Sociology focuses on how relationships, institutions, culture, and power shape our lives, from everyday interactions to global systems. In our sociology programs, students learn to question taken-for-granted assumptions and apply diverse theories and research methods to understand how people live, think, feel, and believe. Courses engage issues such as social inequalities, climate change and environmental justice, criminalization and social control, precarious work, cultural diversity and change, gender-based and sexual violence, food insecurity, social networks, and the social impacts of technology.

Criminology focuses on how societies define, regulate, and respond to deviance and “crime.” Our programs emphasize the social and institutional foundations of law, justice, and social control, examining issues such as policing, incarceration, surveillance, violence, and mental health. Drawing on sociological perspectives as well as insights from law, public policy, political science, gender studies, and psychology, students critically analyze how power and inequality shape systems of punishment and social order.

The Bachelor of Arts requires the successful completion of a minimum of 120 credit hours. A student is strongly encouraged to consult with an academic advisor to discuss available programs and requirements including the Core Requirements, The Major Program, The Minor Program, and the Bachelor of Arts Degree Regulations. A student is advised to declare a Major and a Minor (or two Majors) before completing the first 45 credit hours of study. Information about declaring a program of study In the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences is available at www.mun.ca/hss/programs/undergraduate/ideclare.php. Information regarding advisors for the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences is available at www.mun.ca/hss/about/contact/liaisons.php.

The Major in Criminology aims to promote the academic study of different facets of criminal justice organizations and practices, including the legal, political and social contexts in which they operate. This program would be beneficial for students with a scholarly interest in deviant/criminal behaviour, social justice and legal issues, policing, corrections, law enforcement, rehabilitation, and criminal justice themes more broadly, including those who have completed the Diploma in Police Studies; experienced police officers; and others working in a policing, correctional, or criminal justice environment. The Major in Criminology does not constitute a qualification in policing or corrections.

Criminology course descriptions are found at the end of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences section under Course Descriptions, Sociology, Criminology and are designated by CRIM.

Students must carefully plan their course selection for their program(s) of study and should consult with an academic advisor to do so. Questions about the delivery of a course should be directed to the appropriate academic unit.

A tentative list of upcoming course offerings in the program can be found at www.mun.ca/hss/courses.php. 

Students wishing to declare a Major in Criminology shall consult with the designated academic advisor to discuss the requirements of the program. Students with questions about the major in Criminology or the Criminology programs can contact the undergraduate director for Criminology.

Information about declaring a program of study in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences is available at www.mun.ca/hss/programs/undergraduate/ideclare.php.

Information regarding advisors for the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences is available at www.mun.ca/hss/about/contact/liaisons.php.

A Major in Criminology consists of all the requirements of the Bachelor of Arts program, including a minimum of 39 credit hours in Criminology, Sociology, and approved elective courses as follows:

1. 9 credit hours in foundational core courses in Criminology and Sociology: Sociology 1000, Criminology 1001 or Sociology 1001, and Criminology 2295.

2. 6 credit hours in theory core courses, selected from: Sociology 2100, Criminology 2820 or Sociology 2820, Criminology 2850 or Sociology 2850, or Sociology 3160.

3. 6 credit hours in methods core courses, selected from: Criminology 3040 or Sociology 3040, Sociology 3041, or Criminology 4420 or Sociology 4420.

4. 6 credit hours in 3000-level Criminology core courses, selected from: Criminology 3290 or Sociology 3290, Criminology 3306 or Sociology 3306, or Criminology 3395 or Sociology 3395.

5. 3 credit hours in Criminology or Sociology breadth electives at the 2000-level or above, selected from the courses listed in the Criminology and Sociology Breadth Electives table.

6. 6 credit hours in Criminology and/or Sociology breadth electives at the 4000-level, selected from the courses listed in the Criminology and Sociology Breadth Electives table.

7. 3 credit hours in interdisciplinary breadth electives at the 2000-level or 3000-level, selected from the courses listed in the Approved Interdisciplinary Breadth Electives table.

A student is expected to enroll in the Criminology section of any applicable cross listed (EQ) courses.

Not all courses are offered every semester. Students are strongly advised to consult with an Academic Advisor in HSS for assistance with program/degree and/or course planning, as well as career planning, and the Program Director for broader curriculum and program questions or concerns.

Students can only be declared in one of the Certificate or Minor or Major in Criminology at a time. Students may begin with the Certificate in Criminology and later switch or return to declare a Major in Criminology. It is advisable that students submit any program change or declaration requests to the Office of the Registrar as soon as possible, and students must consult with an Academic Advisor in HSS or the Undergraduate Program Director.

