Criminology is currently one of the fastest growing and most popular areas of study in the social sciences internationally.
Criminology at Otago focuses on the critical study of crime and victimisation, theories of crime causation and prevention, the criminal justice system and the responses of the broader community to crime.
Why study Criminology?
The minor in Criminology provides the opportunity to study core concepts in criminology:
crime and deviance
social control
crime and victimisation in the media and cultural discourses
the shifting boundary between what is socially considered legitimate and criminal behaviour
the wider institutional dynamics of legal systems
justice processes and institutions.
Career opportunities
Students studying Criminology will be introduced to insights and debates that can help inform their future careers in law, social work, teaching, public health, theological ministry or work with
Combine the Criminology minor with high-profile majors
Students who take the minor in Criminology will find that it provides both an opportunity to study a fascinating and relevant area of life in New Zealand and a strong support programme for some of Otago's high-profile disciplinary majors like Psychology, Sociology, Gender Studies, Anthropology, Politics, or Media, Film and Communication Studies.
Diploma for Graduates in Criminology
The Diploma for Graduates in Criminology enables students to develop a sophisticated understanding of how crime has been defined, researched, represented and governed across time and space, and in Aotearoa New Zealand today. We examine a wide variety of different forms of crime and theoretical and methodological approaches to understanding and researching crime.We explore the criminal justice system, victims' perspectives on crime, and crime in relation to gender, ethnicity, class, medial, culture, technology, the environment, and more.
The Diploma for Graduates is ideal for students planning towards careers in areas such as social work, law, human rights, justice advocacy, the criminal justice system, violence prevention, and victim support. Our programme can also serve as a bridge to postgraduate study.
The Diploma for Graduates in Criminology consists of papers worth at least 120 points, of which four papers are at 300-level or above. The programme may be completed in one year full-time, or over more than one year part-time.
A minor subject can be included in many of our undergraduate degrees. To earn a minor, you typically must complete a minimum of 90 points in that subject, with at least 18 points at the 300-level.
Your minor can be a subject more commonly taken for a different degree. For example, a BCom majoring in Marketing can include Japanese as a minor subject. To include this subject as a minor in your application, first find a major subject through our Subject Search or Study Match.
You can check what’s required to receive the minor accreditation in the programme details below.
Available as a minor subject for a Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Music (MusB), Bachelor of Performing Arts (BPA), Bachelor of Theology (BTheol), Bachelor of Science (BSc), Bachelor of Commerce (BCom), Bachelor of Entrepreneurship (BEntr), Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHealSc), Bachelor of Arts and Commerce (BACom), Bachelor of Arts and Science (BASc) or Bachelor of Commerce and Science (BComSc) degree
Level
Papers
Points
100-level
SOCI 103 Crime, Deviance and Social Transformation
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