Criminology & Law Online

The online Criminology and Law Bachelor completion program is offered by the Department of Sociology and Criminology & Law. This program is designed for students who have completed their Associate of Arts degree and would like to earn a Bachelor's degree in Criminology & Law. If you meet this criteria but are unable to attend a traditional on campus program because of family, location or work commitmments, this program is for you. Further your education and enhance your career by earning a Bachelor's degree online from the University of Florida.

About 

The Criminology & Law major is intended to introduce students to the study of criminal behavior, criminal justice systems, and law from a multidisciplinary, liberal-arts perspective. All of your coursework for the degree will be done online.

Our instructors pride themselves on the quality of their teaching. You can examine a list of all our courses to see the diverse range of offerings. Through independent studies, honors theses, and internships, you will have the opportunity to go beyond the classroom to explore a wide range of possibilities in criminology, criminal justice, and law and society.

The Department of Criminology and Law has developed a strong collaborative relationship with the Loss Prevention Foundation (LPF) a not-for-profit organization founded in 2006, by industry leading professionals to serve the loss prevention and asset protection industry. The mission of the foundation is to advance the loss prevention profession by providing relevant, convenient and challenging educational resources, as well as the dissemination of academic research related to loss prevention.  

The department also participates in the LPF Academic and Retail Partnership program.  The goal of the program is to connect students enrolled in degree programs related to criminology and related professions with retailers aligned with the LPF.  The LPF has a strategic goal of promoting greater access for working professionals seeking to complete their bachelor degrees and the foundation has agreed to assist the department in marketing and promotion of the proposed degree completion program.

Courses 

CCJ 3024 Advanced Principles of Criminal Justice

Credits: 3

Advanced overview of criminal law, criminal procedure and criminological theory and the criminal justice system. Special emphasis is placed on the components of the criminal justice system: the police, the prosecutorial and defense functions, the judiciary and the field of corrections. This course is required of all majors and it is a co- or pre-requisite for many other courses in the program. (S)

CCJ 3662 Crime, Gender and Race

Credits: 3; Prereq: 3LS/4LS major

The objective of this course is to examine the relationships between gender, race, age and social class and crime. Attention is given to theoretical explanations, empirical research, and patterns in criminal behavior and the criminal justice system.

CCJ 3701 Research Methods in Criminology

Credits: 4; Prereq: CCJ 3024, 3LS/4LS, major

Advanced research design and data analysis. Study of experimental and non-experimental research designs, probability and nonprobability sampling techniques, construction of scales and indexes and methods of bivariate and multivariate data analysis. Prior completion of an introductory course in statistics is required. (S)

CCJ 4466 Victimology

Credits: 3

Multidisciplinary study of crime victims examining legal and philosophical issues regarding victimization, social science research into victimization, theories of victimization and role of victims in criminal justice and legal system. (S)

CCJ 4604 Criminological Theory

Credits: 3; Prereq: CCJ 3024, 3LS/4LS

Advanced study and critical appraisal of various theories of crime causation, including an examination of biological, psychological, economic and sociological perspectives on the etiology of crime. (S)

CCJ 4644 White-Collar Crime

Credits: 3; Prereq: CCJ 3024, 3LS/4LS, major

An examination of individual criminality in the course of one's occupation and the crimes of organizations and corporations. Course will study the societal reaction to these "upper class" illegalities. (S) GR-E†

CCJ 4905 Individual Work

Credits: 1 to 3; Prereq: CCJ 3024, 3LS/4LS major and consent of instructor

Qualified students and the instructor will develop a course of study or investigation designed to extend available course work. A formal written report is required. May be repeated, but no more than 3 hours of credit earned in CCJ 4905 may be applied to either major area requirements or minimum degree requirements established by the university.

CCJ 4934 Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice

Credits: 3; Prereq: CCJ 3024

May be repeated with change in topic up to a maximum of 12 credits; 3LS/4LS, major. A changing-topic seminar which will examine a variety of current issues, techniques and problems in criminal justice.

CCJ 4940 Practicum/Internship

Credits: 1 to 3; Prereq: CCJ 3024 3LS/4LS major and consent of instructor

Supervised experience in a criminal justice agency. May be repeated, but no more than 3 hours of credit earned in CCJ 4940 may be applied to either major area requirements or minimum degree requirements established by the university.

