Social Sciences

Within Loyola's College of Arts & Sciences (CAS), each Social Sciences department offers academic major programs and academic minor programs.  

Academic major programs in the Social Sciences include:

Academic minor programs in the Social Sciences include:  

 

Criminology & Justice

The Department of Criminology & Justice offers a curriculum that emphasizes research skills and engages comprehensive and critical understanding of contemporary criminal justice issues. A list of Criminology & Justice faculty and staff can be viewed on the department website.

Academic Programs

Criminology & Justice offers two degree formats. Students in other major programs can pursue an academic minor in Criminology & Justice. The department also partners with the University Honors Program to deliver Honors versions of some programs. Available Criminology & Justice major programs include:

A detailed curriculum for each program is listed below.

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Criminology & Justice major

The Bachelor of Arts, Criminology & Justice major is a 120 semester credit hour academic program. Students will complete Loyola Core requirements, Criminology & Justice major requirements, adjunct courses in statistics, social sciences, and languages, and general electives. Completion of this academic program requires a 2.0 GPA in the major curriculum and a 2.0 GPA in the Loyola cumulative curriculum. All major courses must be completed in the Criminology & Justice department unless an exception is allowed by the department chair. 

  • Overview of requirements: 120 credit hours (crs) required for completion
    • Loyola Core: 39 crs
    • Criminology & Justice major: 48 crs
    • Adjunct - Languages: 6 crs
    • General Electives: 27 crs
       
  • Loyola Core: Complete the full scope of the Loyola Core with 39 crs in Loyola Core requirement areas. Modifications include completing the 3 crs Social Science requirement in the major curriculum. 
     
  • Criminology & Justice major core courses: Complete 48 crs of major core courses. These courses include: 
    • Required Courses 19 crs: 
      • CRIM A105 Introduction to Criminal Justice Systems
      • CRIM A110 Criminology Fundamentals or SOCI A215 Criminology (complete only one)
      • CRIM A260 Statistics in Criminal Justice
      • CRIM A262 Statistics in Criminal Justice Lab (1 crs)
      • CRIM A300 Research Methods
      • CRIM A302 Research Methods Lab (1 cr) 
      • CRIM A425 Seminar - Major Works in Criminology
      • CRIM A480 Capstone
      • CRIM A497 Internship (4 crs)
    • Criminological Analysis course (choose one from): 
      • CRIM A270 Murder, Mayhem, Media
      • CRIM A275 Deviant Behavior
      • CRIM A320 Violent Offenders
      • CRIM A335 Security and Crime Prevention
      • CRIM A375 Organized Crime
      • CRIM A378 Cybercrime, Technology, Social Change
      • CRIM A385 Seminar in Advanced Criminology
      • CRIM A420 Serial Murder: Myths and Realities
      • CRIM X210 Geospatial Crime Analysis
      • CRIM X282 Gangs & Criminal Networks
    • Law course (choose one from): 
      • CRIM A218 Criminal Procedure
      • CRIM A220 Recent Supreme Court Decisions
      • CRIM A313 Criminal Evidence
      • CRIM A345 Seminar in Constitutional Law
      • CRIM A405 Criminal Law
      • CRIM A430 Legal Research & Writing
    • Victimology/Victim Services course (choose one from):
      • CRIM A280 Domestic Violence
      • CRIM A285 Crisis Intervention
      • CRIM A288 Crime and Disaster
      • CRIM A340 Environmental Criminology
      • CRIM A410 Women and Crime
      • CRIM X320 Violence and Democracy 
    • Administration of Justice (choose one from): 
      • CRIM A101 Introduction to Law Enforcement
      • CRIM A120 Introduction to Homeland Security
      • CRIM A220 Specialty Courts and Programs
      • CRIM A250 Juvenile Delinquency
      • CRIM A255 Juvenile Justice Process
      • CRIM A318 Criminalization in the U.S.
      • CRIM A365 Program Planning and Evaluation
      • CRIM A380 Ethics and Politics of Criminal Justice
    • Corrections (choose one from): 
      • CRIM A325 Sex Offenses & Offenders
      • CRIM A330 Correctional Institutions
      • CRIM A331 Probation and Parole
      • CRIM A350 Offenders with Mental Illness
      • CRIM X215 Race and Mass Incarceration
    • Criminology & Justice major electives 9 crs. Select three CRIM courses in consultation with an advisor. FRSC courses can also count for Criminology & Justice major electives.
    • An ETS exit exam will be administered in the semester of graduation.
       
