Criminology B.A.

University Admissions

Admission to the University is based on the University’s Undergraduate Admission Requirements that may be found by clicking on the following urls:

• Freshman: https://www.usf.edu/admissions/freshmen/admission-information/requirements-deadlines.aspx

• Transfer: https://www.usf.edu/admissions/transfer/admission-information/index.aspx

• International: https://www.usf.edu/admissions/international/admission-information/index.aspx

Graduation Requirements

Satisfactory completion of the following requirements: 

• General Education Program (36 credit hours), including State Core General Education, State Computation and State Communication; 
• Minimum of 120 unduplicated credit hours;
• A minimum adjusted grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 on all coursework taken at USF and an overall 2.0 GPA average on all college-level coursework;
• Major and college requirements in a chosen degree program;
• Nine credit hours of coursework taken during the summer term(s) (if entered USF with less than 60 credit hours); 
• Registration and successful completion of at least thirty (30) of the last sixty (60) credit hours;
• 42 credit hours of upper-level coursework;
• Civics Literacy;
• Foreign language admissions coursework.

State Mandated Common Course Prerequisites

Students wishing to transfer to USF should complete an A.A. degree at a Florida College System institution. Some courses required for the major may also meet General Education requirements thereby transferring maximum hours to the university.

If a student wishes to transfer without an A.A. degree and has fewer than 60 semester hours of acceptable credit, the student must meet the university’s entering freshman requirements including ACT or SAT test scores, GPA, and course requirements.

Transfer students are also required to comply with the immunization, foreign language, and continuous enrollment policies of the university.

Students should complete the following prerequisite courses at the lower level prior to entering the university. If these courses are not taken at a Florida College System institution, they must be completed before the degree is granted.

There are no State Mandated Common Course Prerequisites for this major.

Required Supporting Courses (1 course, 3 credit hours)

The following courses are supporting courses for this major. They are required for the major, but are not counted in the total major hours but are counted toward the total program hours of 120 credit hours. The degree will not be awarded if these courses have not been taken by the end of the student’s final semester.

NOTE: STA 2122  or STA 2023  supporting course requirement is excluded from the Major Hours, Major GPA and Major Residency. 

• STA 2122 - Social Science Statistics Credit(s): 3

• or

• STA 2023 - Introductory Statistics I Credit(s): 3

Major Requirements (36 Credit Hours)

Major (Restricted) Electives (24 Credit Hours)

Choose 8 courses (24 credit hours) of electives from the following list of courses.

Note: CCJ 4940  may be taken S/U.

• CCJ 3014 - Crime and Justice in America Credit(s): 3
• CCJ 3336 - Prisoner Reentry and Recidivism: When Inmates Come Home Credit(s): 3
• CCJ 3621 - Patterns of Criminal Behavior Credit(s): 3
• CCJ 3644 - White Collar Crime Credit(s): 3
• CCJ 3666 - Victimology Credit(s): 3
• CCJ 3718 - Applied Statistics in Crime Credit(s): 3
• CCJ 4072 - Introduction to Crime Mapping with ArcGIS Credit(s): 3
• CCJ 4224 - Miscarriages of Justice Credit(s): 3
• CCJ 4361 - Death Penalty Credit(s): 3
• CCJ 4450 - Criminal Justice Administration Credit(s): 3
• CCJ 4487 - Ethics and the Criminal Justice System Credit(s): 3
• CCJ 4604 - Abnormal Behavior and Criminality Credit(s): 3
• CCJ 4613 - Forensic Psychology Credit(s): 3
• CCJ 4651 - Drugs and Crime Credit(s): 3
• CCJ 4662 - Race and Crime Credit(s): 3
• CCJ 4670 - Women and Crime Credit(s): 3
• CCJ 4681 - Domestic Violence Credit(s): 3
• CCJ 4690 - Sex Offenders Credit(s): 3
• CCJ 4794 - Environmental Criminology Credit(s): 3
• CCJ 4900 - Directed Readings Credit(s): 1-3
• CCJ 4910 - Directed Research Credit(s): 1-3
• CCJ 4930 - Critical Issues in Policing Credit(s): 3
• CCJ 4933 - Selected Topics in Criminology Credit(s): 3
• CCJ 4934 - Seminar in Criminology Credit(s): 3
• CCJ 4940 - Internship for Criminal Justice Majors Credit(s): 3
• CJC 4010 - American Correctional Systems Credit(s): 3
• CJC 4166 - Alternatives to Incarceration Credit(s): 3
• CJE 3444 - Crime Prevention Credit(s): 3
• CJE 3650 - Introduction to Forensic Science Credit(s): 3
• CJE 3656 - Introduction to Crime Analysis Credit(s): 3
• CJE 4010 - Juvenile Justice System Credit(s): 3
• CJE 4114 - American Law Enforcement Systems Credit(s): 3
• CJE 4610 - Criminal Investigation Credit(s): 3
• CJL 3110 - Substantive Criminal Law Credit(s): 3
• CJL 3502 - Introduction to Courts Credit(s): 3
• CJL 4115 - Environmental Law and Crime Credit(s): 3
• CJL 4410 - Criminal Rights and Procedures Credit(s): 3
• DSC 3013 - Terrorism and Homeland Security Credit(s): 3
• DSC 3594 - Introduction to Intelligence Analysis Credit(s): 3

