Policing in Society Specialization
What is the Policing in Society Specialization?
The Policing in Society specialization will explore the role of law enforcement in society, as well as historical and contemporary issues related to policing and law enforcement. Topics of focus include the policing of diverse communities, emerging patterns in policing and law enforcement, and evidence-based policing.
How can I apply?
Admission is competitive. The specific average or standing required for admission varies from year to year. Students are selected by taking into consideration a wide range of criteria including school marks, distribution of subjects taken, and performance in subjects relevant to the academic program. Possession of the minimum requirements does not guarantee acceptance. Preference will be given to applicants with the best qualifications.
Current Ontario secondary school students must complete the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) with six 4U or 4M credits including English (ENG4U). All other applicants should refer to admissions for the requirements for their specific category of admission.
To learn more about the admissions process and apply, visit our Undergraduate Admissions website.
Experiential Learning: Internships, Practicums, and Community Engagement
To learn more about the Policing in Society Specialization program’s experiential learning opportunities (e.g., the practicum, the internship, and community engagement projects), check out the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities’ Experiential Learning Office.
What courses will I take?
To be eligible for the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Criminology and Justice, students must meet both the degree requirements and requirements of the major as outlined below for a total of 120 credits.
Mandatory first-year courses [15 credit hours]:
SOCI 1000U – Introductory Sociology
SSCI 1910U – Writing for the Social Sciences
Two of:
COMM 1100U – Introduction to Communication and Digital Media Studies
LGLS 1000U – Foundations of Legal Studies
POSC 1000U – Introduction to Political Science
PSYC 1000U – Introductory Psychology
Please note: any course not taken from the above option block may be taken as an elective.
Criminology and Justice major core courses [66 credit hours]:
CRMN 2040U – Decolonizing Criminology
CRMN 2850U – Classical Theories of Crime
SSCI 2900U – Research Methods
SSCI 2910U – Data Analysis
SSCI 2920U – Qualitative Research Methods
CRMN 3850U – Contemporary Theories of Crime
One of:
SSCI 3920U – Advanced Qualitative Methods
One of:
CRMN 4100U – Doing Criminology orSSCI 4010U – Policy Development or
SSCI 4098U – Practicum or
SSCI 4103U – Internship
One of:
SSCI 4005U – Independent Study or
SSCI 4101U – Honours Thesis I
One of:
CRMN 4099U – Criminology and Justice Integrating Project or
SSCI 4102U – Honours Thesis II
Two 3000- or 4000-level CRMN courses
Nine general electives**
**General Electives
General electives can be taken at/or adjoining their year level, where permission has been granted and prerequisites have been fulfilled. A minimum of three elective courses must be offered by the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities but outside of major at the 2000-level or higher. No more than five 1000-level elective courses can be included. ALSU 1101U is recommended as a general elective in first year. Students are also encouraged to take at least one Indigenous Studies course.
Additional required courses
The remaining 39 credit hours are selected based on the student’s choice to pursue the Criminology and Justice major, or the Criminology and Justice major with a specialization.
Criminology and Justice major with Policing in Society specialization [39 credit hours]:
CRMN 2010U – Criminal LawCRMN 2030U – Social Control
CRMN 3050U – Police and Society
CRMN 4052U – Policing Diverse Communities
CRMN 4085U – Emerging Patterns of Policing
One of:
SSCI 2020U – Issues in Diversity
One of:
CRMN 3028U – Women in the Criminal Justice System or
CRMN 3056U – Race-ing Justice
Two of:
CRMN 3026U – Organized Crime or
CRMN 3045U – Terrorism or
CRMN 4020U – Corporate Crime or
CRMN 4021U – Cybercrime
One of:
CRMN 3023U – Family Violence orCRMN 3025U – Victimology or
CRMN 3027U – Delinquency, Deviance, and Youth Crime or
CRMN 3029U – Crime and the Elderly
One of:
CRMN 4079U – Alternative Sanctions
One of:
CRMN 3060U – Punishment and Society
One of:
CRMN 4075U – International Perspectives on Criminal Justice or
SSCI 4020U – Leadership and Administration
