What Will I Study?
Carleton University offers an undergraduate degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice designed to provide you with a comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach to the study of crime and criminal justice. You will acquire an in-depth understanding of competing understandings of crime, of theories developed to explain variations in crime, criminality and criminalization, of the ways in which criminal law is governed, and of the many limits of criminal justice.
Our program combines legal, psychological and sociological perspectives to provide the insights needed to master the complexity of the penal field. Carleton’s criminology and criminal justice program also offers the opportunity to acquire deeper knowledge of one of the disciplines of Sociology, Law, and Mind and Behaviour that are part of the program. This specialization will be reflected as a concentration on your degree. The insights you will gain in studying criminology and criminal justice will prepare you for a diverse range of future employment opportunities, notably in criminal justice organizations.
How Do I Qualify?
For admission, students must have the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (or equivalent) with a minimum of six 4U/M courses, including 4U English.
It is University policy to consider your best performance in any eligible course in the admissions assessment. Since the number of qualified applicants may be greater than available spaces, cut off averages may vary from year to year.
For more information regarding current admission requirements for the B.A. Honours program in Criminology and Criminal Justice, please visit Carleton University Admissions.
What will I Experience?
“The atmosphere in the Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice is friendly, welcoming and personable, while at the same time academically rigorous. The institute provides an environment that truly promotes student engagement and encourages both personal and academic growth.
The institute’s administration has provided me with exceptional guidance and advice as well as valuable knowledge. The professors in the Institute of Criminology are remarkably accessible and approachable. My field placement gave me a unique view of the professional world of the criminal justice system in Canada that has been indispensable in helping me make important decisions regarding potential career pathways. My placement also gave me the opportunity to network within the field. My very positive experience over the past four years confirms that I made the right choice by choosing the Criminology program at Carleton University.”
“Carleton University. Thank you for checking my privilege. Thank you for allowing my brain to find a home. Thank you for my amazing professors, supervisors, volunteer experiences, and internships. Thank you for an open, inclusive, and progressive institution that has always recognized its place on unceded Indigenous land.
Thank you for teaching me to not be complacent or silent, to not enable the status quo, and to always question the power structures around me. Thank you for teaching me to always question the world around me, to question my beliefs, values, and what we’ve been told as “truths”, and what we take for granted.
Thank you for teaching me to speak up. To use my voice. To make people uncomfortable. To make them think, question, and challenge their thoughts. That there is always a time and always more to learn. To use every space to learn. To not ever, ever stop questioning things.
Lastly, thank you for the most challenging, eye-opening, and thought-provoking years of my life. I have learned to become reflexive, introspective, and I will continue to take what I have learned here to help break the disconnect of what we actually see play out in practice in criminal law, when I continue my legal studies with me this year in London. Watch out world, I’m coming for you.”
How Much Will it Cost?
Tuition Fee Tables and a Tuition Fee Estimator can be found at http://carleton.ca/studentaccounts/.
What can I Do in the Future?
Employment possibilities in criminal justice are found traditionally in law enforcement, probation, parole and correctional services and in the penal voluntary sector (community support services). Opportunities also exist in research, policy analysis and law reform within the government sector. Where can a degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice take you? There are many Career Paths to explore.
Our top graduates are well qualified to go on to additional study at the graduate level in areas of criminology, legal studies, sociology and social work. Graduates also pursue specialized professional studies in fields such as law and social work.