Criminology, Applied (Bachelor of Arts)
DOMESTIC APPLICATIONS
Fall 2025: Apply Now!
Winter 2025: Apply Now!
INTERNATIONAL APPLICATIONS
Please visit the International Application Deadline page to find out when applications may be available.
PROGRAM UPDATE
CRIM 3345 (Criminology Practicum) is offered once annually in the winter semester. Students must contact the Practicum Coordinator by August 31st to be eligible for registration.
Overview
Launch your criminal justice career with the Bachelor of Arts in Applied Criminology. Whether your goal is to prevent crime in your community, provide legal services to new immigrants or refugees, become a lawyer, or police, parole or probation officer and more, you’ll get the academic knowledge and hands-on experience to make you a top contender both in the job market and for grad school.
Get work experience – before you graduate
With the Bachelor of Arts in Applied Criminology, you’ll cultivate these applied skills and have opportunities to strengthen them through work placements with the Vancouver Police Department, private security companies and other agencies. You’ll graduate with 100 hours of work experience in the criminal justice field – giving you a leg up over the competition for jobs.
Concentrations
In the third and fourth years of the degree, you'll complete an applied specialization in one of the following areas
- Community and Institutional Practice - launch a career in probation, parole or institutional corrections
- Crime Analysis and Prevention- lay the groundwork for careers in policing, security management, community crime prevention and more.
- Legal Studies - qualify for positions with agencies overseeing government regulations or that provide legal services, advocacy, policy analysis and more.
Graduate studies
If you’re interested in furthering your education, your credential may also transfer to graduate criminology programs at other post-secondary institutions in B.C. Visit the B.C. Transfer Guide and your transfer university’s website regularly to confirm which courses transfer.
Admissions Requirements
Applicants must meet the admission requirements listed below:
- General College Admission Requirements
- Completion of 60 credits with the following:
- A two-year Liberal Arts or Science Diploma or Associate Arts (or equivalent) with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00. Douglas College's Criminology and Legal Studies diplomas meet this requirement
- Completion of the following courses (or equivalent):
- CRIM 1100 (Introduction to the Criminal Justice System)
- CRIM 1150 (Introduction to Criminology)
- CRIM 1160 (The Canadian Legal System)
- CRIM 2140 (Interviewing and Professional Skills)
- CRIM 2254 (Research Methods in Criminology)
- CRIM 2260 (Criminal Law)
- One of CRIM 1120 (Introduction to Policing) or CRIM 1170 (Introduction to Corrections)
- One of CRIM 2251 (Psychological Explanations of Criminal Behaviour) or CRIM 2252 (Sociological Explanations of Criminal Behaviour)
- One of PSYC 2300 (Data Analysis in Psychology), GEOG 2251 (Quantitative Methods in Geography) or MATH 1160 (Introduction to Statistics)
Cost
Calculate your tuition and see the approximate cost of taking your program at Douglas College with the tuition & fee estimator. See costs broken down into categories including tuition fees, textbooks, student activity fees, U-Pass and more.
For more information, refer to the tuition fee charts.
Program Requirements
Graduation Requirements:
- In addition to the 60 credits of first- and second-year coursework required for admission into the Bachelor of Arts in Applied Criminology, students must complete the required courses in the table below.
- A minimum of 45 Upper Level (3000-4000) credits required; students may have more depending on their choice in courses in their applied Criminology Concentration.
- A minimum of 40% (48 credits) of all credits must be completed at Douglas College.
- A minimum program GPA of 2.00 is required.
- Fifteen credits in one of the applied Concentrations in Criminology (or designated equivalent)
- Time limit to complete the program graduation requirements: ten (10) years. Any courses completed outside of that time limit will not be usable. Students may seek the permission of the Department/Program to complete a credential outside the approved time limits.
Course Requirements:
|
Course Number |
Course Title |
Credits |
|
Required Courses: |
||
|
Advanced Theoretical Perspectives |
3.00 |
|
|
Select one course from the following courses: |
||
|
Qualitative Research Methods |
3.00 |
|
|
Applied Intermediate Research Methods and Data Analysis |
3.00 |
|
|
Applied Data Analysis in Psychology |
3.00 |
|
|
Problem Solving and Interventions in Criminal Justice |
3.00 |
|
|
Indigenous Peoples: Crime and Justice |
3.00 |
|
|
Media, Crime, and Criminal Justice |
3.00 |
|
|
CRIM 3345 (see note 1) |
Criminology Practicum |
3.00 |
|
Upper level CRIM or LGST electives (see note 2) |
Choose any four 3000-4000 level CRIM or LGST courses |
12.00 |
|
Criminology Concentration Courses (see note 3) |
Choose one of the applied Concentrations in Criminology (see tables below) and take the five courses required in the chosen applied Concentrations in Criminology |
15.00 |
|
UT Courses (see note 2) |
Choose any five 1000-4000 level university transferable electives |
15.00 |
|
Portfolio (see note 4) |
Portfolio in Applied Criminology |
|
|
Total Credits |
||
Notes:
1. With the approval of the program coordinator, another suitable practicum or field experience course may be used in place of CRIM 3345.
