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On Education Planner BC select the program "Arts - Associate Degree"
Please visit the International Application Deadline page to find out when applications may be available.
Learn about the implications of crime and how to handle it within our society from instructors who have experience on the front lines as lawyers, youth workers, police officers, policy makers and psychologists.
In the Associate of Arts Degree in Criminology program, you’ll study the criminal mind, and the intricate system society has designed to deal with criminal behaviour.
What is an Associate degree?
Associate degrees take two years to complete and concentrate on one area of study. If you plan your courses carefully with a university program in mind, you’ll be able to transfer all 60 credits to university. In most cases, an associate degree will allow you to enter the third year of a four-year bachelor's degree program. To ensure your courses transfer, see the BC Transfer Guide. If you take the required courses and electives, you can continue your education into our Bachelor of Arts in Criminology.
Get paid, full-time work experience during your studies
Put your skills to work by joining the optional Co-operative Education Program, which alternates semesters of study with paid, full-time work in your field. You’ll earn money while gaining experience, building your resume and getting an employer reference, all before you graduate. To participate in Co-op you need to plan two semesters in advance, so we strongly recommend contacting the Co-op Office at the start of your program.
Applicants must meet the admission requirements listed below:
Calculate your tuition and see the approximate cost of taking your program at Douglas College with the tuition & fee estimator. See costs broken down into categories including tuition fees, textbooks, student activity fees, U-Pass and more.
For more information, refer to the tuition fee charts.
Graduation Requirements:
Course Requirements:
To complete an Associate of Arts Degree with a Specialization in Criminology, students must complete:
The following are the general requirements for an Associate of Arts Degree at any BC college:
* English courses can include courses in written Communications and Creative Writing that transfer to one of the BC research universities (SFU, UBC, UBC-O, UVic or UNBC) as English credit. A maximum of 3 credits can come from such an equivalent; at least 3 credits must be earned in an actual ENGL course so-named. For purposes of the Associate of Arts degree, English courses cannot be counted as Humanities courses.
** Arts courses are available in the Faculty of Languages, Literature, and Performing Arts, and the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. To confirm whether a course is designated as "humanities" or "social sciences", check the Associate of Arts degree graduation checklist. Economics courses are Arts courses. Arts courses may also include Mathematics courses.
Definitions:
A course is defined by the subject for which it is granted transfer credit at one of the research universities (SFU, UBCV, UBCO, UNBC, or UVic).
For detailed information you should meet with a Student Success Advisor.
Co-operative Education Option:
Students enrolled in this program may be eligible for a Co-operative Education designation. Co-operative Education involves alternating full-time academic and work terms. For information contact the Co-operative Education Office.
Program Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this program and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the program, consider the previous version as the applicable version.
No. You apply to the College. Once you are accepted, you can register in Criminology courses. See the Admissions tab for more details.
While there are core Criminology courses you must take, your program of studies requires that you take core courses and electives outside of Criminology such as English, Psychology, Sociology and Philosophy.
For some courses we will offer multiple sections, eg. Intro. to CJS, for some, like our special topic courses, we may offer one section per year. The majority of courses are offered in fall and winter with a smaller selection offered in the summer term.
With further education, this credential is a first step towards the following careers: