Criminology/Criminal Justice
ufv.ca/criminologyA diploma program designed to prepare students for front-line/entry-level jobs in the criminal justice field. The diploma program consists of a combination of theoretical and skill development courses, and will be of interest to people who wish to pursue career paths that lead into (for example) police officers, correctional officers, immigration officers, customs inspectors, youth workers, administrative legal assistants, security guards, conservation officers, bylaw enforcement officers, community service order officers, or sheriff's officers.
B.C. secondary school graduation or equivalent with:
Note: Students may also present English 12, English Literature 12, English 12 First Peoples, AP English, IB English A (standard level or higher level), or out-of-province equivalent.
Students who do not meet these requirements might consider Qualifying Studies.
Applications are accepted for entrance to the Fall semester only. For application deadlines, see Specific intake application process.
There may be a limited number of seats available in the Criminology and Criminal Justice diploma program. Acceptance into the Criminology and Criminal Justice diploma program will be determined through a first-come first-served basis, assuming entrance requirements are met and in order of their application date. This date is set when an application, all required documentation, and the application fee have been submitted.
See the Fees and Other Costs section. Books and additional supplies cost approximately $100–200 per course.
The Criminal Justice diploma can be completed in two years of full-time study if students take 10 courses per calendar year.
The Criminal Justice diploma program consists of 30 credits of CRIM core requirements, 21 credits of breadth requirements, and 9 credits of CRIM and non-CRIM elective courses.
Course | Title | Credits |
CRIM 100 | Introduction to Criminology | 3 |
CRIM 103 | Introduction to the Criminal Justice System | 3 |
CRIM 104 | Sociological Explanations of Criminal and Deviant Behaviour | 3 |
CRIM 105 | Psychological Explanations of Criminal and Deviant Behaviour | 3 |
CRIM 135 | Introduction to Canadian Law and Legal Institutions | 3 |
CRIM 220 | Research Methods in Criminology | 3 |
CRIM 230 | Criminal Law | 3 |
CRIM 265 | Professional Practice in Criminal Justice I | 3 |
Two of: | 6 | |
CRIM 240 | Comparative Criminal Justice Systems | |
CRIM 250 | Customs and Immigration Law | |
CRIM 251 | Policing in Canada | |
CRIM 252 | Corrections in Canada |
Course | Title | Credits |
CMNS 125 | Introduction to Professional Communication (see Note 1) | 3 |
or ENGL 105 | Academic Writing (see Note 1) | |
Three of: | 9 | |
ECON 100 | Principles of Microeconomics | |
POSC 110 | Introduction to Canadian Politics | |
PSYC 102 | Introduction to Psychology II (see Note 2) | |
SOC 101 | Introductory Sociology | |
One of: | 3 | |
ANTH 211 | Aboriginal Peoples in BC: Contemporary Issues | |
HIST 103 | Stó:lō History | |
HIST 227 | History of Indigenous-Newcomer Relations in Canada | |
IPK 102 | Introduction to Indigenous Peoples Knowledges | |
IPK 105 | Introduction to Stó:lō People and Communities | |
IPK 205 | Stó:lō Social and Governing Structures | |
One of: | 3 | |
AIS 108 | Academic Literacy I (formerly CSM 108) | |
PHIL 100 | Reasoning: An Introduction to Critical Thinking | |
PHIL 110 | Introduction to Ethics and Moral Problems | |
PHIL 120 | Knowledge and Reality | |
One of: | 3 | |
CMNS 235 | Public Speaking | |
CMNS 251 | Professional Report Writing | |
CMNS 280 | Team and Small Group Communication for the Workplace | |
ENGL 210 | The Art of the Essay | |
SOC 254 | Writing for the Social Sciences |
Note 1: It is recommended that students complete the first writing requirement (CMNS 125 or ENGL 105) within the first 30 credits of the program.
Note 2: Students who have successfully completed PSYC 101 prior to acceptance do not need to complete PSYC 102.
Course | Title | Credits |
At least one of: | 3 | |
CRIM 210 | Youth Crime and Youth Justice System in Canada | |
CRIM 211 | Indigenous Peoples, Crime, and Criminal Justice | |
CRIM 212 | Women, Crime, and Criminal Justice | |
CRIM 213 | Directed Studies | |
CRIM 214 | Special Topics in Criminology and Criminal Justice | |
CRIM 215 | Theory and Practice of Restorative Justice | |
CRIM 216 | Psychopathy and the Criminal Justice System | |
Plus: | Minimum of 3 non-CRIM credits | 3 |
Plus: | Any 200-level credits in any discipline | 3 |
The Co-operative Education option provides students with the opportunity to acquire paid, career-related work experience in conjunction with their studies in the Bachelor of Arts (Criminal Justice) diploma program. See the Co-operative Education section for more details.
Students can complete a semester of study abroad at an institution with a partnership agreement with UFV. Students interested in Study Abroad opportunities can visit UFV International to review the list of countries, institutions, and programs with an exchange partnership with the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Students should speak with the Program Advisor prior to selecting their courses for completion abroad.
To maintain status as a program student and to continue in the program, students with more than 15 credits must maintain a minimum program and cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 2.00.
Students enrolled in undergraduate courses (courses numbered 100 or higher) must maintain an undergraduate Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of at least 2.00 to remain enrolled in Good Academic Standing at UFV. Students in Good Academic Standing will have no registration limits placed on them. Failure to meet the minimum CGPA requirement will result in restrictions on registration and may eventually lead to academic suspension from undergraduate studies at UFV. Students on Academic Warning or Academic Probation are limited to registering in 10 credits. For further details, see the Academic standing and undergraduate continuance section of the academic calendar. Academic standing is governed by UFV's Undergraduate Continuance policy (92).
For assistance, please contact criminfo@ufv.ca.
Students are not permitted to register for the same course more than three times. Students wishing to register for a course for a fourth time should connect with the Student Rights and Responsibilities Office. All attempts will be recorded on the transcript, but only the highest grade will be included in the GPA. Transfer courses are considered in the number of attempts. A “W” or “AU” course is not counted as a duplication. Multiple repeats of the same course count as a single duplication.
Course audits will be governed by UFV’s Course Audit Policy (108).
Course withdrawal deadlines follow UFV's Course Withdrawal policy (81).
The School of Criminology and Criminal Justice does not approve challenge requests from students who are asking to re-take a Criminology/Criminal Justice course. These students must register in, and complete the requirements for, a regularly timetabled section of the course.
Students who have been required to withdraw from UFV under the Undergraduate Continuance policy (92) are subject to readmission and continuance requirements as listed in the UFV academic calendar. Students are normally only readmitted once to the same program.
Students must complete at least 25% of the course work at UFV.
It is the student’s responsibility to ensure all program requirements are met. This should be done by regular consultation with a Criminal Justice Program Advisor. To be eligible to graduate, students must achieve a minimum program and cumulative GPA of 2.00. For students intending to proceed to the Bachelor of Arts (Criminal Justice) degree, please note that there is a duplication policy which prevents students with more than five course duplications from graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (Criminal Justice) degree.
Candidates who qualify to receive a UFV diploma must be approved by the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice and the Senate. Students must apply for graduation in the first month of their final semester. Visit the Graduation webpage for more information. The final deadline for students who wish to attend the June Convocation ceremony is April 1 of each year, with all program requirements completed by April 30.
For complete details on courses see the course descriptions section.