Why Study Criminology? | College Majors | College Degrees | Study Hall

on march 1 1932 the 20 month old son of aviator charles lindbergh was stolen from his crib with a ransom demand left in his place tragically even though the ransom was paid the baby was found dead months later then between the summers of 1976 and 1977 six people were killed and seven more injured by a gunman who left cryptic messages behind for the police identifying himself as the son of sam and on march 8 1990 two men disguised as cops committed what many claim was the largest art heist in u.s history when they entered the

isabella stewart gardner museum in boston tied up the guards and absconded with a vermeer a rembrandt and other paintings which at the time were worth a total of 200 million dollars who were these criminals what was their motivation and what is to be done in the aftermath these are just some of the questions we might search for answers to as criminologists criminologists seek to understand criminal behavior and to find out what causes someone to commit a criminal act they examine all aspects of a crime in detail with the ultimate goal of preventing future crimes and

figuring out what makes people who commit crimes tick hi i'm naya butler craig and welcome to fast guides a study hall series presented in partnership with arizona state university and crash course in this episode we're exploring the ins and outs of majoring and criminology [Music] simply put criminology is the study of crime it draws from other fields that study human behavior like sociology psychology economics statistics and anthropology to understand criminal motivations methods characteristics effects and more the origins of the field of criminology can be traced back to criminal justice reform movements from over 200 years

ago one of the earliest works in this subject is cesare beccaria's 1764 piece on crime and punishments which called for the severity of punishments to match but not exceed the severity of crimes today's study of criminology expands on those ideas much further delving into the behavioral motivations for people who commit crimes looking at what sort of social and economic changes can prevent crime and trying to find ways to rehabilitate people who commit crime and minimize the impact of crime overall we now understand that people who commit crimes are people who may have faced economic challenges

struggled with pure influence or had a less than ideal upbringing and we try to look at punishment not as retribution but as a means to correct behavior make amends and protect others this area of study is fascinating because you gain insights into people's minds and what they're capable of from there criminologists try to figure out how these people developed and seek out ways to prevent and reduce crimes as well as minimize their impact on society overall criminology majors develop strong research skills as they explore crimes that occurred in different places and in different times throughout

history they go on to work in law enforcement or the criminal justice system becoming lawyers social justice advocates detectives and more so let's set the scene criminology is often considered a social science because of this a strong analytical foundation is important which is why coursework will include scientific technical and research training that means you'll likely study statistics and statistical analysis which will help you analyze and interpret crime statistics you should also expect to take one or more social science electives like psychology or sociology in order to gain a deeper understanding of human nature and interactions

from there your major specific coursework often begins early with courses that range across criminal justice law and science these can be courses like race ethnicity and crime or community justice to name a few many criminology majors will also do internships at some point in their studies with the department of justice local courthouses or crime labs which are a great way to gain work experience and make connections with professionals in the field before graduation ultimately studying criminology leaves you not just with skills for an awesome career but skills that apply to all aspects of adulting like

critical thinking logical reasoning communication and a better understanding of what makes people tick which is pretty cool for a lot of us solving crimes like they do on tv and in movies and comic books sounds pretty wild and exciting but often those who major in criminology choose it from a place of passion they may strongly believe in prison reform or perhaps they want to improve crime rates in their local community the cool thing about criminology is that it pulls from many different disciplines and puts all that knowledge to practical use this means it's also a

great choice for anyone who has an interest in multiple social science fields or likes to do interdisciplinary work so to do well in this field you need to be able to think both analytically and intuitively you shouldn't be put off by in-depth research and analysis and statistics but these are all skills we can learn strong empathy or the ability to get inside the criminal mind also goes a long way so if you're the type of person who doesn't like the simple answer and prefers to understand the nuance of a situation this might be the field

for you you may also want to consider other closely related degrees or areas of study like forensic psychology where we apply psychological practices and principles to the legal system or you might consider sociology or social work if you prefer to focus more on the society as a whole rather than just the criminal justice system or you'd like to work more directly with people in need these can be ways to deepen your study of criminology or find alternative majors because studying some crimes is not for the faint of heart particularly if you get into the weeds

on some of the more gruesome cases this can be the stuff of nightmares horror movies and true crime documentaries so a certain amount of mental toughness is really important and it will help if you know how to tend to your mental health it's also worth noting that some criminology majors go on to careers that require them to work on crime scenes and autopsies their work may also put them around those who've committed violent crimes but for criminologists who wish to understand and explain criminal behavior the work can be fascinating and there are still plenty of

other opportunities in criminology that are less dark that said there are many related areas of study that may feel a little more tame if you are unsure like you might be able to pivot into criminal justice if that's a separate major at your school or psychology because some of the major requirements often overlap now once you earn your bachelor's degree in criminology you reach a similar crossroads to many other majors deciding between entering the workforce or continuing your studies in a graduate program it's really up to you and your interests by earning a master's degree

in criminology you'll gain more advanced research skills which could give you the edge when it comes to leadership roles you can even earn a phd and focus your efforts on theory research and policy while working at the top of the field either at a university or at a criminal justice agency other options include earning graduate certificates or master's degrees in areas like corrections management sentencing and advocacy public administration or law enforcement administration you can also go on to study law becoming a lawyer or a paralegal there are a lot of grad school options but the

career options for criminology degree holders are also vast and they vary depending upon which if any graduate degrees or certifications you've also earned it's also hard to talk about salaries because so much can change year to year or depending on what location you're in but you might become a correctional officer overseeing people detained in correctional facilities and maintaining law and order in prisons and courtrooms correctional officers earn a median of 47 thousand dollars per year as of 2020 or if becoming a police officer is more your speed responding to emergencies patrolling arresting suspects and collecting

evidence you can expect to earn around 70 000 annually then if you like investigating and solving crimes with additional years of experience you could become a detective or criminal investigator opportunities vary and include working for the federal state or local government or in the private sector where you can investigate anything from gruesome murders to financial crimes detectives earn an average of 89 000 per year and if you have more of a science background or a hard science graduate degree you might enjoy a career in forensic science forensic scientists analyze crime scenes and process evidence using

their knowledge of chemistry and biology they work both in the field taking photos and collecting evidence and in the lab it's a very competitive field and forensic science technicians earn a median salary of just over 60 000 per year some people with criminology or criminal justice degrees leverage their understanding of human behavior to get additional training and a master's in social work and become social workers helping people navigate the challenges in their everyday lives social workers can go a long way in preventing criminal behavior by helping to meet the needs of those who are struggling

the median annual salary for social workers is about 52 000 as of 2020 or if you decide to go on to law school after earning your criminology degree you can become a lawyer in this career you use your knowledge of criminology to advise and represent clients conduct research associated with legal issues and present and analyze facts associated with legal cases while becoming a lawyer requires a lot of extra schooling the median pay is about 127 thousand dollars per year so there are a wide range of next steps out there with different requirements so it's great

that you're here and considering all your options early criminology is a fascinating multi-disciplinary area of study that opens up a huge number of career options for you and with criminology's focus on understanding crime and its impact on society it's an important area of study for society as a whole thanks for watching if you want to investigate more degrees before you choose like we all should check out our other videos to look into more majors to find the one that's right for you this series is a part of the study hall program a partnership between arizona

state university and crash course if you like this video or found it helpful give it a like and comment and let us know how you chose your degree or how you're struggling to choose a degree or what you wish you'd known before you started your degree