Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology

Criminal Justice FULL TIME (BA)

Curriculum Overview

The Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice shares a common one-year foundation with programs in English, Geographic Analysis, Politics and Governance, Psychology, and Sociology. In all six programs, your first year offers basic knowledge of theories, methods, and practices of a broad range of social sciences and humanities, with specialized study in Criminal Justice in the final three years.

In the first year, you are introduced to Criminal Justice through core courses that address the nature of policing, the criminal courts, and the prison system in Canada, as well as the main theories of crime and the nature and extent of crime in Canada. You are also introduced to a variety of social science and humanities disciplines, such as Sociology, Politics and Governance, Psychology, Economics, Geographic Analysis, English, History and Philosophy. You acquire key skills through courses in Academic Writing and Research and Critical Thinking, and choose electives from a broad range of areas, such as Business, Law, and Natural Sciences.

In your second year, you study the foundations of criminal law in Canada and the role and experiences of victims of crime and are introduced to criminal justice research methods and statistics.

In your final two years, you study criminal justice issues in greater depth. Youth justice, aboriginal justice, security threats, ethics in criminal justice, strategies of crime control and prevention, violence in communities as well as the influence of race, class, gender and other forms of social inequality on the administration of criminal justice are the focus of the upper level courses.

Through a range of courses in all four years, you will develop key competencies in effective communication, critical and analytical thinking, learning skills and strategies for life-long learning, and research design and analysis.

As part of your program of study, you have an opportunity to earn a Minor in an area -such as Psychology, Sociology, Law, Human Resources Management, or Politics and Governance- that complements your professional studies and broadens your career preparation. For a complete list and description of available Minors, please see the Minors Policy in the current Undergraduate Full-Time Calendar.

If you are admitted to either the Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice, English, Geographic Analysis, Politics and Governance, Psychology, or Sociology, you may transfer from your current program to any one of the other five programs for the Fall term of your second year of studies. All of the credits earned in first year will transfer to your new program. Transfer applications are available through the Program Office and must be submitted by February 2nd. Transfer applications are considered on a competitive basis subject to program capacity, and therefore program choice cannot be guaranteed.

In order to transfer into Criminal Justice from English, Geographic Analysis, Politics and Governance, Psychology, or Sociology, you must: (1) have a CLEAR Academic Standing at the end of their second semester; and (2) have successfully completed CRM 100. It is strongly recommended that you complete CRM 100 and CRM 102 in first year.