, and a Master of Science degree in Criminology. These programs are ideally suited to students planning professional and/or academic careers in criminal justice related fields. Department offerings are diversified and integrated, reflecting the wide range of job opportunities in the field, including direct service and administration in law enforcement, corrections, victimology/victim services, juvenile justice, and forensic behavioral sciences. The department also offers a Criminology minor. The department will not accept a change of major undergraduate student with a cumulative GPA less than 2.5.

Undergraduate Program

The Criminology major is designed to prepare students for beginning professional work in criminal justice and to provide preparation for graduate work including law school. Criminology courses at the undergraduate level include integration of theoretical and applied materials of an interdisciplinary nature. The corrections option is designed for students interested in careers in probation, parole, correctional institutions, and other affiliated forms of work. The law enforcement option is designed for students interested in careers with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, or law enforcement careers within the private sector. The victimology option is designed for students interested in careers in domestic violence programs, rape counseling programs, victim/witness programs, or other victim-related programs at the local, state, or federal level; these programs can either be criminal justice based or community based. An internship course is required in the corrections, law enforcement, and victimology options. The Forensic Behavioral Sciences major prepares students interested in the application of other behavioral sciences - such as psychology, anthropology, social work, and linguistics - to the criminal justice system. However, it is also designed to prepare students interested in traditional criminal justice careers.

Honors Program

The Department of Criminology Honors Program has several major components that are completed over the course of two years. Each fall semester students will take one of the two core honors courses, CRIM 100H and CRIM 170H, such that they complete both during their time in the program. These courses are designed to provide advanced study of research and theory in criminology. In addition, students will annually (during the spring semester) participate in an honors seminar (CRIM 160H) that explores specialized areas, new developments, and syntheses of criminological processes and theory.

The program provides highly qualified advanced students with the opportunity to sharpen their analytical abilities and expand their knowledge of criminology. Minimum criteria for application to the program include second semester sophomore standing and a GPA of at least 3.5 prior to enrollment. Applications are accepted in the spring semester for the following academic year and the Honors Committee oversees the selection process. Accepted students must maintain a GPA of at least 3.5 to remain in the program. Successful students will graduate with a B.S. in Criminology or Forensic Behavioral Sciences with Honors Distinction, an inscribed Smittcamp medallion, and special recognition at graduation.

Graduate Program

The Master of Science degree in Criminology is a 30-unit, flexible program which provides a solid core in the field of criminology while permitting students to pursue specialized areas of interest. The master’s program is designed to prepare students for service and responsible administrative and professional positions in agencies in the criminal justice system. The master’s program also prepares students for a wide variety of occupations including in-service education; administrative education and management; community college teaching; predoctoral studies; and research.

Interesting Classes You Might Take

Crime and Violence in America
Forensic Science
Forensic Cognitive Science
Community-Based and Institutional Corrections
Victim Services
Restorative Justice
Administration of Justice
Criminal Law
Professionalism in Criminal Justice
Juvenile Delinquency
Criminal Justice Counseling
Family Violence
Alcohol, Drugs and Criminality
Psychology of Criminality
Trauma and Crisis Intervention
Internships in Law Enforcement, Corrections, and Victimology
Homeland Security

What You Can Learn

The composition, manufacture, use, and misuse of drugs and their relationship to criminality
The social, psychological, and biological bases of criminal behavior
Typology and history of family abuse
Crimes’ causal factors, agencies of justice, treatment processes, and programs for control and prevention of juvenile delinquency

Career Opportunities

The Department of Criminology provides undergraduate and graduate education in criminology for students planning professional careers in the criminal justice field. The program is diversified and integrated, reflecting the wide range of job opportunities in the field, including direct service and administration in law enforcement, corrections, forensic behavioral sciences, and victimology/victim services.

What You Can Earn

Police Patrol Officer, $57,800 (our region)
Correctional Officer, $46,161 (our region)
Victim Services Advocate $40,650 (CA)
Forensic Psychologist (PhD; Licensed) $104,787 (CA)

Source: HR Reported data on salary.com as of December 2021

What You Can Do

Pursue Careers In:

Local and State Law Enforcement Agencies
Parole
Probation
Psychological Forensic Assessments
Psychological Forensic Research
Counseling Services
Victim Services
Domestic Violence Shelters
Human Trafficking Support Services
Rape Crisis Centers
Elder Abuse Services
Victim Advocacy Services
Victim and Witness Assistance Programs
Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Alcohol Beverage Control
Office of Criminal Justice Planning
Department of Motor Vehicles
Fish and Game Department
Border Patrol
FBI
Secret Service
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
Park Service
Customs and Immigration
Federal prisons
Children and Family Services
Coroner’s Office
Juvenile Detention Facilities
District Attorney Investigations
Public Defender Investigations
Highway Patrol
Criminalistics
Social Services
Drug Enforcement Administration
Marshals Service
Internal Revenue Service

Programs

Certificates

Bachelor

Master

Criminology, M.S.

Minor