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Department of Sociology & Crime, Law and Justice
211 Oswald Tower
The Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA 16802

Phone: 814-865-2527
Fax: 814-863-7216

College of the Liberal Arts

Sociology B.S. with Law, Crime and Society Certificate

A minimum of 123 credits is required for graduation.  All major requirements must be completed with a grade of C or better.
The Sociology Department offers a concentration in Law, Crime, and Society within the sociology major.  This sequence of courses is designed for students who wish to pursue careers in the criminal justice system or who plan to attend law school or graduate school.  In addition to completing coursework in law and the criminal justice system, students receive training in sociological research methods—skills that give students a competitive advantage on the job market or when applying to graduate programs.  Also, through studying a variety of social processes and institutions (such as inequality, race and ethnicity, family, gender, religion, and urbanism), students gain a strong background for understanding current issues in law and criminal justice. Students interested in completing the concentration and obtaining the certificate should enroll with the undergraduate advisers.
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR: 61-63 credits
 


Course

Title

Credits

SOC 001

Introduction to Sociology

3

SOC 207

Research Methods in Sociology

3

MATH 110 or MATH 140

Techniques of Calculus I OR Calculus with Analytic Geometry

4

MATH 111 or MATH 141

Techniques of Calculus II OR Calculus with Analytic Geometry II

2 OR 4

CAS 283

Computer Applications for the Liberal Arts

3

STAT 480

Introduction to Social Statistical Packages

1

STAT 3XX or 4XX

Advanced Level STAT

3

SOC/CLJ 012

Intro to Criminology

3

Additional Lower Level SOC

 

6

SOC/CLJ 467

Law and Society

3

SOC 4XX

Advanced Level SOC

9

SOC 400W*

Senior Research Seminar

3

Social Science Field I: CLJ, including CLJ 111, CLJ 113, and CLJ 4XX

Intro to the Criminal Justice System, Intro to Law, Advanced level CLJ

9

Social Science Field II

Social Science discipline other than SOC

9

Important Note:   We suggest that the advanced level STAT course be taken prior to SOC 400W and that SOC 400W be taken the 1st semester of your senior year.
* It is recommended that you take SOC 400W in the first semester of your senior year.
GENERAL EDUCATION: 45 credits
(4 credits are included in the REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR)

ELECTIVES: Minimum of 20

FIRST-YEAR SEMINAR:
(Included in ELECTIVES or GENERAL EDUCATION course selection)

 

WRITING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM:
(Included in REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR)

 

UNITED STATES CULTURES & INTERNATIONAL CULTURES COURSES
(Included in ELECTIVES or GENERAL EDUCATION course selection)