Criminology

Criminology focuses on causes of criminal behaviour, labeling of behaviours as criminal, changing definitions of deviance, crime, and 'normality", the ways we count and measure crime, and social responses to it, including the operation of the institutions that make up the criminal justice system.

In 2024, University Magazine ranked the Criminology program at the University of Alberta as the second best in Canada.

The Bachelor of Arts Criminology program is well suited for students interested in a career in any aspect of the criminal justice system including law, policing, corrections, community, and related areas. The program offers students a specialized degree in criminology along with a well-rounded liberal arts education that includes Sociology as the subject of concentration, complemented by a set of interdisciplinary courses in Anthropology, Business, Economics, Educational Psychology, History, Human Ecology, Native Studies, Political Science, Philosophy, and Psychology.

In the BA Criminology program there are two streams: Course Based and Field Placement. Once admitted into the program, you may choose to stay in the Course Based Stream or apply to the competitive Field Placement Stream. If you are interested in the Field Placement Stream, there would be a department application process once you are in the Criminology program. NOTE: You must first apply to the Criminology program. Once accepted, you would then apply to the competitive Field Placement Stream.