- CRIM 3345 is offered once annually, and spans the Winter and Summer semesters, providing students with opportunities to gain valuable work experience in the criminal justice field. Students interested in completing CRIM 3345 (Criminology Practicum) must contact the Practicum Coordinator during the Fall semester, leading up to the expected Winter registration and commencement.
- To be eligible for enrolment in CRIM 3345, students must meet the following requirements: (1) completion of CRIM 2140 (Interviewing and Professional Skills); (2) admission to the Bachelor of Arts in Applied Criminology program; and (3) approval from the Practicum Coordinator by the specified application date (usually Fall semester prior to Winter registration).
- CRIM 3345 has restricted enrolment that must be completed in person with the Practicum Coordinator.
- Only those students who meet all requirements will be eligible to enroll.
- Preference will be given to students who have successfully completed the highest percentage of courses in the Bachelor of Arts in Applied Criminology program.
2. Students must also complete any five lower or upper-level university transferable courses. These electives are meant to help students broaden their knowledge. It is suggested that students explore Political Science, Geography, History, English, Sociology, Anthropology, Philosophy, Environmental Studies, Geology, Business, Languages, Computing Science, and/or other areas of interest. Students choosing the applied Criminology Concentration in Legal Studies must complete LGST 1110, LGST 1120, LGST 2210, and LGST 2220.
3. Student must choose to complete all of the requirements of at least one Criminology Concentration.
- Students must complete a minimum of five upper-level courses in one Concentration to receive recognition upon graduation.
- Students who take multiple concentrations will need to use courses from: (a) their UT electives and/or (b) Upper Level CRIM and LGST electives. Each concentration is noted on the transcript
- Important note: you must declare your concentration/s by completing the Enrolment Services, Program Declaration form.
Students choosing the applied Criminology Concentration in Legal Studies must complete LGST 1110, LGST 1120, LGST 2210, and LGST 2220.
4. Students are also required to compile and complete a "portfolio" before graduation, to be reviewed and approved by the BA, Applied Criminology Coordinator crimcoordinator@douglascollege.ca.
- This portfolio will outline and describe four (4) professional development activities that the student has completed over the course of their degree, an academic writing sample, as well as a current and complete resume.
- Each contribution to the student’s professional development should be written up as follows for inclusion in the portfolio: (1) 1-page maximum per activity, (2) name of activity/workshop/course/lecture, (3) date (if applicable), (4) written description of the activity, and (5) written analysis of how the activity has enhanced the student’s professional development
Required Courses for a Concentration in Community and Institutional Practice:
|
Course Number |
Course Title |
Credits |
|
Required Courses: |
||
|
Select five courses from the following: |
||
|
Human Rights and Civil Liberties |
3.00 |
|
|
The Female Offender |
3.00 |
|
|
Sex Offenders and Sexual Offences |
3.00 |
|
|
Correctional Practice and Policy |
3.00 |
|
|
Restorative Justice |
3.00 |
|
|
Mental Disorder and the Law |
3.00 |
|
|
Victimization |
3.00 |
|
|
Special Topics in Community and Institutional Practice |
3.00 |
|
|
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) across the Lifespan |
3.00 |
|
|
Immigration, Diversity, and Multiculturalism in North America |
3.00 |
|
|
Ethics |
3.00 |
|
|
Cultural Competency and Counselling with Canada's Indigenous Peoples |
3.00 |
|
|
Sociopolitical and Critical Psychology |
3.00 |
|
|
Cultural Psychology |
3.00 |
|
|
Drugs and Behaviour |
3.00 |
|
|
Developmental Psychopathology |
3.00 |
|
|
Masculinities and Society |
3.00 |
|
|
Social Control and Surveillance |
3.00 |
|
|
Directed Studies in Social Sciences |
3.00 |
|
|
Program Evaluation |
3.00 |
|
Note: Students will need to take special note of required pre-requisites to ensure they are able to enroll in the desired concentration courses. This information can be found on the Douglas College Course Catalogue website.
