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Criminology, Law and Society

  • Bachelor of Arts
  • Minor

The Criminology, Law and Society program aspires to be much more than a traditional criminal justice major. CLS features a curriculum that is challenging and broad-based. It gives students a solid foundation in the theoretical core of Criminology, a thorough understanding of the legal system that enacts criminal laws and processes cases through the investigative, prosecutive and corrections phases, and a broad, societal context for the criminal system that only a rigorous liberal arts regimen can supply.

What Can I Do With a Major in Criminology, Law and Society?

Since the fall of 2011 when the Criminology Program began at Saint Vincent, we have been honored to have several graduates enter law schools throughout the country with many who have graduated and are now successfully in the practice of law.

Another group of our graduates have taken positions in the criminal justice system as probation officers, juvenile counselors, and intelligence analysts with federal agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Still another contingent entered the field of law enforcement.  We currently have over 100 of our graduates as members of the Pennsylvania State Police.  Others have been offered positions in law enforcement agencies in various jurisdictions including the Pittsburgh Police Department.  Recently, we have seen our students selected for the United States Secret Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Capitol Police.

A final group of graduates have entered some of the top graduate programs in Criminology and related fields of national security studies and cybersecurity studies. 

The Criminology Program takes as its most important measure of success the successful placement of our graduates into positions in which they may become significant contributors in the criminal justice area on a wide variety of levels.

What are the benefits of a major in Criminology, Law and Society?

Those who complete this curriculum will recognize that they have enjoyed a true liberal arts experience while learning the art of practical scholarship. Students will become scholars, learning to critically analyze problems, conduct effective research and write with clarity and force. They will appreciate the important specifics of their discipline but never lose their appreciation of the larger societal, political, and scientific contexts in which the issues they will study arise.

What are the benfits of a minor in Criminology, Law and Society?

Those who complete this minor will have a better understanding of the interworking of the criminal justice system and learn about the opportunities for professional endeavors in the system. They will gain a deeper understanding of the various societal, political, and legal issues that arise.

Curriculum Requirements

  • Requirements for a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology, Law and Society B.A.

    Major Requirements (51 credits)

    Required Courses (36 credits):

    CORE 1216 Introduction to Criminology - 3 credits
    CLS 160 Research Writing and Advocacy - 3 credits
    CLS 215 Juvenile Justice - 3 credits
    CLS 227 Criminal Law and Process - 3 credits
    CLS 230 Constitutional Criminal Procedure - 3 credits
    CLS 245 Corrections, Probation, and Parole - 3 credits
    CLS 315 Criminological Statistics - 3 credits
    CLS 356 Quantitative Research Methods - 3 credits
    CLS 504 Ethical Decisions and Dilemmas in Criminal Justice - 3 credits
    CLS 510 Criminological Theories - 3 credits
    CLS 590 Capstone Project - 3 credits
    CORE 1201 American Regime - 3 credits

    Plus 5 elective courses (15 credits):

    CLS 155 American Judicial System - 3 credits
    CLS 205 Criminal Trial Evidence - 3 credits
    CLS 210 Civil Rights Law – 3 credits
    CLS 220 Criminology of Race – 3 credits
    CLS 235 Etiology of Mass Violence – 3 credits
    CLS 250 The Police: A History – 3 credits
    CLS 266 The Death Penalty – 3 credits
    CLS 269 Agency Management – 3 credits
    CLS 270 21st-Century Issues in Criminology – 3 credits
    CLS 275 Patterns of Criminal Behavior – 3 credits
    CLS 290 Mental Illness and the Criminal Process – 3 credits
    CLS 305 Violence and Victimology - 3 credits
    CLS 310 School Violence/Origins and Strategies – 3 credits
    CLS 316 Strategic/Tactical Leadership – 3 credits
    CLS 320 White Collar Crime - 3 credits
    CLS 340 Principles of Homeland Security - 3 credits
    CLS 344 Financing Criminal Organizations - 3 credits
    CLS 355 Sentencing - 3 credits
    CLS 360 Prediction and Prevention of Criminal Conduct - 3 credits
    CLS 361 Urban Street Gang Prosecution – 3 credits
    CLS 367 Gender and Crime – 3 credits
    CLS 375 International Criminal Law - 3 credits
    CLS 376 Federal Criminal Law - 3 credits
    CLS 377 Addiction and Crime – 3 credits
    CLS 380 Criminology of Firearms - 3 credits
    CLS 385 Organized Crime in America – 3 credits
    CLS 399 Criminal Analytics - 3 credits
    CLS 400 Race and Justice – 3 credits
    CLS 415 International Criminal Systems – 3 credits
    CLS 420 Criminology of Hate – 3 credits
    CLS 425 Survey of Cybercrime – 3 credits
    CLS 430 Public Sector Management – 3 credits
    CLS 440 Constitutional Litigation and Analysis – 3 credits
    CLS 485 Crime Mapping – GIS – 3 credits
    CLS 550 Internship* - 3 credits
    PS 341 Global Terrorism - 3 credits
    SO 200 Race and Ethnicity - 3 credits
    SO 204 Deviance - 3 credits
    SO 235 Inequality and Social Problems - 3 credits
  • Requirements for a Minor in Criminology, Law and Society (18 credits)

    Minor Requirements (18 credits)

    Required courses (12 credits):

