A publication of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

CSI: Cleveland State

By Emily Schultz

Criminology looks cool on T.V. Hit shows like “Law & Order” and “C.S.I.” make criminology look fast-paced, exciting
and lucrative. Who wouldn’t want to be Vincent D’Onofrio? The guy comes to work looking preppy and is instantly assigned a big case. Every day he is in hot pursuit of evil, wise cracking to every punk he comes across. He can put two and two together and easily catch criminals.

To help Vincent D’Onofrio wannabes in real life, the Department of Sociology introduced a criminology major in 2005.
This establishes Cleveland State as one of the pioneers of criminology in the Greater Cleveland region.

Instead of a degree in bad-guy-butt-kicking, the criminology degree trains students through sociology classes that focus on research methods and theory. Students expecting to learn about fingerprint analysis and DNA matching need not apply for this program.

“We want the students to learn on the job,” said Dr. Sarah H. Matthews, department chair. About 175 students are enrolled in the program.

Matthews said that a liberal arts degree in criminology makes students more attractive to employers. It gives students an array of skills to take into the work force. Students who earn a criminology degree will be able
to write, think and comprehend the material, Matthews said.

“I want to be able to look at crimes and figure out why, as a population, these things are happening,” said criminology major Jaime Barnett. However, she admits that she was surprised by the amount of sociology classes required and admits she expected more of a forensic focus.

The core courses for criminology majors include basic sociology classes and research methods. Students learn about the U.S. criminal justice system and criminology theory.

Students are eligible for the sociology internship, which has placed students in police departments, juvenile courts and corrections facilities, said Matthews.

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