Required Courses for a Concentration in Crime Analysis and Prevention:
|
Course Number |
Course Title |
Credits |
|
Required Courses: |
||
|
Select five courses from the following: |
||
|
Criminal Procedure and Evidence |
3.00 |
|
|
Cybercrime |
3.00 |
|
|
Organized Crime |
3.00 |
|
|
Community Crime Prevention |
3.00 |
|
|
Customs and Border Services |
3.00 |
|
|
Crime and Intelligence Analysis |
3.00 |
|
|
Terrorism |
3.00 |
|
|
Police and Community |
3.00 |
|
|
Victimization |
3.00 |
|
|
Forensic Sciences |
3.00 |
|
|
Human Death Investigations |
3.00 |
|
|
Special Topics in Crime Analysis and Prevention |
3.00 |
|
|
Digital Forensics |
3.00 |
|
|
Introduction to Urban Geography |
3.00 |
|
|
Social Control and Surveillance |
3.00 |
|
|
Directed Studies in Social Sciences |
3.00 |
|
|
Program Evaluation |
3.00 |
|
Note: Students will need to take special note of required pre-requisites to ensure they are able to enroll in the desired concentration courses. This information can be found on the Douglas College Course Catalogue website.
Required Courses for a Concentration in Legal Studies:
In addition to the required courses below, students choosing the applied Criminology Concentration in Legal Studies will also need to use four of their UT electives to take LGST 1110, LGST 1120, LGST 2210, and LGST 2220.
|
Course Number |
Course Title |
Credits |
|
Required Courses: |
||
|
Select five courses from the following: |
||
|
Environmental Criminology and Law |
3.00 |
|
|
Human Rights and Civil Liberties |
3.00 |
|
|
Criminal Procedure and Evidence |
3.00 |
|
|
Cybercrime |
3.00 |
|
|
Mental Disorder and Law |
3.00 |
|
|
Gambling in Canada |
3.00 |
|
|
Special Topics in Legal Studies |
3.00 |
|
|
Employment Law |
3.00 |
|
|
Labour Relations |
3.00 |
|
|
Reproductive Justice |
3.00 |
|
|
Love, Sex, Relationships and Law |
3.00 |
|
|
Immigration Law |
3.00 |
|
|
Indigenous Peoples and the Law |
3.00 |
|
|
International Human Rights |
3.00 |
|
|
Ethics |
3.00 |
|
|
The Politics of Utopias and Dystopias |
3.00 |
|
|
Applied Legal and Ethical Decision Making for Managers, Professionals and Executives |
3.00 |
|
|
Philosophy of Law |
3.00 |
|
|
Psychology and Law |
3.00 |
|
|
Directed Studies in Social Science |
3.00 |
|
Note: Students will need to take special note of required pre-requisites to ensure they are able to enroll in the desired concentration courses. This information can be found on the Douglas College Course Catalogue website.
Program Guidelines
Program Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this program and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the program, consider the previous version as the applicable version.
FAQs
Yes, most criminology courses are open to all Douglas College students. However, each course has specific pre-requisites and/or credit requirements that you must meet in order to enrol in the course.
While there are core Criminology courses you must take, you must also complete non-criminology electives to help broaden your knowledge. Students should take courses in a wide variety of areas such as Political Science, Geography, History, English, Sociology, Philosophy, Environmental Studies, Geology, and other non-crime related areas of interest.
Yes, it is possible if you successfully complete 10 courses a year. For example, a student might decide to complete 4 fall classes, 4 winter classes, and 2 summer classes per year. You may also need to take day or night classes or travel to both campuses depending on course offerings and the availability of seats. Please remember that fewer course options are often offered during the summer semester, and that some upper level courses are offered less frequently during the year, so plan your course schedule accordingly.
We offer multiple sections for many first and second year courses. However, for some upper level courses we may offer only one section per year. The majority of courses are offered in fall and winter, while a smaller selection of courses is offered over the summer.
Currently, most Criminology courses are offered face-to-face at both New Westminster and Coquitlam campuses. A few courses are also offered on-line.
Yes, you could start to take courses toward your concentration depending on course offerings and the availability of seats.
Yes, a number of courses will transfer as equivalent courses into the Douglas College BA in Applied Criminology. Courses that do not transfer as equivalent can often be used as general or criminology specific electives. You can check the BC Transfer Guide for transferability.
If you have an old Douglas College GPA you will continue building upon it once you return to the college. However, if you transfer here from another institution your GPA will not transfer, but your credits will.
You will have input into selecting your practicum placement, but you will also be working with the practicum coordinator. Practicum placement depends on student qualifications, experiences, and the availability of positions.
Email crimcoordinator@douglascollege.ca with any questions.
Testimonials
Career Pathways
Career opportunities include:
- Border Services Officer
- Bylaw Officer
- Correctional Officer
- Crime Analyst
- Crisis Services Coordinator
- Emergency Dispatcher / Call Taker
- Forensics Specialist
- Police Officer
- Polygraph Technician
- Probation Officer
- Special Constable
- Transit Police
- Victim Service Worker
- Youth Justice Worker