Students can complete a Certificate and/or a Major or Minor in Criminology, but not all three. Not all courses can be used towards both a Certificate and Major in Criminology, and additional elective courses are required. Students cannot complete both a Major and Minor in Criminology. Students in the Major in Criminology are also not eligible for an interdisciplinary Minor or interdisciplinary second Major.

The Major in Criminology offers a more extensive and comprehensive exploration of criminological themes.

Current students who first declared and/or completed courses towards the Certificate in Criminology and have not yet completed this program may decide to deepen their studies by changing from the Certificate in Criminology to the Major in Criminology. Current or former students who have already completed the Certificate in Criminology at Memorial can also continue or return to their studies in this area by re-applying to the university (as necessary), and/or declaring a Major (or Minor) in Criminology, and enrolling in the requisite courses.

Students who have completed all required courses for a Certificate in Criminology and decide to pursue a Major in Criminology are required to complete additional elective courses towards the successive program. More specifically, students who have completed the Certificate and later declare a Major in Criminology must complete an additional nine credit hours in criminology, sociology, or other approved/listed courses. Students in this scenario must consult with the Program Director before applying to and/or declaring their second Criminology program.

For a Minor in Criminology, students must complete at least 24 credit hours in Criminology, Sociology, and other designated courses (with at least 3 credit hours from Criminology/Sociology courses at the 4000 level) as follows:

1. 9 credit hours in foundational core courses in Criminology and Sociology: Sociology 1000, Criminology 1001 or Sociology 1001, and Criminology 2295.

2. 3 credit hours in theory core courses, selected from: Sociology 2100, Criminology 2820 or Sociology 2820, Criminology 2850 or Sociology 2850, or Sociology 3160.

3. 3 credit hours in methods core courses, selected from: Criminology 3040 or Sociology 3040, Sociology 3041, or Criminology 4420 or Sociology 4420.

4. 3 credit hours in Criminology and Sociology breadth electives at the 2000-level, selected from the courses listed in the Criminology and Sociology Breadth Electives table.

5. 6 credit hours in breadth electives, including: 3 credit hours in Criminology and Sociology breadth electives at the 3000-level or higher, selected from the courses listed in the Criminology and Sociology Breadth Electives table; and 3 credit hours in interdisciplinary breadth electives at the 3000-level or higher, selected from the courses listed in the Approved Interdisciplinary Breadth Electives table. 

A student is expected to enroll in the Criminology section of any applicable cross listed (EQ) courses.

Not all courses are offered every semester. Students are strongly advised to consult with an Academic Advisor in HSS for assistance with program/degree and/or course planning, as well as career planning, and the Program Director for broader curriculum and program questions or concerns.

Students can only be declared in one of the Certificate or Minor or Major in Criminology at a time. Students may begin with the Certificate in Criminology and later switch or return to declare a Minor in Criminology. It is advisable that students submit any program change or declaration requests to the Office of the Registrar as soon as possible, consulting with an Academic Advisor in HSS or the Undergraduate Program Director as helpful or necessary.

Students can complete a Certificate and/or a Major or Minor in Criminology, but not all three. Not all courses can be used towards both a Certificate and a Minor in Criminology, and additional elective courses are required. Students cannot complete both a Minor in Criminology and an interdisciplinary second Major.

The Minor in Criminology offers a continued exploration of criminological themes.

Current students who first declared and/or completed courses towards the Certificate in Criminology and have not yet completed this program may decide to deepen their studies by changing from the Certificate in Criminology to the Minor in Criminology (with another major/degree program). Current or former students who have already completed the Certificate in Criminology at Memorial can also continue or return to their studies in this area by re-applying to the university (as necessary), and/or declaring a Minor (or Major) in Criminology, and enrolling in the requisite courses.

Students who have completed all required courses for a Certificate in Criminology and decide to pursue a Minor in Criminology (with another major/degree program) are required to complete additional elective courses towards the successive program. More specifically, students who have completed the Certificate in Criminology and later declare a Minor in Criminology must complete an additional six credit hours in criminology, sociology, or other approved/listed courses. Students in this scenario must consult with the Program Director before applying to and/or declaring their second Criminology program.

