Key takeaways
- Particular personality traits, qualities, and pre-existing skills are signs that you should study criminology.
- These signs include a knack for collaboration and teamwork, problem-solving, good communication, a protective nature, and being empathic.
- Collaboration: If you enjoy collaborating with diverse groups of people, criminology may be a good fit as it involves working with professionals from various backgrounds.
- Excellent Communication Skills: Effective communication is crucial in criminology careers, from interviewing suspects to advocating for victims’ rights.
- Protective Nature: A sense of protectiveness and dedication to justice is valuable in criminology, whether supporting victims or advocating for systemic changes.
- Empathetic: In criminology, especially if you have a career in criminology in victimology, you will work with victims. You need to empathize and understand a crime instance to its core without any biases.
- The best universities for criminology studies include the University of Maryland, Keiser University, Arizona State University, and Florida State University
Thinking about our choice of majors for an undergraduate degree in humanities? There are many reasons why you may be inclined towards the decision to study criminology. It is one of the top disciplines and subjects that passionate people often choose.
Lucky for you, you already have your options narrowed down to great subjects like criminology which also have good job outlooks and career prospects.
Whichever field one may choose to pursue, there are always important reasons behind the choice. When it comes to criminology, these reasons may be more about your personality traits aligning with the criminology degree requirements.
This blog will help you decide aptly so that you can select a suitable career for yourself. If being a criminologist doesn’t sound like something you would enjoy, you may explore other career paths and undergraduate degrees in sociology, or bachelor’s in human resources.
What are the signs that tell you should study criminology?
Assess and evaluate whether you have the following traits and skills. Understanding what you are good at will steer you in the right direction, and you will be able to make better judgments.
You love working in teams
Criminology jobs will require you to collaborate with many types of people from different professions and backgrounds. However, collaboration doesn’t come easy to everybody.
Some people are good at managing and organizing tasks individually. Yet, some people love working in teams and actually thrive there. So, keeping in mind the requirements of a criminology career, being a team player is a clear sign that you are fit for a criminology degree.
Moreover, managing and understanding other people’s stances or positions in a project is also a demanding task.
So, how to tell if you work well in teams? Firstly, assess and evaluate your extracurriculars during high school. If you were actively playing in sports teams, or participating in team debates and other team-based activities, then maybe teamwork is your forte. Your social life and activities also reflect your capability to be working on a team.
Your communication is excellent
Keep in mind that there will be skills and competencies that you will achieve after you have earned your criminology degree from a reputable college. However, having a keen interest or a skill before starting the degree can help you identify the right fit.
One of the many such pre-existing skills that you can leverage for a degree in criminology is communication skills. If you can be a good and effective communicator, you can and should definitely explore the idea of pursuing an undergraduate degree in criminology.
So, how is being a good communicator a sign that you should choose a criminology major?
Criminology career opportunities range from roles as police officers to social workers and case workers. Hence, talking to people for information or collaboration purposes is a day-to-day requirement.
You must be able to talk to different types of people. Interviews, for example, are a huge part of social work or research projects. You must have solid communication skills that allow you to make the other person comfortable enough so they can share the information you need.
In addition, actively listening and engaging meaningfully is also a huge part of being a communicator. If you have these capabilities, you can have an edge in your academic and professional career as a criminologist.
You are typically protective
During your criminology career, you will find yourself working with victims, prosecutors, and many such instances. During these times, the weakest people of all will not only seek your professional support but also your dedication to getting them their rights and justice.
Thus, being protective plays a huge role here. Protectiveness is a soft skill that varies from person to person. This skill is often reflected in people’s relationships, or their opinions about critical issues, politics, society, and more.
Your protectiveness can play a significant role in advocating for justice. It can be used as a powerful tool for not giving up on draining yet critical cases. In criminology, you may advocate for systemic changes within the criminal justice system to ensure fairness, transparency, and accountability.
Most importantly, a protective mindset cultivates dedication to solving problems like crime. It is the driving force behind curating preventive measures and methods that are comprehensive and well-thought-out.
You can show empathy to others
Criminology deals with a very critical topic, and that is a crime. It frequently explores the various parties involved in a crime, such as the criminal and the victim.
Therefore, criminology students and professionals must be empathetic towards everyone involved. The empathy shall not be biased, nor should it be subject to change due to external factors.
Moreover, empathy is a soft skill and part of emotional intelligence. This is a kind of skill that you need a teacher, professor, or mentor to teach you. Your empathy will come in handy on various occasions, including research and surveys, interviews, interrogations, as well as dealing with case studies.
Empathy helps criminologists and criminal justice professionals understand the circumstances, motivations, and backgrounds of offenders. Consequently, this provides them invaluable insights into why crimes occur and how to rehabilitate offenders effectively.
Empathy allows victimology professionals to empathize with victims of crime, understanding their trauma, needs, and perspectives. As a result, they can be better at deducing victim-centered approaches to justice and support.
