Criminology and Law
The Department of Sociology and Criminology and Law offers the largest interdisciplinary degree program at UF. Students seeking a degree in criminology and law will study the complexities of relationships among the legal, social, political, historical and psychological influences affecting law processes and crime and justice.
Overview
Courses focus on explanations for the development of law within society, why people break laws and how society reacts to law-breaking. Interdisciplinary breadth in the study of criminology and law is essential for those majoring in criminology. Majors may enroll in relevant courses offered outside the department.
After obtaining a B.A. in criminology and law, students can seek careers as professionals working within the criminal or juvenile justice systems (i.e., courts, law enforcement, corrections). Many students also attend law school, while others attend graduate school where they may conduct research on criminological issues.
Coursework for the Major
The major requires 34 credits. At least 22 of the 34 must be taken at UF in courses offered by the department with prefixes of CCJ, CJC, CJE, CJJ or CJL. Students may apply no more than 6 credits of 1000/2000-level coursework to the major.
Minimum grades of C must be earned in courses that count toward the major. (The only exception is CCJ 4940 Internship/Practicum, which requires a grade of S).
A maximum of 12 credits of criminology courses can be transferred toward the major. There are restrictions on which lower-division courses will transfer to the major. Students who transfer 6 credits of 1000/2000-level credits into the major should not take UF’s CJL 2000.
Foundation (Tracking) Coursework
In the first four terms, students enroll in criminology-related foundation courses, which include:
- 9 credits of introductory criminal justice/criminology courses (CCJ, CJL or CJE prefixes, including
- CCJ 3024 Advanced Principles of Criminal Justice
- CJL 2000 Law and Legal Process
- CJL 3038 Law and Society)
OR
- 9 credits from these courses or their equivalents:
- AMH 2010 United States to 1877
- AMH 2020 United States Since 1877
- ANT 2000 General Anthropology
- ANT 2410 Cultural Anthropology
- ECO 2013 Principles of Macroeconomics
- ECO 2023 Principles of Microeconomics
- PHI 2010 Introduction to Philosophy
- PHI 2630 Contemporary Moral Issues
- POS 2041 American Federal Government
- POS 2112 American State and Local Government
- PSY 2012 Introduction to Psychology
- SYG 2000 Principles of Sociology
- SYG 2010 Social Problems
AND
- 3 credits Introduction to Statistics (STA 2023)
Required Coursework
All Criminology Majors (13 credits):
- CCJ 3024 Advanced Principles of Criminal Justice (3 credits)
- CCJ 3701 Research Methods in Criminology (4 credits)
- CCJ 4014 Criminological Theory (3 credits)
- CJL 3038 Law and Society (3 credits)
These courses are the basis for meeting the student learning outcomes in the major’s academic learning compact, therefore they must be taken at UF.
Law-driven Requirement (take at least one course, 3 credits):
- CJL 2000 Law and Legal Process (3 credits)
- CJL 4050 Juvenile Law (3 credits)
- CJL 4110 Criminal Law (3 credits)
- CJL 4410 Criminal Procedure (3 credits)
Criminology and Law Electives (18 credits minimum):
- Majors may choose from any course offered in the department not used to meet the requirements above.
- In addition, students may take up to 9 credits from approved interdisciplinary courses (outside of Criminology and Law). These approved interdisciplinary courses may also apply to the CLAS electives requirement. These courses do not apply toward the 22-credit residency requirement.
Students may apply only three credits of CCJ 4940 (internship/practicum) and 3 credits of CCJ 4911 (undergraduate research) to the 34 credits for the major.
Statistics Course Requirement: In addition to the 34 credits required for the major, students must complete STA 2023 Introduction to Statistics.
Exit Exam Requirement: To complete the major students must pass a department exit examination regarding crime, criminal justice, law and society and criminological theory.
Recommended Coursework
Students who meet CLAS honors criteria (3.5 upper-division GPA) may take up to six credits in CCJ 4970 (honors thesis research) or enroll in up to two graduate seminars, with instructor permission. However, students should keep in mind the tuition differences between undergraduate and graduate credits.
Combined Degree Programs
The opportunity to get an early start on graduate work by enrolling in graduate credits exists in a combined B.A./M.A. program. Interested students must apply and be accepted to the undergraduate phase (so that graduate credits can count toward the major to earn the B.A. degree). Independently, they also must apply for admission to the graduate phase and compete with all other applicants for admission to a limited number of openings each fall.
Overseas Studies
The major has no affiliated overseas programs. Criminology majors, however, frequently study abroad and can often transfer credits to the major.
Placement
CCJ 3024 Advanced Principles of Criminal Justice is a prerequisite or corequisite for most of the other courses in the major. During advanced registration, there may be restrictions placed on lower-division students for registration in many upper-division courses to make sure juniors and seniors get the credits they need to graduate on time.
Research
Majors may pursue original research through the upper-division honors program in the major, especially via senior thesis credits (CCJ 4970). Others pursue independent research through Undergraduate Research in Criminology (CCJ 4911). The major also offers a research internship (CCJ 4940), which enables students to work in ongoing research projects.
Critical Tracking
To graduate with this major, students must complete all university, college and major requirements. For degree requirements outside of the major, refer to CLAS Degree Requirements: Structure of a CLAS Degree.