To earn an Honours degree in Criminology, students must meet the general requirements for the Bachelor of Arts (Honours), as outlined in the university calendar, and complete at least 60 credit hours in approved courses for the Major in Criminology, including at least 36 credit hours at the 3000 level or above. These 60 credit hours must include:

• All requirements of the Major in Criminology (39 credit hours), including a minimum of 27 credit hours in Criminology courses;

• An additional 18 credit hours in Criminology or Sociology courses at any level; and

• Criminology 4995 (Honours Essay).

Admission to the Honours program in Criminology is competitive and selective. Students who wish to enter this program must submit an "Application for Admission to Honours Program" form to the Department. To be accepted into the Honours program, a student must not only meet the criteria laid out in the Regulations for the Honours Degree of Bachelor of Arts, but must normally have obtained a cumulative average of at least 75% in 18 credit hours in courses in Criminology and Sociology which must include Criminology 3290 (or Sociology 3290), and Sociology 3040 and 3041.

In addition to completing the normal requirements for a Bachelor of Arts and one of an Honours, Major or Minor in Sociology, students may elect to complete requirements for the International Bachelor of Arts (iBA). As part of the minimum 120 credit hours, a student may use eligible credit hours in Sociology to jointly satisfy other requirements of the iBA degree. When selecting courses, a student is encouraged to consult with an academic advisor early in the program, to consider Possible Course Sequencing for the International Bachelor of Arts (iBA) (First 60 Credit Hours), and to consider Sociology courses listed in International Studies (IS) Designated Courses. Up to 12 credit hours in Sociology IS courses may be used towards the International Studies (IS) Courses Requirement.

A student cannot be awarded both a Major in Police Studies and a Major in Criminology.

1. Subject to the prior approval of the Program Director, certain programs and courses offered by recognized police or other criminal justice training programs may be eligible for credit hours that are applicable towards the Bachelor of Arts, Criminology. Graduates of the Atlantic Police Academy (APA) Police Sciences Technology Program, Holland College, Prince Edward Island; the RCMP Depot Division Cadet Training Program; or the pre-APA program offered through the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) for cadet training may be awarded up to 12 PLAR credit hours at an unspecified level in the Criminology (CRIM) subject area. Qualifications from other recognized police, Canadian Armed Forces, or other criminal justice training programs will be assessed on an individual basis by the Program Director of the respective program based on the topics covered and the number of hours involved, and will be subject to the approval of the Faculty's Undergraduate Waivers and Appeals Committee. Normally, the Committee will prioritize programs and courses that feature evaluation of student knowledge; workshops and professional development modules that do not involve evaluation are not eligible. Applicants with five or more years of professional criminal justice experience may request credit for CRIM 1001 or CRIM 2295, for example, as part of their maximum 12 credit hours. An Application for Transfer Credit Evaluation, including official documentation confirming program completion or professional experience, must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar to have training assessed and recognized for transfer credit. The Application may be obtained online at www.mun.ca/regoff/forms.php or in-person at the Office of the Registrar.

2. Unspecified Criminology credit hours may only be used towards the Bachelor of Arts, Major in Criminology program to meet up to 6 of the required credit hours in Criminology electives. Any remaining unspecified credit hours in the Criminology subject area may be used in part to satisfy the Humanities and Social Sciences Elective requirements for the Bachelor of Arts, Criminology Major program. In the case of programs where there are established course transfer credits, the student will be awarded transfer credit for the appropriate courses. Any remaining credit hours will be awarded as unspecified credit hours in the Criminology subject area.

In accordance with University Regulations (Undergraduate), Year of Degree and Departmental Regulations - Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and Faculty of Science, students for the Interdisciplinary Major in Criminology. will normally follow regulations in effect in the academic year in which the student first successfully completes a course in that subject at the 2000-level or above which may be applied to the major or minor program respectively. However, the student may elect to follow subsequent regulations introduced during the student's tenure in a program. These “grandparented” students are encouraged to consult the program's designated academic advisor for assistance with course selection.

Students eligible for the former Interdisciplinary Major in Criminology. may choose between that program or the Major in Criminology. Courses approved for the Major in Criminology that do not appear in the Interdisciplinary Major and which are successfully completed after August 2018 may, for the purpose of that former program, be treated as the former Table 1 courses.

The previous non-credit courses from the former Life Long Learning Certificate in Criminology are not eligible towards the Major in Criminology.

The Department of Sociology and Criminology administers the Certificate in Criminology. Credit hours in Sociology and Criminology may be eligible to jointly fulfill requirements of a degree and a certificate. For further information about this program, see Certificate Programs Offered in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, or contact the Program Director.