What are the best colleges for pursuing a degree in criminology?
When choosing a college for criminology and justice studies, consider factors such as faculty expertise, research opportunities, program coursework, internship possibilities, and the campus location.
Each of these colleges listed below has its unique strengths and weaknesses. You can also explore sociology colleges in the U.S. to find alternative study paths. There are also a great bunch of options:
- Sociology colleges in New York
- Sociology colleges in California
- Sociology colleges in Florida
- Sociology colleges in Arizona
- Sociology colleges in Maryland
Without further ado, let’s delve into the details of the best colleges for criminology studies:
University of Maryland
First of all, the University of Maryland is one of the most popular colleges in Maryland for human resources undergraduate degrees, as well as sociology, and criminology too. The college is located in College Park, MD, and was founded in 1856.
Secondly, UMD has a high graduation rate of 74%, making it a top and secure choice for most people. However, the college does have a below 50% acceptance rate, which can make it slightly tricky to get admissions.
Furthermore, the most notable aspect of UMD is its college life. While you study criminology here, you will also be able to enjoy a diverse student body, 100+ sports teams, and multiple housing options.
Keiser University
Founded in 1977, Keiser University is a private college in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. It boasts a high acceptance rate of 97%, with an average GPA requirement of 3.0. Hence, it is easier to find an admission here.
Moreover, the college is one of the highly ranked colleges that ensure social mobility, according to U.S. News. This means that future prospects and criminology career opportunities after graduating from Keiser will be great.
Its criminology and criminal justice studies follow a comprehensive plan that covers important topics like scientific forensics, U.S. laws, and juvenile corrections. You can opt for BS or BA in criminal justice, with a variety of concentration areas.
Arizona State University
The School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Arizona State University is a popular college known for its criminology programs. The college is mostly known for its high-achieving faculty members that ensure nothing but excellence for the students.
Additionally, it also has a research-driven approach to criminology studies. As a result, students get to enjoy a range of opportunities that involve hands-on research experience. More importantly, you can opt for a BS in Criminology, and continue your higher studies in a master’s or a PhD. as well.
According to the U.S. News, the criminology college at ASU is one of the highest-ranked nationwide. The college has an acceptance rate of 90%, with a flexibility of offering the program online as well.
Explore criminology degrees online
Popular undergraduate programs like HR are available online. You will also find sociology degrees online. Similarly, criminology undergraduate programs are also offered online, to offer flexibility and convenience to all types of students.
With an online program, students can ensure that they learn at their own pace. As a result, they get to leverage recorded lectures that can be completed as per the students’ schedules. More importantly, online programs tend to be cheaper, since they cut down the cost of commuting or on-campus living.
Additionally, a criminology degree online will allow you to get a better grasp of digitized tools that are now also being used in professional spaces. As a result, you will not have to go through a learning curve at work.
Luckily, there are many colleges that offer online criminology programs. Interestingly, some colleges also offer online and on-campus flexibility, which is also referred to as “hybrid”. You can choose the one that suits your needs.
Here is a list of colleges offering criminology degrees online:
Maryville University
Maryville University offers an accredited bachelor’s program in criminology, which is delivered 100% online through virtual classes.
Purdue Global
Purdue Global offers a BS in criminal justice online, with a variety of options as concentration areas. These include law enforcement, homeland security, paralegal, and juvenile justice.
Arizona State University Online
Arizona State University or ASU Online offers a BS in criminology and criminal justice 100% online. You can also look into master’s programs to continue after graduation.
University of Wyoming
At The University of Wyoming, you can select whether you wish to study criminology online or on campus. The choice is yours, but the program quality, accreditations, and worth stay the same.
Have you made up your mind? Start studying criminology now!
In summary, selecting to study criminology can be a rewarding decision, especially if you possess certain personality traits and skills. Having the aforementioned skills is a sign that you are cut out for a degree in criminology, whether you earn the degree on campus or online.
Skills like teamwork, empathy, strong communication, and a protective nature are very important in thoroughly grasping the core concepts of criminology. It is definitely a sensitive subject and a very keen eye to delta is required.
When considering where to pursue your criminology degree, the options are endless. However, we have narrowed down some excellent colleges offering a chance to study criminology. These include the University of Maryland, Keiser University, and Arizona State University.
Certainly, these colleges stand out for their robust programs, faculty expertise, and campus environments conducive to learning and growth in the field.
Additionally, if you are drawn to the possibility of getting the degree online and leveraging greater benefits, you are in luck. Colleges like the University of Wyoming, or ASU Online, and Purdue Global Campus offer prestigious programs in criminology and criminal justice.
Ultimately, whether you’re drawn to understanding criminal behavior, advocating for justice, or shaping policies that impact society, studying criminology equips you with the knowledge and skills to make a meaningful difference.