1. Career exploration: Criminologist
Career Project Part 1
Career exploration: Criminologist

2. General information
Type of activity: The job of a criminologist is to gather, analyze, interpret, and apply information on trends in crime. They try and understand why criminals commit crimes and how it affects society in an attempt to stop crime. Field work can include interviewing criminals, going to a crime scene to gather information, and attending autopsies of victims of crime.
Setting: Criminologists work in different locations. Some write reports and do research for government agencies, and others work at universities where they teach classes and write for academic journals.
Supervision required: A large part of the job of a criminologist is the research and writing up reports, so these people have to be self-motivated and disciplined to get whatever they’re working on done.

3. History
Going far back, punishments deemed suitable for even minor crimes included violent acts such as public humiliation and the severing of limbs. Society has since moved away from these violent tendencies with the help of those who sought to reform the justice system
Plato first theorized that the punishment should fit the crime and the circumstances / degree of fault of the criminal.
Aristotle first theorized about how punishment can deter future crimes from being perpetrated by both past and potential criminals.
These two philosophers, like modern criminologists, used information they had about crime to try to improve the justice system.

4. Working conditions
Hours: Most criminologists work average full-time hours, about 40 hours per week. Professors in this field have flexible hours, researching and writing when they’re not teaching. Professors work about hours a week.
Benefits: Most criminologists working full time will receive medical, dental, and pension benefits. The average wage varies from $30,000 to $140,000. The wage you earn is based on who you work for – an alarm-system company versus a university.
Unions: Criminologists are not typically part of a union.
Holidays: Criminologists have to be disciplined workers and know how much time they need to spend to get work done. Holidays will vary by the place of employment.

5. Future Outlooks
Criminologists working as professors or a related academic field have job security once they have a job here, however these positions can be hard to get.
As long as there are people on this earth there will be crime, and the process of understanding crime in order to prevent it will never be over. Criminologists will always be needed to try to prevent and predict patterns in crime.
The Bureau of Labour Statistics predicts a 10% increase in criminology jobs in the next ten years.

6. Related jobs
Judge – Makes legal decisions in a courtroom and guides the process of a trial
Lawyer – Advises and represents the client during legal proceedings
Public Policy Analyst – Advises the creation and manipulation of government policies to benefit the changing interest of the public
Detective – A Police officer who investigates crimes in order to solve them
Psychologist – Helps people with their psychological problems and can conduct research on their area of expertise
Civil Litigator – A lawyer who handles legal disputes between companies/individuals.
Professor – Conducts research for their field while teaching students in this field
Sociologist – Studies human behaviour to better understand people
Print Journalist – Writes articles for various news sources
Paralegal – Conducts research and maintains records for lawyers

7. Post Secondary information
Career Project Part 2
Post Secondary information

8. Post-Secondary Institutions
SFU – Minor, major, B.A., PhD available in the criminology program
Douglas College – B.A., minor, major in the criminology program, could transfer to a university after
Vancouver Island University – B.A., Minor, Major available in the criminology program
University of Manitoba – 3 or 4 years of B.A. available in the criminology program

9. Sample program of study for a B.A. in criminology
At Simon Fraser University
First Year Classes
ENGL 111W - Literary Classics in English
ENGL 199W - Introduction to University Writing
LING Communication and Language
LING The Science of Speech
GSWS 102: Feminist Action
SA Introduction to Anthropology
SA Introduction to Social Research
SA Contemporary Ethnography
Second Year Classes
ENGL Restoration and Eighteenth Century Literature
ENGL Old English
LING Language, Culture, and Society
LING Language and the Law
CRIM 101 - Introduction to Criminology 
CRIM 131 - Introduction to the Criminal Justice System - A Total System Approach 
CRIM 135 - Introduction to Canadian Law and Legal Institutions: A Criminal Justice Perspective 
CRIM 220 - Research Methods in Criminology
*** BOLD courses are courses required for completion of B.A.
Year 3 & 4

10. Sample program of study for a B.A. in criminology
At Simon Fraser University
Third Year Classes
ENGL Early Shakespeare
CRIM 213 Women and Criminal Justice
PHIL 120W Introduction to Moral Philosophy
SA 150 - Introduction to Sociology (S) 
POL 151 - The Administration of Justice 
PSYC 210 - Introduction to Data Analysis in Psychology 
PSYC 100 - Introduction to Psychology I 
PSYC 102 - Introduction to Psychology II 
Fourth Year Courses
STAT 203 Introduction to Statistics for the Social Sciences
SA 321 E100 Social Movements
SA 327 D100 Sociology of Knowledge
SA 335 D100 Gender Relations and Social Issues
CRIM 300W - Current Theories and Perspectives in Criminology 
CRIM 320 - Quantitative Research Methods in Criminology 
CRIM 321 - Qualitative Research Methods in Criminology 
CRIM 330 - Criminal Procedure and Evidence