  • Adjunct courses - Language requirement: Criminology & Justice majors in the Bachelor of Arts program are required to complete 6 crs of language credit, up to the 201 level of proficiency. This requirement can be satisfied with courses in spoken languages like French or Spanish, or in classical languages like Greek or Latin. Students will complete a placement activity to begin the language sequence. Students who initially place into the 201 level of proficiency will have a modified language requirement of only 3 crs, with the additional 3 crs attributed to General Electives.
     
  • General Electives: Criminology & Justice majors are required to complete 27 crs of general electives to complete the Bachelor of Arts program. Students can satisfy these requirements with any Loyola courses they are eligible to take which are not already required in the Loyola Core, Major, or Adjunct curriculums. For students pursuing a double major or an academic minor, the curriculum for those programs would be assigned from the credits required for General Electives.

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Bachelor of Criminology & Justice

The Bachelor of Criminology & Justice a 120 semester credit hour academic program with a curriculum designed for Loyola’s online programs specifically for adult students. BCJ students complete Loyola Core requirements, Criminology & Justice major requirements, adjunct courses in statistics, social sciences, and general electives. Completion of this academic program requires a 2.0 GPA in the major curriculum and a 2.0 GPA in the Loyola cumulative curriculum. All major courses must be completed in the Criminology & Justice department unless an exception is allowed by the department chair. 

  • Overview of requirements: 120 credit hours (crs) required for completion
    • Loyola Core: 39 crs
    • Criminology & Justice major: 35 crs
    • General Electives: 46 crs
       
  • Loyola Core: Complete the full scope of the Loyola Core with 39 crs in Loyola Core requirement areas. Modifications include completing the 3 crs Social Science requirement in the major curriculum. 
     
  • Criminology & Justice major core courses: Complete 35 crs of major core courses. These courses include: 
    • Required Courses 14 crs: 
      • CRIM A105 Introduction to Criminal Justice Systems
      • CRIM A110 Criminology Fundamentals or SOCI A215 Criminology (complete only one)
      • CRIM A260 Statistics in Criminal Justice
      • CRIM A262 Statistics in Criminal Justice Lab (1 crs) 
      • CRIM A300 Research Methods
      • CRIM A302 Research Methods Lab (1 cr) 
    • Criminological Analysis course (choose one from): 
      • CRIM A270 Murder, Mayhem, Media
      • CRIM A275 Deviant Behavior
      • CRIM A320 Violent Offenders
      • CRIM A335 Security and Crime Prevention
      • CRIM A375 Organized Crime
      • CRIM A378 Cybercrime, Technology, Social Change
      • CRIM A385 Seminar in Advanced Criminology
      • CRIM A420 Serial Murder: Myths and Realities
      • CRIM X210 Geospatial Crime Analysis
      • CRIM X282 Gangs and Criminal Networks
    • Law course (choose one from): 
      • CRIM A218 Criminal Procedure
      • CRIM A220 Recent Supreme Court Decisions
      • CRIM A313 Criminal Evidence
      • CRIM A345 Seminar in Constitutional Law
      • CRIM A405 Criminal Law
      • CRIM A430 Legal Research & Writing
    • Victimology/Victim Services course (choose one from):
      • CRIM A280 Domestic Violence
      • CRIM A285 Crisis Intervention
      • CRIM A288 Crime and Disaster
      • CRIM A340 Environmental Criminology
      • CRIM A410 Women and Crime
      • CRIM X320 Violence and Democracy
    • Administration of Justice (choose one from): 
      • CRIM A101 Introduction to Law Enforcement
      • CRIM A120 Introduction to Homeland Security
      • CRIM A220 Specialty Courts and Programs
      • CRIM A250 Juvenile Delinquency
      • CRIM A255 Juvenile Justice Process
      • CRIM A318 Criminalization in the U.S.
      • CRIM A365 Program Planning and Evaluation
      • CRIM A380 Ethics and Politics of Criminal Justice
    • Corrections (choose one from): 
      • CRIM A325 Sex Offenses and Offenders
      • CRIM A330 Correctional Institutions
      • CRIM A331 Probation and Parole
      • CRIM A350 Offenders with Mental Illness
      • CRIM X215 Race and Mass Incarceration
    • Criminology & Justice major electives 6 crs. Select four CRIM courses in consultation with an advisor. 
       
  • General Electives: Criminology & Justice majors are required to complete 46 crs of general electives to complete the BCJ program. Students can satisfy these requirements with any Loyola courses they are eligible to take which are not already required in the Loyola Core, Major, or Adjunct curriculums. For students pursuing a double major or an academic minor, the curriculum for those programs would be assigned from the credits required for General Electives.

