Criminology Major
Criminology is a behavioral science that studies all aspects of crime and its impact on society. Offered by the Department of Sociology, the criminology major explores topics such as law enforcement, racial profiling, cyber crime, the death penalty, and the prison system.
Total Credit Hours: 120
Criminology Requirements (21 hours)
Sociology Core Requirements (22 hours)
General Education (45 hours)
Free Electives (41 hours)
What You'll Study
Requirements for the criminology major include:
- 120 credit hours for a Bachelor of Science in Sociology, including Virginia Tech's Pathways
- 22 core credits in Sociology, including:
- Introductory Sociology
- Social Inequality
- Sociological Theory
- Social Research Methods
- Senior Seminar
- Statistics for the Social Sciences
- 3 credits in Africana Studies, American Indian Studies, or Women's and Gender Studies
- 9 credits in required criminology courses
- 12 credits in criminology electives
Curious how the degree requirements will fit into your experience at Virginia Tech? See the roadmaps below for a sample schedule of courses each year. Your academic advisor will help you create a personalized version based on your goals and other areas of interest. The individualized plan will also include your AP, IB, dual enrollment, or transfer credit.
Related Links
What is a Major in Criminology?
Criminology is the study of the origins, extent, causes, and effects of crime on societies. You'll learn the history and practice of crime control, as well as gain the research skills to draw larger conclusions about the nature and effects of crime.
Why Study Criminology Here?
Your criminology major will prepare you for a career as a federal law enforcement agent or analyst, a police officer, a corrections officer, a probation and parole official, a victim services counselor, or a social justice activist. The major also provides a strong foundation for graduate study in criminology, criminal justice, and law. With classes such as Social Problems, Juvenile Delinquency, Sociological Theory, Cybercriminology, Women and Crime, and a plethora of others, you are able to learn about the experiences people have and how that affects their decision making, as well as reasons for deviant behavior.
Criminology vs. Criminal Justice
What's the difference between a degree in criminology and a degree in criminal justice?
Criminal justice is a professional degree that specifically focuses on methods for detecting crime, detaining criminals, and criminal prosecution and punishment. It's designed to prepare you for entering a career in the criminal justice system, such as law enforcement, the courts, and corrections.
Criminology is a branch of sociology that provides a broad academic education and research skills to prepare you for graduate school, law school, and analytical careers. Criminologists are qualified to enter the same fields as criminal justice majors, and many do pursue jobs in law enforcement. But they also graduate with the skills necessary for a broader range of careers, such as researchers, analysts, legal assistants, victims-rights advocates, mediation experts, conflict management specialists, rehabilitation workers, and governmental researchers.
Beyond the Classroom
Internships
Internships are a popular way to gain experience in the field. Our students often intern at a residential facility for juvenile delinquents or with the Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, or Christiansburg police departments. Other local agencies that host our students in internships include law offices, free clinics, the Raft Crisis Hotline, the Head Start program, and the YMCA.
Contact our internship coordinator, Donna Sedgwick, to talk about internship opportunities.
Faculty Mentorship
Our students conduct undergraduate research with faculty in our Center for Race and Social Policy, Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention, and Laboratory for the Study of Youth Inequality and Justice. You can design your own project with a faculty mentor and study topics that interest you. Some recent topics include:
- Policing and urban social control
- Youth violence and juvenile justice
- Race and criminal justice
- Terrorism
- White-collar crime
Strong Community
Join social or cultural student organizations, where you learn about the roles individual and group identities play in society.
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Our professors have a reputation not just for their scholarship, but also for being friendly, caring, and passionate about making the world a better place. They’ve won local and national awards for both research and teaching.
What Our Students Are Saying
“That is the beauty of the Department of Sociology: you have the faculty and staff investment and care of a small college within a major university. The knowledge I gained from my classes combined with the hands-on experiences from service learning and internships enabled my federal law enforcement career to take off from day one.”
Ben Shannon, '12
“My Virginia Tech education prepared me to understand the complexities of diversity among social groups, specifically as it relates to identifying various types of people with different characteristics, lifestyles, and attitudes. I regularly use these skills to segment and target populations in regards to community engagement and donation initiatives.”
Danielle Hardy '12
Careers and Further Study
Chaya Iyengar, '14
Chaya has been working as a marketing program manager for the U.S. Department of Defense since graduation.
Danielle Hardy, '12
Danielle works for Goodwill Industries International in southwest Pennsylvania as a community donations specialist. She is responsible for engaging the community in Goodwill's mission and acquiring material donations through partnerships with local schools, businesses, and nonprofit organizations.
Alexis Massie, '16
While studying criminology and sociology, Alexis completed internships with Juvenile Probation, VT Police, Victim and Witness Assistance, and the US Marshal Service. These experiences and her masters degree in Forensic Psychology from George Washington University helped her land her dream job working with the federal government.
Aaron Keeton, '19
Following graduation with majors in criminology and political Science, Aaron is working in an operational support role at the FBI’s Miami Field Office. His internship experiences with the FBI in their International Corruption Unit, Critical Incident Response Group, and the Roanoke Resident Agency provided valuable insight into careers within the intelligence community. Aaron hopes to eventually become a Special Agent.
Maddison Berlinghoff, '20
During her undergraduate career, Maddison participated in several research projects studying education, the opioid crisis, and restorative justice in addition to completing internships with local police departments. She is pursuing a master’s degree in Political Science further exploring penal system policies in the United States.
Hannah Mullen-Fox, '21
While studying criminology, sociology, and psychology, Hannah completed an internship at a law firm in her hometown. Her internship and work with the pre-law advisor on campus confirmed her goal to attend law school. Hannah is enrolled at Elon Law and plans to pursue a career as an attorney.
Amber Mundy, ’21
While at VT, Amber participated in many projects, including serving as a Juneteenth Research Scholar, looking at Black Bodies in Colonial Mexico, The Baltimore City Research Project on Policing in Baltimore City after the death of Freddie Gray, and working in an Entomology lab completing a study on restoring watersheds in Roanoke. Her internship with the Virginia Tech Women’s Center inspired her to pursue a master’s degree in Forensic Biology at Virginia Commonwealth University.
What do I do with a criminology major?
In addition to preparing you for advanced studies at the graduate level or in law school, our program prepares you for jobs in law enforcement, corrections, the court system, juvenile justice, and related business. Some examples include:
- Police officer
- U.S. Marshal
- Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) agent
- Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent
- Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agent
- Probation/parole officer
- Juvenile probation officer
- Victim services specialist
- Mediation specialist
- Attorney
- Corrections counselor
- Private security/background investigation
- FBI analyst
Related Programs