GPA Requirements

An overall 2.0 GPA average on all college-level coursework.

Grading Requirement

In order to graduate, students must maintain an average best attempt 2.0 GPA in all courses counted toward the major.

Residency Requirement

A minimum of 30 credit hours of major course work must be taken in residence at the University of South Florida. Therefore, no more than 6 credit hours of transfer work (two courses) will be accepted to meet major requirements.

Foreign Language Requirement

In addition to the foreign language entrance requirement, all students applying for a Bachelor of Arts degree from USF must demonstrate competency in a foreign language. To demonstrate this competency, students may take either two semesters of a beginning college-level foreign language or one semester of a higher-level course and earn a letter grade of “C” (no “S” grades) or above in the appropriate level course or demonstrate equivalent competency by passing an examination. Students may fulfill this requirement by demonstrating fluency in a language other than English and proficiency in English, as demonstrated in successful coursework or examination in English.

Other Requirements

• Criminology students are required to take a capstone course–CCJ 4934  Seminar in Criminology (3)–where they produce a research paper to demonstrate their competencies.

Research Opportunities

Undergraduate students in any degree program are able to participate in undergraduate research. Several options exist to show mentored undergraduate research activity on a student’s official transcript. Those who wish to enroll in an undergraduate research course should consult with their academic advisor to understand how the credit will apply towards the degree requirements. If no credit is needed, students may be eligible to enroll in the 0-credit IDS 4914  course will not impact degree credits or GPA but will show on an official transcript and document the experience. The Office of Undergraduate Research is able to assist with further inquiries.

Internship Opportunities

The department provides all students with the opportunity to engage in an internship with a federal, state or local criminal justice related agency within one of the surrounding counties. Internships available with more than 100 agencies afford students the opportunity to network and gain practical experience in conjunction with their degree. Internships maybe taken for up to nine (9) credit hours of Criminology electives, and grades are awarded on a S/U (satisfactory/unsatisfactory) basis. To meet eligibility requirements for the internship, students must successfully complete CCJ 3024 , CCJ 3117 , six (6) hours of Criminology electives, and have a USF and a major GPA of 2.0 or higher.

Accelerated Programs

An Accelerated BA+MA Criminal Justice Program is available to students who meet specific requirements. See the USF 2020-2021 Graduate Catalog for more information on Accelerated Majors.

Advising Information

Contact the undergraduate advisor at ccjadvise@usf.edu.

Tampa campus: https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/criminology/undergraduate/appointments.aspx

St. Petersburg campus: https://www.usfsp.edu/academic-advising/

Sarasota Manatee campus: https://www.sarasotamanatee.usf.edu/academics/academic-resources/academic-advising/

4 Year Plan of Study - Criminology B.A.

NOTES:

• SCIV - Civics Literacy  needs to be completed prior to graduation. For more information, see https://www.usf.edu/undergrad/students/civics-literacy.aspx or talk with your academic advisor.
• Items that are critical are marked with a ✳️ and are included in the plan for a student to stay on track.

Potential Entry Level Job Titles:

• Victim Services
• Child Protection Investigator
• Police Officer
• Corrections or Probation Officer
• Loss Prevention Manager
• Cyber Threat/Fraud Analyst

Potential Entry Level Salary Range:

$30,000 - $55,000

2 Year Plan of Study - Criminology B.A.

NOTES:

• SCIV - Civics Literacy  needs to be completed prior to graduation. For more information, see https://www.usf.edu/undergrad/students/civics-literacy.aspx or talk with your academic advisor.
• Items that are critical are marked with a ✳️ and are included in the plan for a student to stay on track.