Criminology

Our mission is to educate students about the social nature of, causes of, and responses to crime so that our graduates are empowered to challenge inequities in the criminal legal system and contribute to justice alternatives that address harm and promote community well-being. 

The Criminology Program empowers students to critically examine systems of justice through a sociological lens, emphasizing structural analysis, empirical research, and community engagement. Rooted in a commitment to democratizing education and fostering a more equitable society, our program challenges power and inequality while preparing students to be agents of social change in an era marked by rising authoritarianism and global unrest.

Through rigorous coursework—including a comprehensive hands-on research sequence—and experiential learning opportunities such as internships, thesis projects, and faculty-led study tours, students explore the complexities of crime through theoretically informed, research-based, and critical approaches.  Our curriculum cultivates ethical citizenship by encouraging students to examine the social, cultural, and historical forces including the racism, white supremacy, and systemic inequality that shape the construct of “crime”, criminal-legal institutions, and societal responses to harm. 

Faculty-student mentoring relationships are central to our program and support students’ academic growth and career readiness. Our program prepares students to engage in informed social action, advocacy, and service that supports transformative change in criminal-legal policies and practices, while developing a sense of responsibility for creating more equitable, sustainable, and inclusive communities. Graduates are thus equipped not only for success in diverse professional paths—including law, public policy, social services, and advocacy—but also to contribute to a more just and democratic world.

Be the Change You Want to See

If you love watching shows like CSI or listening to true crime podcasts, then Framingham State’s interdisciplinary Criminology Program might be a great choice for you. It will provide you with a comprehensive and critical understanding of crime that draws on courses in sociology, psychology, anthropology, history, political science and more. You won’t just gain an understanding of crime and punishment, you will also learn about inequalities and injustices that exist within the system, which will enable you to use that knowledge to advocate for social change.

Our faculty will teach you how to approach the issue of crime in society from a theoretically informed and research-based perspective in a program that places great emphasis on the underlying causes of crime and on the role of policy-making and policy implementation in crime prevention and crime control.

You may be interested in a criminal justice career, but the Criminology program will also prepare you for employment in a broad array of fields, including social work, education, non-profit work and social justice fields. 

You will have access to a wide range of dynamic internship opportunities in the region that will provide you with professional experience, build your resume, and grow your professional network. Our students have interned with organizations such as the Departments of Children and Families (DCF), Massachusetts adult and juvenile court systems, local police departments, state police, FBI, Homeland security and many more.