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Criminology & Justice programs - University Honors Program

Participation in the University Honors Program is available to any eligible student pursuing a Bachelor of Arts, Criminology & Justice major. Students who meet Honors Program admission requirements can complete their CRIM program with the Honors Curriculum taking the place of the Loyola Core and adding a required Honors Thesis to the overall program. Because of these changes, the Honors Curriculum impacts the number of credits required in the General Elective area. Completion of this academic program requires a 3.3 GPA in the student’s Loyola cumulative curriculum.


Criminology & Justice Minor Programs

Loyola students who are not already majors can add a Criminology & Justice minor to their curriculum. An academic minor curriculum requires credit hours taken as part of or in addition to the General Electives area of a student’s undergraduate program, but courses used to satisfy requirements in an academic major cannot also be used to satisfy requirements in a minor program. Successful completion of an academic minor requires a 2.0 GPA or higher for all courses.

The Criminology & Justice Department offers the following academic minor programs: 

Criminology & Justice minor: Students complete 22 credit hours of coursework with a 2.0 GPA. Requirements include: 

  • CRIM A105 Intro to Criminal Justice Systems
  • CRIM A110 or SOCI A215 Criminology (complete only one) 
  • CRIM A300 Research Methods - Criminology 
  • CRIM A302 Research Methods - Lab (1 cr) 
  • Criminology & Justice electives: Choose 12 crs (four courses) in consultation with an advisor. 

Forensic Science minor: Students complete 21 credit hours of coursework with a 2.0 GPA. This minor is available to Criminology & Justice majors, but not in an online format. Requirements include: 

  • FRSC A100 Intro to Forensic Science
  • FRSC A200 Criminalistics 1: Crime Scene
  • FRSC A201 Criminalistics 2: Crime Lab
  • FRSC A301 Criminalistics 3: Controlled Substances
  • FRSC A498 Independent Research in Forensics
  • FRSC Electives: take 6 crs (two courses) in consultation with an advisor.

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Political Science

The Department of Political Science teaches how to analyze individual and group motivation and behavior, think through working systems and institutions, and conduct research into how systems and institutions work. A list of Political Science faculty and staff can be viewed on the department website.

Academic Programs

Students interested in Political Science can choose to major or minor in the discipline. The department also partners with the University Honors Program to deliver Honors versions of some programs. Available Political Science programs include:

A detailed curriculum for each program is listed below. 

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Political Science major

The Bachelor of Arts, Political Science major is a 120 semester credit hour academic program. Students will complete Loyola Core requirements, major requirements, and general electives. Completion of this academic program requires a 2.0 GPA in the major curriculum and a 2.0 GPA in the Loyola cumulative curriculum. All major courses must be completed in the Political Science department unless an exception is allowed by the department chair. 

  • Overview of requirements: 120 credit hours (crs) required for completion
    • Loyola Core: 39 crs
    • Political Science major: 36 crs
    • General Electives: 45 crs
       
  • Loyola Core: Complete the full scope of the Loyola Core with 39 crs in Loyola Core requirement areas. Modifications include completing the Social Science requirement as part of the major curriculum coursework.
     
  • Political Science major courses: Complete 36 crs of major core courses. These courses include: 
    • POLS A100 Intro to American Government
    • POLS A200 Comparative Government I (Fall) 
    • POLS A201 Comparative Government II (Spring)
    • POLS A230 History of Political Thought I (Fall)
    • POLS A231 History of Political Thought II (Spring)
    • POLS A300 Constitutional Law I (Fall)
    • POLS A301 Constitutional Law II (Spring)
    • POLS A315 International Relations
    • Choose either POLS A495 or POLS A480 Special Project: Capstone
    • Major Electives: choose 9 crs (three courses) of POLS courses in consultation with an advisor; cannot be Loyola Core courses unless approved by the department chair
       
  • General Electives: Political Science majors complete 45 crs of general electives to complete the Bachelor of Arts program. Students can satisfy these requirements with any Loyola courses they are eligible to take which are not already required in the Loyola Core, Major, or Adjunct curriculums. For students pursuing a double major or an academic minor, the curriculum for those programs would be assigned from the credits required for General Electives.

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Political Science major - University Honors Program

Participation in the University Honors Program is available to eligible students pursuing a Political Science major. Students who meet Honors Program admission requirements can complete their program with the Honors Curriculum taking the place of the Loyola Core and using the Political Science capstone project as their Honors Thesis. The Honors Curriculum also impacts the number of credits required in the General Elective area. Completion of this academic program requires a 3.3 GPA in the student’s Loyola cumulative curriculum.


Political Science Minor

Loyola students who are not already Political Science majors can add a Political Science minor to their curriculum. Curriculum for a Political Science minor requires 21 credit hours taken as part of or in addition to the General Electives area of a student’s undergraduate program, but courses used to satisfy requirements in an academic major cannot also be used to satisfy requirements in a minor program. Successful completion of an academic minor requires a 2.0 GPA or higher for all courses.

Requirements include: 

  • POLS A100 Intro to American Government
  • Choose either POLS A200 Comparative Government 1 or POLS A201 Comparative Government 2
  • Choose either POLS A230 History of Political Thought 1 or POLS A231 History of Political Thought 2
  • POLS A315 International Relations
  • Minor Electives: choose 9 crs (three courses) of POLS courses in consultation with an advisor; cannot be Loyola Core courses unless approved by the department chair

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Sociology

The Department of Sociology offers programs where students study people and their activities, their work, their games, relationships, behaviors, beliefs, organizations, and problems. A key focus of most courses is social justice and inequalities. A list of Sociology faculty and staff can be viewed on the department website.

Academic Programs

Students pursuing a major or a minor in Sociology The department also partners with the University Honors Program to deliver Honors versions of some programs. Available Sociology programs include:

A detailed curriculum for each program is listed below. 

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Bachelor of Arts, Sociology major

The Bachelor of Arts, Sociology major is a 120 semester credit hour academic program. Students will complete Loyola Core requirements, Sociology major requirements, adjunct courses in language, and general electives. Completion of this academic program requires a 2.0 GPA in the major curriculum and a 2.0 GPA in the Loyola cumulative curriculum. All major courses must be completed in the Sociology department unless an exception is allowed by the department chair. 

  • Overview of requirements: 120 credit hours (crs) required for completion
    • Loyola Core: 39 crs
    • Sociology major: 36 crs
    • Adjunct - Languages: 6 crs
    • General Electives: 39 crs
       
  • Loyola Core: Complete the full scope of the Loyola Core with 39 crs in Loyola Core requirement areas. Modifications include completing the Loyola Core Social Sciences requirement as part of the Sociology major. 
     
  • Sociology major core courses: Complete 36 crs of major core courses. These courses include: 
    • Either SOCI A100 Intro to Sociology or SOCI X232 Social Problems
    • SOCI X241 Development of Social Thought (Fall)
    • SOCI A335 Research Methods & Techniques (Fall) 
    • SOCI A338 Research Methods & Techniques Lab (1 cr) 
    • SOCI A336 Social Statistics (Spring) 
    • SOCI A339 Social Statistics Lab (1 cr) 
    • SOCI A345 Social Theory (Spring) 
    • SOCI A480 Senior Capstone
    • SOCI A481 Research Project (1 cr) 
    • Sociology Major Electives: 15 credit hours (five courses) selected in consultation with your advisor.
       
  • Adjunct courses - Language requirement: Complete 6 crs of language credit, up to the 201 level of proficiency. This requirement can be satisfied with courses in spoken languages like French or Spanish, or in classical languages like Greek or Latin. Students will complete a placement activity to begin the language sequence. Students who initially place into the 201 level of proficiency will have a modified language requirement of only 3 crs, with the additional 3 crs attributed to General Electives.  
     
  • General Electives: Sociology majors are required to complete 39 crs of general electives to complete the Bachelor of Arts program. Students can satisfy these requirements with any Loyola courses they are eligible to take which are not already required in the Loyola Core, Major, or Adjunct curriculums. For students pursuing a double major or an academic minor, the curriculum for those programs would be assigned from the credits required for General Electives.

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Sociology major - University Honors Program

Students who meet University Honors Program admission requirements can complete their Sociology program with the Honors Curriculum taking the place of the Loyola Core and satisfying the Honors Thesis requirement with SOCI A480 Senior Capstone. The Honors Curriculum also impacts the number of credits required in the General Elective area.  Completion of this academic program requires a 3.3 GPA in the student’s Loyola cumulative curriculum.


Sociology Minor Programs

Curriculum for Sociology minors require 22 credit hours taken as part of or in addition to the General Electives area of a student’s undergraduate program, but courses used to satisfy requirements in an academic major cannot also be used to satisfy requirements in a Sociology minor program. Successful completion of an academic minor requires a 2.0 GPA or higher for all courses. Requirements include: 

  • Either SOCI A100 Intro to Sociology or SOCI X232 Social Problems
  • SOCI A335 Research Methods
  • SOCI A338 Research Methods Lab (1 cr) 
  • Either SOCI X241 Development of Social Thought or SOCI A345 Sociological Theory
  • Sociology minor electives: 12 credit hours (four courses) selected in consultation with your advisor 
    • SOCI T121 does not apply towards the minor electives requirements.

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