Equivalent critical-tracking courses as determined by the State of Florida Common Course Prerequisites may be used for transfer students.
Semester 1
- Complete 1 criminology-related foundation course (criminology-related foundation courses include introductory criminal justice and criminology courses - CCJ, CJL or CJE prefixes, such as CCJ 3024, CJL 2000, CJL 3038 - or related courses: AMH 2010, AMH 2020, ANT 2000, ANT 2410, ECO 2013, ECO 2023, PHI 2010, PHI 2630, POS 2041, POS 2112, PSY 2012, SYG 2000, SYG 2010)
- 2.3 UF GPA required
Semester 2
- Complete 1 additional criminology-related foundation course
- 2.5 UF GPA required
Semester 3
- Complete 1 additional criminology-related foundation course with 2.65 critical-tracking GPA
- 2.65 UF GPA required
Semester 4
- Complete STA 2023 with a 2.75 critical-tracking GPA
- 2.8 UF GPA required
Semester 5
- Complete CCJ 3024 (if not previously taken) and maintain 2.75 critical-tracking GPA
- 2.80 UF GPA required
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Recommended Semester Plan
Students are expected to complete the writing requirement while in the process of taking the courses below. Students are also expected to complete the general education international (GE-N) and diversity (GE-D) requirements concurrently with another general education requirement (typically, GE-C, H or S).
| Semester 1 |
Credits |
|---|
| Composition (GE-C, WR) |
3 |
| Criminology-related course |
3 |
| Foreign language |
4-5 |
| Physical Science (GE-P) |
3 |
| Total |
13-14 |
| Semester 2 |
Credits |
|---|
| HUM 2305 What is the Good Life (GE-H) |
3 |
| Criminology-related course (CCJ 3024 recommended) |
3 |
| Elective |
4 |
| Foreign language |
3-5 |
| Mathematics (GE-M) |
3 |
| Total |
16-18 |
| Semester 3 |
Credits |
|---|
| Criminology-related course |
3 |
| STA 2023 Introduction to Statistics 1 (GE-M) |
3 |
| Elective |
4 |
| Elective (or foreign language if 4-3-3 option) |
3 |
| Humanities (GE-H) |
3 |
| Total |
16 |
| Semester 4 |
Credits |
|---|
| Biological Science (GE-B) |
3 |
| Elective |
2-3 |
| Humanities (GE-H) |
3 |
| Science laboratory (GE-P or B) |
1 |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences (GE-S) |
6 |
| Total |
15-16 |
| Semester 5 |
Credits |
|---|
| CCJ 3024 Advanced Principles of Criminal Justice (GE-S), if not taken previously |
3 |
| Biological Science (GE-B) |
3 |
| Composition (GE-C, WR) |
3 |
| Criminology and law elective |
3 |
| Elective (3000 level or above, not in major) |
3 |
| Total |
15 |
| Semester 6 |
Credits |
|---|
| CCJ required courses |
6-7 |
| Criminology and law electives |
6 |
| Elective (3000 level or above, not in major) |
3 |
| Total |
15-16 |
| Semester 7 |
Credits |
|---|
| CCJ required course |
3-4 |
| Criminology and law elective |
3 |
| Electives (3000 level or above, not in major) |
6 |
| Physical Science (GE-P) |
3 |
| Total |
15-16 |
| Semester 8 |
Credits |
|---|
| CCJ required course |
3 |
| Criminology and law electives |
6 |
| Electives (3000 level or above, not in major) |
6 |
| Total |
15 |
Criminology and Law Electives:
Students can select any CCJ, CJE, CJL or CJJ elective and up to nine credits from the approved interdisciplinary courses below. Some of these courses have prerequisites.
- AEB 4123 Law Applied to Agriculture
- AMH 3551 Constitutional History of the U.S. to 1877
- AMH 3552 Constitutional History of the U.S. from 1877
- AMH 3558 United States Legal History
- ANT 3520 Skeleton Keys: Forensic Identification
- ANT 4273 Anthropology of Law
- ANT 4740 Introduction to Forensic Science
- BUL 4310 Legal Environment of Business
- CLP 3144 Abnormal Psychology
- ECP 4451 Law and Economics
- ENC 3254 Professional Writing for the Discipline (3 credits maximum)
- HIS 4306 Alcohol and History
- LEI 4501 Legal Aspects of Recreation, Parks and Tourism
- MMC 4200 Law of Mass Communication
- PAD 3003 Introduction to Public Administration
- PAD 4604 Administrative Law and Regulatory Politics
- PHM 4440 Philosophy of Law
- POS 3603 American Constitutional Law
- POS 3606 American Civil Liberties
- PSB 4065 Psychobiology of Abnormal Behavior
- PUP 4021 Law, Politics and Public Interest
- REL 4179 Religious Perspectives on Ethics, Law and Public Policy
- SPC 3513 Argumentation
- STA 3024 Introduction to Statistics 2
- STA 4222 Sample Survey Design
- SYO 3510 Mental Health and Illness
- SYP 3510 Deviance
- SYP 3542 Comparative Legal Institutions
- SYP 4530 Juvenile Delinquency
- SYP 4540 Sociology of Law
- SYP 4550 Alcohol, Drugs and Society
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