Criminology (BA)
VIU International, Canada
First Year Course Fee
USD 13,572
Course Accredited By
NA
Hone your critical thinking, legal analysis, project management, communication, conflict mediation, research and analysis skills with VIU’s Criminology program.
Criminology is an exciting, dynamic field of study that looks at the social and psychological factors that contribute to criminally deviant behaviour and its consequences. Students interested in current events, psychology and social justice will find their stride with our degree in Criminology.
Criminology studies grads are attracted to a range of careers in the criminal justice system, with Crown corporations and in the private sector, such as bailiff, correctional officer, court reporter, criminal investigator, legal assistant, parole officer, police officer, research, victim services specialist, and many more. Check out the careers page on the Criminology program website for more options.
In fourth year, Criminology Majors have the option of either conducting an applied research project or participating in a field placement.
Criminology is an interdisciplinary science that focuses on law and its interpretation by the courts, patterns in crime, the explanation of deviant and criminal behaviour, and society’s reaction to law-breaking. The program introduces students to criminal law, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and case-law decisions made by the courts. Students will examine in separate courses the three main components of the criminal justice system—police, courts, and corrections—that form an organized response to crime. The program addresses the trends and correlates of crime, including the influences of age, ethnicity, gender, and social class. The major explanations for crime try to account for these patterns by looking at historical, individual, and social causes. The criminological focus is broadened with courses from other disciplines in the Social Sciences and Humanities.
The program aims to provide students with conceptual, critical, and applied skills to work in fields where a legal/justice focus is beneficial. The curriculum emphasizes the development of professional and applied skills through training in professional ethics, conflict mediation, use of information technology for researching relevant topics, writing, presenting data, and working in small groups on specific tasks. In the fourth year, Criminology Majors have the option of either conducting an applied research project or participating in a field placement.
Enrollment Cycles
- September 2023
General admission requirements apply.
- English 12 with minimum "C" or equivalent.
- Foundations of Mathematics 11 or Pre-calculus 11 with minimum "C", or equivalent.
Year 1
- Intro to Criminology
- three credits from INTR 102 Intro to Criminology and Sociology
- (Psycho-social Explanations of Criminality) or three credits from
- (Criminological Theory and the Lived Experience
- Psychological Explanations of Criminal and Deviant Behaviour
- Intro to the Criminal Justice System
- Intro to Canadian Law and Legal Institutions: a Criminal Justice Perspective
Select at least one course from the following list:
- Rhetoric and Reasoning
- Intro to Philosophy: Theory of Knowledge
- Intro to Philosophy: Ethics
- Contemporary Psychology I
- Contemporary Psychology II
- Intro to Sociology or Intro to Criminology and Sociology
Year 2
- Deviance, Crime and Social Control
Select one of the following Research Methods courses:
- Research Methods in Criminology
- Introduction to Social Research
- Research Methods) or, (Introduction to Social Research
- Criminal Law
Select at least one course from the following list:
- Aboriginal Issues in the Canadian Criminal Justice System
- Law, Youth and Young Offenders
- Gender, Crime and Justice
- Intro to Corrections
- Intro to Policing
- Alternative Conflict Resolution in Criminal Justice Systems
- Current Topics in Criminology
- Select one of the following statistics courses
- Intro to Statistics for Social Sciences
- Introduction to Statistic
- Statistics I
- Business Statistics I
- Law and Politics in Canada
Select one INDG 200 or 300 level course
- Two or three electives chosen from any 100/200/300/400-level courses
Year 3
- Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Policy
- Law and Society
- Qualitative Research Methods
- Qualitative Research
- Qualitative Research
- Qualitative Research Methods in Psychology
- Quantitative Research Methods or, Quantitative Research and Analysis or, Statistical Methods in Psychology I
- Advanced Criminological Theory
Fifteen credits of electives, with a minimum of six overall elective credits chosen from 300/400 level courses. Suggested electives include:
- First Nations People in Canadian History since 1867
- Media, Audience and Society
- Abnormal Psychology
- Race and Ethnicity in the Modern World
- Families in Today's World
Year 4
- Law and Human Rights
- Planning for Upper-Level Internship
- Capstone Research Preparation
- Justice Capstone Tutorial and Field Placement
- CRIM 476 Capstone Research Project
Select nine credits from the following list:
- Alternate Conflict Resolution and Negotiation Skills
- Criminal Justice Systems: An International Perspective
- Drugs, Crime, and Criminal Justice
- Dynamics of Terrorism
- Organizational Crime: A Global Perspective
- Selected Topics in Criminology
Nine credits of electives, with a minimum of six overall elective credits chosen from 300/400 level courses. Suggested electives include:
- Forensic Anthropology
- Forensic Psychology Applied Ethics in the Justice System
- World Religions: The
- Western Traditions
- Fees for One Year* Amount Tuition (30 credits x $156.80 per credit) 4,704.00
- Student Activity fee (4% of tuition) 188.16
- Student Services fee (30 credits x $6.93 per credit) 207.90
- VIU Students' Union fee (8 months x $20.90 per month) 167.20
- Health and Dental Plan fee ($275.00 per year) 275.00
- Approximate cost for books and supplies for one year 1,500.00
- Total 7,042.26