CJC 4010 Introduction to Corrections

Credits: 3; Coreq: CCJ 3024, 3LS/4LS, major

An introduction to the field of penology and corrections. Consideration is given to conflicting philosophies of punishment, criminological theory as it applies to the field of corrections, the selectivity of the process through which offenders move prior to their involvement in correctional programs, alternative correctional placements and empirical assessments of the short- and long-term consequences of involvement in correctional programs. (S)

CJE 3114 Introduction to Law Enforcement

Credits: 3; Coreq: CCJ 3024; 3LS/4LS, major

The role of the police in the criminal justice system of a democratic society. The organization of police work, discretion and police role in a socio-legal context.

CJE 4144 Private Security and Control

Credits: 3; Prereq: 3LS, 4LS major

To understand the role of private security in the prevention of crime and deviance against the assets of formal organizations and their employees, such as business corporations, retail stores, and educational institutions.

CJJ 4010 Juvenile Justice

Credits: 3; Prereq: 2LS/3LS, major

An examination of the development, change and operation of the American juvenile justice system. Special emphasis is placed on the nature of juvenile law and our methods of dealing with youthful offenders. (S)

CJL 2000 Law and the Legal Process

Credits: 3

This survey course promotes an understanding of law as it relates to an individual's everyday encounters with the legal system. Actual legal cases may be studied to analyze how disputes are resolved by application of legal principles to factual situations, whether justice was served by the decision, and potential implications of the decision on future cases. (S)

CJL 3038 Law and Society

Credits: 3

This course introduces students to the scholarly study of law from a multidisciplinary, liberal arts perspective. Students will have an opportunity to become familiar with legal ideas, legal institutions, and the legal process, with particular emphasis on the study of criminal behavior and the criminal justice process in American society.

CJL 4037 Psychology and Law

Credits: 3; Prereq: CCJ 3024 3LS/4LS major

Application of behavioral science research and practice to the legal system. Psychologists and the legal system; lawyers: socialization, training, and ethics; legality, morality and justice; forensic assessment; the insanity defense; competence in the legal system; eyewitness identification; jury selection, theories or crime; punishment and sentencing

CJL 4050 Juvenile Law

Credits: 3; Prereq: CCJ 3024, 3LS/4LS, major

An examination of the juvenile justice system including delinquency, dependency and laws that have special application for juveniles. Special emphasis is given to the operation of the Florida juvenile code and the relationship between children and society.

CJL 4110 Criminal Law

Credits: 3;,3LS/4LS, major

A study of substantive criminal law. Consideration is given to its historical development, the tension between social and legal definitions of crime, the basic dimensions of criminality, the specific elements of major crimes and the nature of criminal sanctions. (S)

CJL 4410 Criminal Procedure

Credits: 3; Prereq: CCJ 3024, 3LS/4LS, major

Study of constitutional rights of the accused in criminal proceedings. The course focuses on analysis of case materials involving the law of arrest, search and seizure, the use of confessions, fair trial, and the prohibition of cruel and unusual punishments.

CJL 4565 Law and Social Policy

Credits: 3; Prereq: CCJ 3024, 3LS/4LS, major

An examination of the philosophical, legal and scientific modes of inquiry that are central to the study of law. Attention is given to fitting the appropriate method of inquiry to the social policy question presented so that law and its effectiveness can be evaluated. Prior completion of CCJ 3701 is recommended but not required. (S) GR-E†

Faculty

 The faculty for this program are:

• Akers, R.L.
• Gibson, C.
• Hasel, L.
• Hollinger, R.C.
• Lane, J.S.
• Lanza-Kaduce, L.
• Levett, L.M
• Adler, J.S.
• Borg, M.
• Spillane, J.S.
• Frazier, C.E.
• Magnarella, P.
• Shenkman, F.

Tuition

 The cost of tuition for this program is $170.54 per credit hour.

Note: This program is not eligible for use with the employee tuition waiver programs.

Apply

The program is designed as the junior and senior coursework for a four-year B.A. degree. Incoming students with an Associate's degree are eligible to apply (college-level foreign language credits are recommended but not required). Depending on the particular Associate's degree, some students may have to complete additional general education prerequisites and college distribution requirements (like proficiency in a foreign language over and above the high school foreign language you must have to be admitted to the University of Florida).

If you have an Associate in Arts degree from a Florida community college (or its equivalent) plus the necessary high school foreign language, you may apply as a transfer student. An AA degree from another state must be evaluated by admissions staff for completion of general education and foreign language requirements.