Crime, Law, and Deviance B.S.

Sociology B.S. | Crime, Law, and Deviance Track

Crime makes headlines. Understanding it takes evidence. Study why crime occurs, how laws are created and enforced, and how communities respond to harm.

UCF’s Crime, Law, and Deviance Track examines crime, victimization, and the social institutions that respond to them. You’ll connect sociological explanations with training in research methods and data analysis, evaluate claims about crime and public safety, and complete an original research project.

Start with a Spring 2027 Course

Interested in crime, law, or public safety? Explore these Spring courses as you consider the track or look for a course that complements your current major.

Use Class Search in myUCF and select Spring 2027 to check sections, availability, prerequisites, and enrollment restrictions. Ask your advisor how a course applies to your major or the Crime, Law, and Deviance Track.

Find Spring Courses in myUCFExplore Track Requirements

The Track at a Glance

Understand Crime. Learn to Investigate It.

You’ll study how social conditions shape crime and victimization, how behavior comes to be defined as deviant or criminal, and how laws and justice institutions operate. You’ll also learn to turn a question into a researchable problem, select an appropriate method, analyze evidence, and explain what the findings support.

The research sequence gives you work you can discuss with employers and graduate programs: the question you investigated, how you studied it, what you found, and why it matters.

What You’ll Learn to Do

• Use sociological theories to explain crime, deviance, and delinquency.
• Investigate patterns of victimization and the relationship between law and society.
• Conduct independent and collaborative research using ethical standards.
• Interpret quantitative and qualitative evidence.
• Evaluate evidence relevant to justice policy, crime prevention, and public safety.
• Write clear research reports and communicate findings to academic and professional audiences.

Where This Preparation Can Lead

Build a foundation for work in justice-related organizations, victim services, community programs, public agencies, policy, and research. The track also supports preparation for graduate or professional study in sociology, criminology, criminal justice, public policy, and law.

Plan your coursework and experience around the field you want to enter. Career requirements vary by role and may include professional training, certification, or further education.

Track Requirements

The overview below helps you plan your pathway. Use the official UCF program information and your degree audit with an advisor to confirm the requirements for your catalog year.

Official UCF Program RequirementsUndergraduate Advising

Basic Core | 3 Credit Hours

The program’s basic-core list includes the following alternatives. Confirm the appropriate selection with advising, particularly if you are transferring credits.

• SYG 2000 – Introduction to Sociology (3)
• SYG 2010 – Social Problems (3)

Advanced Core | 14 Credit Hours

Complete all four courses:

• SYA 3400C – Applied Social Statistics (4)
• SYA 4300C – Research Methods (4)
• SYO 3530 – Social Power and Inequality (3)
• SYP 3520 – Criminology (3)

Crime, Law, and Deviance Electives | 21 Credit Hours

Complete seven approved courses. Areas of study include:

See the official program requirements for the approved elective list and consult advising before choosing a course to fulfill this requirement.

Advanced Methods | 3–4 Credit Hours

Complete an approved methods option. Choices include spatial analysis, qualitative research, GIS applications, applied sociology, and social network analysis. The published program also includes selected criminal justice methods courses and approved research-based options. Check the official list and prerequisites with your advisor.

Data Analysis: Capstone | 4 Credit Hours

SYA 4450 – Data Analysis: Capstone (4)

Bring your research training together through analysis and an original research project.

Interdisciplinary Crime, Law, and Justice Study

Combine sociology with coursework in another field related to crime, law, or justice. The program identifies a 15-credit interdisciplinary requirement, with related minors or certificates and an alternative of 15–18 credits outside sociology, subject to Undergraduate Program Director approval.

Possible complementary areas include Criminal Justice, Legal Studies, Crime Analysis and Crime Mapping, Crime Scene Investigation, and Victim Advocacy. Plan this component with advising; courses may not double count between the Sociology major and the selected minor or certificate.

Ready to Explore Crime, Law, and Deviance?

You can start by discussing a Spring course, reviewing how your completed coursework fits the track, or planning a change of major. Undergraduate advising can help you compare the options and build a workable degree plan.

Talk with Undergraduate AdvisingChange of Major Information

Questions About the Track?

Dr. Angela Vergara
Sociology Undergraduate Program Director
Angela.Vergara@ucf.edu

Department of Sociology
Howard Phillips Hall (HPH), Room 403
407-823-3744
sociology@ucf.edu

Department of Sociology