Sociology
Our program sets you up for a wide range of careers by tackling the biggest social issues of our time. With its broad focus, sociology connects to everything from research and theory to law and social change.
Overview
Your potential, unlocked. Dive into the causes, consequences, and responses to criminal behavior through courses in criminology, law, policing, and sociology. At UHart, learning goes beyond the classroom—you’ll gain hands-on experience through internships, faculty-led research, and practical courses like Policing, Statistical Analysis, and Drugs and Society.
Take your learning further with real-world opportunities at a local police department, the Connecticut Judicial Branch, or the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. Here, you build the skills and experience you need for a meaningful career in criminal justice.
Take your learning further with real-world opportunities at a local police department, the Connecticut Judicial Branch, or the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. Here, you build the skills and experience you need for a meaningful career in criminal justice.
Define Your Direction
You can complete an internship with a local police department, the Connecticut Judicial Branch, or the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection.
Careers include:
Police officer or investigator at state and local law enforcement agencies
Investigators or adjusters at insurance companies
Positions with federal agencies, such as the Department of State, Secret Service, and FBI
Alexia Desir '21 is an investigator for the Child Support Enforcement Team of Rockland County, New York's Social Services. Read more about Alexia.
You can apply for internships with the Connecticut General Assembly, Office of the Public Defender, or within the Connecticut Judicial Branch as you prepare for a career as a:
Probation officer, family services, and other divisions of the Connecticut Judicial BranchAnalyst in various organizations (non-profits, government, lobbying firms
Courtney Hyman ’20 attended Western New England Law School and now serves as a staff attorney with Community Legal Aid’s Family Law Unit in Northampton, Massachusetts. Read more about Courtney.
Intern with the University’s Center for Social Research, or with organizations such Compass Youth Collaborative or Survivors of Homicide.You can launch your career at social service agencies, with focuses on re-entry, substance use treatment and recovery, advocacy, and others.
Kaylah Miller '19 works for the State of Connecticut Judicial Branch in the New Britain Superior Court as a family services court intake assistant. Read more about Kaylah.
Degree Requirements
You must complete 38 credits, with six required courses that total 20 credits.
20 Course Credits
You take six required courses, plus a senior capstone, which is an interdisciplinary seminar that focuses on major issues of current interest in criminal justice. Courses include:- Introduction to Criminal Justice
- Criminology
- Crime, Law, and the Administration of Justice
- Methods of Statistical Analysis
- Social Research
18 Course Credits
You select six additional courses. Subjects include:- Drugs and Society
- Policing
- Juvenile Delinquency
- Law and Forensic Evidence
- Deviance
- Race, Ethnicity, and Crime
For more information, and to see a complete list of electives, visit the Course Catalog.
19 Course Credits
You can pair your major with minor in criminal justice to expand your career options in social work, victim advocacy, or in preparation for graduate programs focused on public administration, social sciences or legal studies.
You complete the following courses, plus an internship or one of the electives listed above.
- Introduction to Criminal Justice
- Methods of Social Research
- Deviance
- Criminology
- Crime, Law, and Administration of Justice
For more information, and to see a complete list of minor requirements, visit the Course Catalog.
Students earning a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice will:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the interrelated structures and functions of the major components of the criminal justice system – police, courts, and corrections.
- Identify and apply criminological theory to explain causes of crime, patterns of behavior, and trends.
- Demonstrate understanding of the various methodological approaches commonly used to study criminal justice issues.
- Assess the quality and significance of existing criminological scholarship.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the diverse nature of society and how it relates to criminal justice.
- Communicate effectively in professional settings while gaining real-world experience in the field.
You, Career Ready
Mark Zocco
Criminal Justice, '23
Criminal justice major and sociology minor Mark Zocco ’23 is working in the Hartford Superior Court’s family clerk’s office after completing an internship with the Connecticut Judicial Branch Experiential Learning Program (JBEL).
Mark says nearly every UHart criminal justice course he took focused on aspects of the criminal justice system. He says courses such as Introduction to Criminal Justice, Criminology, and Law and the Justice System are examples of those that helped him better apply the information he learned in class to the real-life scenarios he experienced and observed during his internship. He says the professionalism and intimate knowledge of the U.S. Criminal Justice System that he learned in the classroom contributed to his success in the internship and his job. Read more.
Each and every one of my criminal justice professors taught professionalism early on as a way to help prepare us for future jobs.
Royston Lester '26, Criminal JusticeI want to pursue a career as a criminal defense lawyer, so it made sense to study criminal justice before law school. Criminal justice is a very fun and thought-provoking major. It invites you into the minds of criminals and courts to decipher not only why people commit crime, but also how they do it.
Meet Your Faculty
Kevin Beck
Associate Professor; A&S Honors Coordinator
Sociology and Criminal Justice
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Philip Levchak
Department Chair, Sociology and Criminal Justice; Associate Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice
Sociology and Criminal Justice
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Kelly McGeever
Associate Dean of Student Academic Services; Exploratory Pathways Coordinator; Associate Professor
Dean's Office for A & S
Sociology and Criminal Justice
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Sociology and Criminal Justice
Wesley Younts
Director of the Center for Social Research; Associate Professor
Sociology and Criminal Justice
Center for Social Research
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Center for Social Research
Cindy A. Oppenheimer
Office Coordinator
Sociology and Criminal Justice
Politics, Economics, and International Studies
History and Philosophy
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Politics, Economics, and International Studies
History and Philosophy
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