Frequently Asked Questions

Our program reflects Toronto Metropolitan's long-standing strengths in professionally relevant education and grounded experience. It relates theory and knowledge to the real world and prepares students for careers in the criminal justice area and broader institutions that assist justice involved individuals. Students will appreciate the program’s uniqueness and interdisciplinarity. In the first year, you will receive a solid understanding of a broad range of Social Sciences and Humanities, including Sociology, Psychology, Politics and Governance, English, Geographic Analysis, History, Philosophy and more. This will broaden your perspective of the field and provide you with an ideal foundation for specialized study in Criminology.

Employers are impressed with the depth, breadth and flexibility of the Criminology curriculum and our graduates are well prepared for a broad range of careers within criminal justice and wider fields.

Mainly full-time Toronto Metropolitan faculty members who have extensive knowledge and expertise in their fields will teach the courses. Full-time Criminology faculty have Ph.D.s in disciplines such as Criminology, Law, Women’s Studies, Social Anthropology and Sociology and are experienced, high-quality professors and active researchers who maintain strong ties with the justice community and are actively involved in a wide range of policy initiatives relating to the field of Criminology. The interdisciplinarity of the program is experienced through the different perspectives that faculty being to the crime and justice issues.

The degree program requires four years of full time study.

Normally, students take 5 courses each semester.

On average, about 15 hours per week of academic class time per term.

Class sizes in Years 1 and 2 will range from 50-150. Class sizes for Criminology courses in Years 3 and 4 will typically be around 60-80, with some upper level courses having no more than 30 students. The smaller class sizes  enhance the learning process and maximize your contact with faculty.

All classes are held on Toronto Metropolitan's campus, which is located in the heart of downtown Toronto. All buildings are within a 5- to 10-minute walk of each other, and some are joined by underground and overhead walkways.

Criminology students are eligible for exchange opportunities at overseas universities that have a formal exchange (that is, a signed agreement) with Toronto Metropolitan. Visit Exchanges for the list of partner institutions. These exchange opportunities are awarded on a competitive basis, subject to availability. You may also choose to attend a university that does not have an official exchange with Toronto Metropolitan. To do so, courses must be pre-approved on a "Letter of Permission" form in order for your credits to transfer back to Toronto Metropolitan. This option allows you to attend almost any university. However, you may end up paying international student tuition rates. For detailed information on exchange programs, policies, and procedures, visit Toronto Metropolitan International.

Yes. We have many graduates who have gone on to law school and various graduate schools at the MA and PhD level. 

The program is offered on a full-time basis only.

Please visit the Toronto Metropolitan Admissions website for detailed admission requirements.

You are eligible to apply to transfer from your current program for the Fall term of your second year of studies, into Bachelor of Arts, Criminology from Bachelor of Arts in English, Environment and Urban Sustainability, Geographic Analysis, History, Language and Intercultural Relations, Philosophy, Politics and Governance, Psychology and Sociology.

All of the credits earned in first year will transfer to the Criminology program. Transfer applications are available through the Program Office and must be submitted by February 2nd. Transfer applications are considered on a competitive basis subject to program capacity, and therefore program choice cannot be guaranteed.

If you are in a Toronto Metropolitan program other than those listed above, you must apply to transfer to Criminology by completing a Toronto Metropolitan online application form with the Admissions department. For more information on admission requirements, procedures and forms, visit the Admissions website.

As a Faculty of Arts student, you can take advantage of a wide range of career and educational planning services, including individual counselling and customized workshops, that are offered free of charge by the Faculty of Arts Career Counsellor. Toronto Metropolitan's Career Centre also offers a variety of career-related services and events, including Career and Information Fairs; workshops and group sessions on resumes, interviews, job search; hundreds of job postings (summer, part-time, on-campus, full-time); and more. Given Toronto Metropolitan’s Toronto location, there are numerous opportunities for relevant work-related experience in a diverse range of criminal justice or related agencies. Such experiences will improve your prospects for employment after graduation as well as enhance your studies.