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Ontario Tech acknowledges the lands and people of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation.

We are thankful to be welcome on these lands in friendship. The lands we are situated on are covered by the Williams Treaties and are the traditional territory of the Mississaugas, a branch of the greater Anishinaabeg Nation, including Algonquin, Ojibway, Odawa and Pottawatomi. These lands remain home to many Indigenous nations and peoples.

We acknowledge this land out of respect for the Indigenous nations who have cared for Turtle Island, also called North America, from before the arrival of settler peoples until this day. Most importantly, we acknowledge that the history of these lands has been tainted by poor treatment and a lack of friendship with the First Nations who call them home.

This history is something we are all affected by because we are all treaty people in Canada. We all have a shared history to reflect on, and each of us is affected by this history in different ways. Our past defines our present, but if we move forward as friends and allies, then it does not have to define our future.

Learn more about Indigenous Education and Cultural Services

Undergraduates

The four-year Criminology and Justice program is an academically-rigorous program of study in critical reading, writing, and experiential learning. You will be well prepared for private and public service, as well as further professional and graduate education.

The first year of study is common to all Criminology and Justice students, however beginning in your second year you will have the opportunity to choose from two areas of specialization - Criminal Justice, or Youth, Crime and Justice, or continue with the unspecialized program. 

Mandatory first year courses are:

  • CRMN 1000U Introduction to Criminal Justice
  • SOCI 1000U Introductory Sociology
  • SSCI 1910U Writing for the Social Sciences

Two of:

  • COMM 1100U Introduction to Communication 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.

As a student in our program, you will have the opportunity to engage in independent and collaborative research with professors. You will not only be consumers of knowledge, but also leaders and producers of criminology by participating in the knowledge-creation process. That is what makes us a unique place to study criminology.

As a graduate from our program, you will be on the right track to pursue a career in criminology, justice, social service, policy, or prepare for graduate school.

Contact your Advising team:

Academic Advising 
Faculty of Social Science and Humanities
Charles Hall
61 Charles Street, Third floor, Rooms 330 A and B
905.721.8668, ext. 3838
sshadvising@ontariotechu.ca

Drop-in hours:

Visit the Academic Advising page on the FSSH website for additional information.

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. Each year prior to course registration, the order and timing of course offerings will be released by the faculty and communicated to students.

For more information, please visit the Criminology and Justice page on the Academic Calendar. 

Criminology and Justice - Advanced Entry (Comprehensive)

The Criminology and Justice Advanced Entry program provides college graduates with the opportunity to apply their Police Foundations, Correctional Worker/Community and Justice Services, Child and Youth Worker, Law and Security Administration diploma, or Youth Corrections and Intervention graduate certificate toward a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Criminology and Justice.

Students enrolled in the Criminology and Justice Advanced Entry program will enter directly into the third year of the Criminology and Justice degree program at our university and will follow a modified program map that will allow students to complete the program in two years of full-time study.

For more information, please visit Criminology and Justice - Advanced Entry (Comprehensive). 

Criminology and Justice - GAS Transfer

Students may apply for admission into the second year of the Criminology and Justice program upon successful completion of a General Arts and Sciences Certificate – Liberal Arts Transfer option (GASC). 

For more information, please visit Criminology and Justice - GAS Transfer. 

A specialization is a focused area of study attached to a specific major, and in addition to course requirements for the major.

Criminology and Justice offers two specializations. 

Criminal Justice

In the Criminal Justice specialization, you will explore the foundations of historical and contemporary patterns of social control, and then turn to more focused consideration of the three main institutions of formal control: police, courts and corrections.

Courses include:

  • Criminal Law
  • Emerging Patterns of Policing
  • Prosecution and Sentencing
  • Social Control
  • The Prison Experience

For more information, see Criminology and Justice major with Criminal Justice specialization in the Academic Calendar.

Youth, Crime and Justice

In the Youth, Crime and Justice specialization, you will look at youthful offending and victimization, as well as systems of youth justice in Canada and elsewhere. Particular emphasis is given to contemporary issues in youth justice and the effectiveness of the justice system in dealing with young people who come into conflict with the law.

Courses include:

  • Children’s Rights
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Youth, Crime and Violence
  • Youth Cultures
  • Youth Justice Policy

For more information, see Criminology and Justice major with Youth, Crime and Justice specialization in the Academic Calendar.

Students registered in a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) program within the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities are permitted to pursue any combination of two majors within the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities concurrently as a double major. Double major program maps have been approved by the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities and are available through the Academic Advising Office. Students undertaking a double major within the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities will, in most cases, be required to complete more than 120 credit hours. Students wishing to declare a double major must consult with the Academic Advising office.

A minor in Criminology and Justice is available to all students where possible within their existing major. Students must confirm their eligibility for this minor with their home faculty, and must be aware of all necessary course prerequisites. 

For more information, please visit Criminology and Justice Minor on the Academic Calendar. 

The Honours Thesis is an independent research project on a subject of your own choosing. This program is a great opportunity to develop critical thinking skills and prepare yourself for graduate school! 

You will be able to develop your ability to:

  • Conceive of a thoughtful topic
  • Conduct independent research
  • Pay careful attention to detail in organizing and communicating your research findings. 

To learn more about the Honours Thesis, please contact the Academic Advising office. 

"I really enjoyed researching a subject area that I had a personal interest in and had an emotional connection to. I was also enabled to connect with expert professors on a more personal level and learn more about their research and expertise."

-Ashton Fernandes, Criminology and Justice student

The FSSH Experiential Learning office serves students from all BA programs, arranging placements and internships for students in a wide variety of workplace environments. The office has an established network of contacts for catering to students enrolled in the Criminology and Justice program. For more information, please visit the Experiential Learning Office page. 

Previous Practicum placements have included:

For more information, please visit the Practicum page. 

Graduates will be skilled in taking leadership roles and more collaborative approaches within their own fields and within the related infrastructures of society.

You will be well prepared to pursue a variety of career opportunities including:

  • addictions/rehabilitation counsellor
  • animal welfare investigator
  • boarder services/coast guard/postal investigations worker
  • child/youth worker
  • corporate security
  • court clerk
  • government sector worker
  • human rights advocate/community activist
  • not-for-profit worker/councillor
  • police officer
  • policy analyst
  • probation/parole officer
  • program evaluator
  • public/outreach fields
  • researcher/research assistant
  • social services worker
  • various positions with criminal justice agencies
  • and more

Please contact our Careers Office to discover the many ways you can use this degree.

This program is also an excellent foundation for many Graduate and Post-Graduate degrees including:

  • Criminal justice
  • Criminology
  • Law
  • Social ecology
  • Social work
  • Sociology
  • Victimology