At Webster University, the criminology curriculum combines the fundamentals of criminology and criminal justice into one field of study. The courses focus on training in multiple data-analysis methods commonly used by criminologists and criminal justice professionals. Studying crime and deviance with a particular emphasis on critical-thinking skills, students learn the ways professionals explain, predict, and prevent crime and victimization.

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

  • Identify the strengths and weaknesses of major criminological theories.
  • Analyze the policy implications of criminological theories.
  • Describe the elements and development of the criminal justice system and its role in maintaining social order.
  • Evaluate how the institutions and elements of the criminal justice system vary across jurisdictions and interact with one another.
  • Apply principles of crime prevention to the policy that attempts to effectively reduce crime and victimization.
  • Compare the theoretical foundations of crime analysis and their abilities to predict and analyze patterns of crime.
  • Articulate several major types of crime, their causes, and proposed solutions to reduce them.
  • Compare the techniques, sources, and means of analysis of criminological data research methods.