- Child abuse investigators
- Drug and alcohol counselors
- Federal agents
- Juvenile counselors
- Intelligence analysts
- Law enforcement at the local, state, and federal levels
- Private and public interest lawyers
- Private investigator
- Probation officers
Criminology, Law, and Society
- Bachelor of Arts
- Minor
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In This Section
The criminology, law, and society program at Saint Vincent College is much more than a traditional criminal justice major. Our curriculum is challenging and broad-based, giving students a solid foundation in the theoretical core of criminology, a thorough understanding of the legal system that enacts criminal laws and processes cases through the investigative, prosecution, and corrections phases, and a broad, societal context for the criminal system that only a rigorous liberal arts regimen can supply.
The CLS program provides various minors that enhance the criminology, law, and society major, giving students additional expertise in specific areas of forensic studies. These include:
- Forensic minor in natural sciences
- Forensic minor in financial investigation
- Forensic minor in computer security
Criminology, law, and society is a great major for students interested in pre-law because it provides a deep understanding of the criminal justice system, legal principles, and societal impacts of crime, which are essential foundations for a legal career. For more information, please visit our pre-law page.
Undergraduate Programs
Program Highlights
Real-World Experience
Our students secure internships with the public defender's office, district attorney's office, local police departments and more. They also gain research opportunities with professors who are actively conducting and publishing research.
National Recognition
Our criminology master's program is ranked 2nd in Pennsylvania and 15th nationally by College Raptor. SVC students who have graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminology, Law, and Society who wish to pursue a master’s degree in criminology will have already earned 6 advanced placement credits toward their degree and will be on track to finish the master’s program in 1 year.
Support for Military Students
Saint Vincent College supports students in our criminology program who choose to serve our country in the military through ROTC scholarships, the Post-9/11 GI Bill®, and Yellow Ribbon benefits.
Marketable Minors
The criminology major pairs well with minors in biology, cybersecurity, or psychology. Our unique minors in forensics in natural science, financial investigation, and computer science are designed to teach the language needed to work with a team of experts who integrate this discipline with criminal law.
Careers After Saint Vincent
Alumni will go into successful careers as:
Our students have secured jobs and internships at a variety of companies in their field and enrolled in prestigious graduate schools.
- Adelphoi Village
- All branches of the US Military
- Capitol police
- Drug Enforcement Administration
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Federal prison system
- Pennsylvania State Police
- Pittsburgh Police Department
- Police departments in Virginia, Ohio, Florida and more
- Private law firms
- United States Secret Service
Student Success Stories
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Abby Rowe, C'22
“My original plan was to enter the FBI, but I have pursued a career in child abuse investigation, and since entering the field, I have found so much fulfillment in being able to cultivate relationships with children who are going through extremely difficult situations. Saint Vincent assisted me in finding my calling and provided me the opportunity to do meaningful work that I never originally envisioned myself doing.” -
Morgan Grahn, C'18, G'19
“I have two key moments that stand out in solidifying my choice to be a criminology major: my first class, Introduction to Criminology and my participation as an independent researcher for Dr. Kocian’s addiction and research study. Participating in independent research gave me the opportunity to discover my passion for the field of research criminology and provided me reassurance that this is what I was meant to do.” -
Morgan Murphy, C'18
“I was honored to work with Dr. Kocian on an opioid study where we interviewed addicts and recovering addicts about what creates addiction and how we can better help them and educate people in the community. I would definitely recommend coming to Saint Vincent College. It has a great program in criminology. You get that one-on-one experience with your professors where you get to know them and they get to know you.”
Curriculum Requirements
The criminology, law, and society major is part of the Alex G. McKenna School of Business, Economics, and Government and is supported by our core curriculum, where students delve into diverse academic subjects at both foundational and advanced levels to explore how different disciplines connect, fostering deeper self-understanding and proficiency in their chosen field of study. Student who wish to pursue a law degree are encouraged to learn more about the pre-law program.
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Required Courses
Required Courses: Bachelor of Arts Degree (51 credits)
- CLS 101 Introduction to Criminology
- CLS 160 Research Writing and Advocacy This is a required course for all freshman students and must be completed by the end of their sophomore year.
- CLS 215 Juvenile Justice
- CLS 227 Criminal Law and Process
- CLS 230 Constitutional Criminal Procedure
- CLS 245 Corrections, Probation, and Parole
- CLS 315 Criminological Statistics PY 203 or BA 350 may be substituted but majors are strongly encouraged to take Criminological Statistics.
- CLS 356 Quantitative Research Methods
- CLS 504 Ethical Decisions and Dilemmas in Criminal Justice
- CLS 510 Criminological Theories
- CLS 590 Capstone Project
- PS 100 Introduction to American Government
Elective Courses: Plus 5 of the following: (15 Credits)
- CLS 155 American Judicial System
- CLS 205 Criminal Trial Evidence
- CLS 250 The Police: A History
- CLS 266 The Death Penalty
- CLS 269 Agency Management
- CLS 270 21st-Century Issues in Criminology
- CLS 275 Patterns of Criminal Behavior
- CLS 290 Mental Illness and the Criminal Process
- CLS 305 Violence and Victimology
- CLS 316 Strategic/Tactical Leadership
- CLS 320 White Collar Crime
- CLS 325 Crime Rates in America
- CLS 340 Principles of Homeland Security
- CLS 344 Financing Criminal Organizations
- CLS 350 Criminology Independent Study
- CLS 360 Prediction and Prevention of Criminal Conduct
- CLS 361 Urban Street Gang Prosecution
- CLS 367 Gender and Crime
- CLS 375 International Criminal Law
- CLS 376 Federal Criminal Law
- CLS 377 Addiction and Crime
- CLS 380 Criminology of Firearms
- CLS 385 Organized Crime in America
- CLS 399 Criminal Analytics
- CLS 420 Criminology of Hate
- CLS 425 Survey of Cybercrime
- CLS 440 Constitutional Litigation & Analysis
- CLS 550 Internship
- PS 341 Global Terrorism
- SO 200 Race and Ethnicity
- SO 204 Deviance
- SO 235 Inequality and Social Problems
Minor Requirements (18 Credits)
Required Courses (12 Credits)
- CLS 101 Introduction to Criminology
- CLS 215 Juvenile Justice
- CLS 227 Criminal Law and Process
- CLS 504 Ethical Decisions and Dilemmas in Criminal Justice
Plus 1 of the following courses: (3 Credits)
- CLS 275 Patterns of Criminal Behavior
- CLS 360 Prediction and Prevention of Criminal Conduct
Plus 1 of the following electives: (3 credits)
- CLS 230 Constitutional Criminal Procedure
- Any 300 or 400 level CLS course
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Key Courses
Constitutional Criminal Procedure: This course examines the limitations on gathering and presenting evidence in criminal cases based on the 4th, 5th, and 6th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. It explores the origins and evolution of the exclusionary rule and the specific grounds for evidence exclusion under these constitutional principles.
Ethical Decisions and Dilemmas in Criminal Justice: This course explores the key ethical dilemmas faced by criminal justice professionals. Students learn about the philosophical principles of ethical decision-making and examine practical approaches to ethical issues across all three branches of the criminal justice system: police, courts, and corrections.
Criminological Theories: This course examines crimes, criminals, the causes of criminal behavior, and victimization. Students explore classical, psychological, sociological, economic, biological, and political theories of crime and their impact on the criminal justice system.
Capstone Course: This course serves as the final requirement for justice studies students, integrating knowledge from various subjects, including criminal law, theories of crime, juvenile delinquency, law enforcement, corrections, ethics, forensic science, and research methods.