Online Criminology Degree Requirements

Provides an understanding of the discipline of criminology through an examination of its theories, basic assumptions, and definitions.

This course will provide students with an overview of the criminal justice system, including the historical development, present status, and suggested reforms. Students will learn the terminology of the field and trends in policies and procedures related to victims, offenders, police, attorneys, courts, and corrections. Additionally, students will examine their own beliefs and attitudes as related to crime and response to crime.

This undergraduate course examines mental health issues and how they interact within the United States criminal justice system. Students will learn how certain diagnoses are more likely to lead to police intervention, as well as how today’s prisons have become modern-day asylums. Students will also consider how insanity and psychosis differ, the limitations of assessing for dangerousness, and how competency to stand trial is determined. Special attention will be paid to learning practical skills in analyzing data, writing evidence-based reports, understanding DSM-5 diagnoses, and considering federal and state laws that impact clinical practice in the criminal justice system.

This undergraduate course aims to prepare students prior to their field placement experience. The purpose of the course is to prepare students for finding, applying, and securing an internship that aligns with their major goals. Topics will focus on preparation for internships and career jobs after completion of a bachelor’s degree. Those topics will include, but are not limited to, identifying a career area of interest, finding jobs in that profession, resume/cover letter writing, interview and communication skills, and professional/ethical skills needed in the fields of interest. (2 credit course).

This course is designed to assist students in engaging in critical examination of the interplay of race, class, and crime in the United States. Attention will be given to historical, sociological, economic, and political reasons that underlie why Black Americans and other racial minorities are treated unequally and represented disproportionately in the criminal justice system. This course highlights obstacles to racial justice including criminalization of behaviors along racial and class lines.

This undergraduate course will cover current and relevant issues in criminal justice. Areas of focus will vary based on current events and “hot topics” related to the discipline. Students will learn to identify current trends and patterns in the field of criminal justice as a result of completing this course. Possible solutions and policy suggestions will be discussed based on the current contemporary issues covered.

This internship provides on-the-job placement experience and is open to junior or senior students. Prior to registration, students must discuss the internship with their advisor.

This is the first in a sequence of research methods courses for students in the Social Change majors. This course familiarizes
students with the most common research methods used in the social and behavioral sciences, with an emphasis on critical
thinking and becoming informed consumers of research. This course culminates with the final project in which students prepare
a research proposal. 3 credits
PREREQUISITES: CC 100, 101, 102 OR SKC 101, SKW 101, SKQ 101.

A survey of the general field of psychology including the fundamental areas of learning, sensation perception, cognition,
behavior, motivation, personality, adjustment, and the biological basis of behavior. 3 credits

An examination of the patterns of growth, change, and stability in behavior that occur across the human lifespan. Starting with conception, the course explores the biological, psychosocial, and cognitive theories that help us observe and explain human behavior from life’s beginnings through the end of life.

An introduction to the calculation and interpretation of statistics for the behavioral sciences including measures of central
tendency, variability, percentiles, correlation, and such inferential techniques as the t-test, chi-square, and analysis of variance.
4 credits
PREREQUISITE: SKQ 101

An overview of psychological disorders. Diagnosis, etiology, and modern treatments are explored. A bio-psycho-social perspective is emphasized with special attention given to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

An overview of law enforcement agencies and their roles in society with an emphasis on current issues facing police
departments and other agencies. 3 credits

An interdisciplinary seminar focusing on the victims of crimes, with an emphasis on understanding victims’ responses, restorative justice programs, and services for victims of crime.

This course examines the history, structure, and functions of corrections, and the legal and philosophical basis for the punishment of criminal offenders, including the role of corrections as one of the three major components of the criminal justice system. The course will also discuss repercussions of the current status of the correctional system and its relationship with society.

An analysis of the history of the control and prevention of juvenile delinquency. The course includes an overview of the nature and extent of juvenile delinquency, theories about delinquency, an examination of the justice system, and procedures for
juveniles in this system.

An introduction to the science or act of attempting to determine criminal culpability based on an individual’s current level of
psychological functioning at the time of an offense. It also focuses on an individual’s psychological functioning relative to
criminal acts with which the offender has been charged. 3 credits
PREREQUISITE: PY 101

This undergraduate course examines the phenomena of serial, mass, and spree killing with a specific focus on the demographic features, mental health issues, and neurobiology differences noted between these three types of murder. Students will also identify cultural aspects common to these types of violence, as well as potential interventions that could be employed by government, schools, and mental health systems to reduce these crimes. Lastly, cross-cultural comparisons of the United States with other countries will be examined to help understand the differences in murder rates, the types of victims targeted, and the ways that media portrays these murders.