    CORE 1216 Introduction to Criminology - 3 credits
    CLS 215 Juvenile Justice - 3 credits
    CLS 227 Criminal Law and Process - 3 credits
    CLS 504 Ethical Decisions and Dilemmas in Criminal Justice - 3 credits

    One of the following courses (3 credits):

    CLS 275 Patterns of Criminal Behavior - 3 credits
    CLS 360 Prediction and Prevention of Criminal Conduct - 3 credits
    SO 240 Deviance - 3 credits
     
    One of the following electives (3 credits):
    CLS 230 Constitutional Criminal Procedure - 3 credits
    Any 300 or 400 level CLS course
  • Requirements for a Minor in Forensic Studies - Natural Science (18 credits)

    Forensic Studies - Natural Science Minor

    Minor requirements (18-19 credits)

    The following 3 courses (9 credits)
    CLS 205 Criminal Trial Evidence - 3 credits
    CLS 227 Criminal Law and Process - 3 credits
    NSCI 300* Criminalistics - 3 credits 

    Choose one course (selected course may not count for major or core) (3 credits):

    CLS 230 Constitutional Criminal Procedure - 3 credits
    CLS 305 Violence and Victimology - 3 credits
    CLS 340 Principles of Homeland Security - 3 credits
    CLS 377 Addiction and Crime - 3 credits

    Choose 6 or 7 credits from the following (6 or 7 credits):

    NSCI 130/131 Introduction to Physics and Lab - 4 credits
    NSCI 210/211 Chemistry of Crime and Lab - 4 credits
    NSCI 200 All About Drugs - 4 credits
    NSCI 260 Biotechnology: How Do They Do It? - 4 credits
    NSCI 235/236 Human Biology and Laboratory - 4 credits
    NSCI 230/231 Genes, Cells and Computers and Lab - 4 credits
    BL 214/215** Molecular Genetics and Lab - 4 credits
    CH 252/253 Nuclei Acids and Membranes and Lab - 4 credits
    CH 216/218** Quantitative Analysis and Lab - 4 credits
    BL 216/217** Biotechnology and Lab - 4 credits
    BL 150/151 General Biology I and Lab - 4 credits
    ES 220 Introduction to GIS - 3 credits
    CH 245** Chemical and Forensic Analysis - 3 credits

    * Does not count toward core
    ** These courses have prerequisites that are not part of the minor
  • Requirements for a Minor in Forensic Studies - Cybersecurity (18 credits)

    Forensic Studies - Cybersecurity

    Minor Requirements (18 credits)

    The following four CS courses (12 credits):

    CS 102 Fundamentals of IT and Computing - 3 credits
    CS 225 Computer Security - 3 credits
    CS 321 Data Communication and Computer Networks - 3 credits
    CS 325 Advanced Topics in Security - 3 credits

    Choose two of the following CLS courses (6 credits):

    CLS 205 Criminal Trial Evidence - 3 credits
    CLS 227 Criminal Law and Process - 3 credits
    CLS 230 Constitutional Criminal Procedure – 3 credits
    CLS 320 White Collar Crime - 3 credits
  • Requirements for a Minor in Forensic Studies - Financial Investigations (18 credits)

    Forensic Studies - Financial Investigation

    Minor Requirements (18 credits)

    The following four Business Administration courses (12 credits):

    BA 200 Intermediate Accounting I - 3 credits
    BA 201 Intermediate Accounting II - 3 credits
    BA 405 Auditing - 3 credits
    BA 406 Forensic Auditing - 3 credits

    Choose two of the following CLS courses (6 credits):

    CLS 227 Criminal Law and Process - 3 credits
    CLS 320 White Collar Crime - 3 credits
    CLS 376 Federal Criminal Law - 3 credits

Job Placements and Careers

  • Jobs Placements and Internships

    Our students have secured jobs and internships in several areas of criminology, law, and other areas of the field. Some include:

    The Pennsylvania State Police
    Westmoreland County Juvenile and Adult Probation
    Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS)
    The Federal Bureau of Investigation
    The Drug Enforcement Administration
    The United States Secret Service
    The Pittsburgh Police Department
    Westmoreland County Justice Works
    Adelphoi Village
    Federal Prison System
    Westmoreland County Children’s Bureau
    Pennsylvania Department of Corrections
    Police Departments in Virginia, Florida, Ohio, and more
    Private Law Firms
    Private Investigation

    Graduate Programs
    Master of Science in Criminology, Saint Vincent College
     
    Ph.D. Programs
    Indiana University of Pennsylvania
    University of New Haven
     
    Law School
    Duquesne University
    University of Pittsburgh
  • Careers

    There are many career options in criminology, law and society including:

    Private and Public Interest Lawyers
    Intelligence Analysts
    Juvenile/Adult Probation Officer
    Police Officers
    Federal Agents
    National Threat Operations Systems Analyst
    Drug and Alcohol Counselors
    Juvenile Counselors
    Child Abuse Investigators
    Private Investigator
    Correction Officer
    Therapeutic Staff Support

Student Testimonies

Faculty

Bruce Antkowiak, Esquire
Professor of Law
bruce.antkowiak@stvincent.edu

Dr. Kayla Jachimowski
Assistant Professor, Criminology, Law, and Society
kayla.jachimowski@stvincent.edu

Dr. Eric Kocian
Associate Professor, Criminology, Law and Society
eric.kocian@stvincent.edu