The Criminology and Justice Studies major is offered through the Sociology Department. This major draws on the intellectual traditions of sociology and critical criminology to understand the social correlates of crime and justice.   The major provides students with a theoretical and practical foundation for building a lifelong understanding of crime and social justice, and the myriad social processes surrounding both.   Students majoring in Criminology and Justice Studies will be able to evaluate critically issues of crime and justice and to pursue solutions for positive social change.  The degree also provides students with the requisite skills for graduate study and/or entry-level practice in the areas of social justice, administration of justice, and criminal justice systems.

Learning Objectives

Our primary aim is to help students acquire the knowledge and analytic skills necessary to make sense of issues of criminology and social justice in an increasingly complex world.  We want our graduates to be able to use the key insights and analytic methods of criminology, justice studies, and sociology to improve the social conditions in which they and others coexist.  We expect holders of a Cal State San Marcos Bachelor’s degree in Criminology and Justice Studies to be able to address large- and small-scale social problems through constructive empirical inquiry, critical analysis, and strategic action.  The Criminology and Justice Studies major curriculum cultivates the theoretical, methodological, and advocacy skills integral to meeting these goals.  The list below summarizes the primary knowledge and skills Criminology and Justice Studies majors possess at graduation.

1. Understanding of the key theoretical approaches and insights that inform criminology and justice studies.

2. Ability to develop informed theories of social behavior from systematic observation of social life.

3. Awareness of the diversity of social experiences and perspectives related to criminology and social justice issues, especially those connected to race, class, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, and nationality.

4. Ability to use criminological and/or justice studies theory to craft researchable questions about criminology and justice studies.

5. Ability to locate, understand, and review criminological and social justice scholarship.

6. Proficiency in the research methods used in the study of criminology and social justice.

7. Ability to identify and utilize research methods most appropriate to any specific research question, theoretical orientation, and/or social context.

8. Understanding of the limits of the information produced by specific research methods.

9. Ability to write a literature review and research report that conforms to the professional norms of criminology and justice studies scholarship.

10. Ability to apply criminological and/or justice studies theories and research in service of positive social change.

 Career Opportunities

The degree prepares students to pursue careers in criminal justice and social service agencies, as well as graduate studies in such fields as criminology, criminal justice, and justice studies.  Students with a bachelor’s degree in Criminology and Justice Studies can pursue a wide variety of jobs.  These job opportunities might include government as well as community service agencies geared towards delinquent youth and families, law enforcement and correctional agencies and non-profit organizations that examine social and legal justice practices both at home and abroad.  Students interested in these careers should consult with advisors in appropriate areas as they plan their studies.