You will learn to apply the theoretical and methodological tools of sociology to make sense of crime and social control in modern society, while selecting from a variety of course topics. These include: juvenile delinquency street crime and gangs corporate and white collar crime hate crime terrorism drug use and abuse media and crime the culture of police work punishment and social control Its sociological approach to crime distinguishes criminology from the related field of criminal justice, which emphasizes the procedural activities of criminal justice agencies. Criminology treats crime as the product of complex social forces, seeking to understand why laws are made in the first place, how and why these laws are violated and how society responds when laws are broken. This holistic societal perspective prepares you to pursue a broad range of careers or graduate study/professional training.

To be considered for freshman admission, you must successfully complete the following high school unit requirements: 4 units of English (including grammar, composition and literature) 3 units of college preparatory mathematics (units must be Algebra I or higher, Math I or higher and include Algebra II; Transitional Math for High School Seniors will also be accepted) 4 units of social studies/fine arts (any combination of social studies, fine arts or humanities will fulfill the requirement; combination must include U.S. studies/history) 3 units of science (recommended units include biology, chemistry, physics, anatomy and environmental science) 2 units of the same world language (American Sign Language is acceptable)