B.A. in Criminology & Justice Studies
Criminology is a dynamic field with deep roots in sociology. Students majoring in criminology and justice studies (CJS) explore the historical and social foundations of crime and deviance. They analyze how these issues affect society and examine the systems designed to investigate, control, deter, punish, treat, and rehabilitate offenders. At the same time, the discipline highlights the social impact of crime, especially how it affects diverse communities in different ways.
Through an interdisciplinary lens, our courses introduce students to the complexity of criminology. Meanwhile, the curriculum offers a variety of applied and service-learning experiences. These hands-on opportunities build practical skills that prepare students for careers in criminal justice, law, government, and public or nonprofit human services.
To stay aligned with their career goals, we strongly encourage students to work closely with academic advisors when choosing electives that support their professional paths.
Criminology explores crimes, criminals, crime victims, and the theories behind illegal and deviant behavior. It also examines society’s reactions to crime, the impact of anti-crime policies, and the wider political landscape of social control. To understand crime and deviance, criminologists apply sociology to study how individuals and groups break social norms. These norms may include formal rules or laws, as well as informal expectations or standards of conduct. Additionally, these rules often vary across cultures, groups, and societies.
Criminology also explores how laws and social expectations develop and evolve over time. It analyzes how formal and informal organizations regulate inappropriate or illegal behavior. In particular, it studies how government agencies such as welfare, child protection, police, courts, and corrections enforce social control. Furthermore, it highlights how institutions like family, religion, schools, workplaces, and neighborhoods actively shape behavior and respond to misconduct.
The addition of “Justice Studies” broadens the major to include broader questions of justice and how our society does or does not allow for equal access to justice, not just in the criminal justice system, but in all aspects of society. Thus students should be prepared for occupations outside of the criminal justice system (although all systems intertwine) in settings that work on these issues overall.
| Student Learning Outcomes | University Learning Goals (KMERI*) |
| 1. Critically examine problems and challenges in the criminal justice system and propose possible solutions to these problems. | Engaged, Responsible |
| 2. Analyze social categories such as class, gender, race, and ethnicity; and critically evaluate their social construction and how they impact social perceptions of crime and our responses to crime. | Knowledgeable |
| 3. Acquire an appreciation of global human rights and polices that engender them. | Multi-literate, Engaged |
| 4. Develop knowledge of and apply qualitative and quantitative research methods within and outside of the classroom. | Multi-literate, Inquisitive |
| 5. Develop familiarity with major schools of thought and significant theorists in the fields of criminology and justice studies, and the contributions of sociology and other disciplines to the field. | Knowledgeable, Inquisitive |
| 6. Understand the reciprocal relationship between individuals and society and the ways in which social structure and culture shapes this relationship with respect to dealing with and defining crime and philosophies of justice. | Knowledgeable, Inquisitive |
*NOTE: KMERI refers to Otterbein's learning goals. It stands for Knowledgeable, Multi-literate, Engaged, Responsible, and Inquisitive. To learn more about KMERI, visit our University Learning Goals page.
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