Introduction to Criminology
Criminology is the branch of sociology that deals with the scientific study of law enforcement and the criminal justice system and various methods of preventing the crime. Criminology is the interdisciplinary study of different subjects such as biology, statistics, psychology, psychiatry, economics and anthropology.
Criminology is the most challenging field that has taken shape in the recent years. Unfortunately, the increased crime rates in various countries have created a demand for the criminology professionals to a larger extent. They are responsible to crack the crime and deliver justice to the victim and ensure that the guilty is punished under the judicial system of the country.
Few words about BA Criminology course
The BA Criminology is a three-year undergraduate course that is offered by various institutes and colleges across the country. The criminology course is the most challenging one and its application is directly linked to the occurrence of the crime. The aspirants seeking admission to BA Criminology should have completed their PUC or 10+2 classes in arts or science streams with good percentages. The BA Criminology course prepares the students to understand the criminal behaviour, cause of the crime, impact of the crime on the victim and society. The BA Criminology students gain extensive knowledge and skills of different areas like sociology, psychology and analytical ability.
The BA Criminology course is best suited for the students who have good analytical skills, research skills and sense of justice. The course helps the students to develop many skills like strong communication skills, research skills, analytical skills and problem solving skills during tenure of their degree.
Eligibility and Admissions
The basic eligibility for BA Criminology course is that the students must have passed their PUC or 10+2 classes in arts or science streams with good percentages.
The admission to the course is done based on merit and management modes.
Merit Admissions
Some reputed colleges conduct entrance exams for the course to choose the right candidates. The merit-based admissions are based on the entrance exams (conducted if any) by the institutes. There are some colleges that choose the right candidates based on the marks secured by them in their 12 th classes and by announcing merit lists based on percentages of the candidates.
Management Admissions
The students can also take direct admissions under management quota. There are many reputed colleges that have management quota seats. The students can directly apply to these management seats with the help of educational advisory centres. Those seeking direct admissions are not required to appear for any entrance exams for admissions.
Course Syllabus
The BA Criminology is a three-year degree course that follows a semester system and is divided into 6 semesters that spans across 3-years of course duration. Since the BA Criminology course is interdisciplinary in nature, the students will be studying diverse topics related to law, biology, sociology, psychology, forensic science, investigation methods etc.
There are certain important topics that are mandatorily studied by the students of criminology they are:
- Principles of Criminology
- Criminal Laws
- Human Behaviour and Criminology
- Psychology of Crime and Delinquency
- Contemporary Crimes
- Human Rights and Study of Police Administration
- Counselling and Guidance
- Vigilance and security management, Private Detection and Investigation
Qualities and Skills required to become a Criminologist
Criminology is the most challenging field and aspirants should have certain skills and qualities. These imbibed qualities foster the students to become successful criminologists and best investigators of the future, they are listed below:
- Analytical Skills: The students should have the ability to predict effectively and solve the complicated crime situations to produce well-structured results that helps the authorities to catch hold of the culprit
- Data Collection: The students should have the ability to collect the distorted data that is available at the crime scene and should be in a capacity to provide accurate information about the crime scene that helps the enforcement authorities to nab the criminal.
- Crime Techniques: The students should be capable of following different techniques every time in the crime scene and analyse the minimal data that is gathered from the various sources and try to find out the criminals.
- Criminal Behaviour: The students should have an in-depth knowledge of the criminal behaviours. This knowledge helps the students to find out the exact reasons for the crimes and recommend the preventive measures to the authorities.
- Research Skills: Research plays a very important role in identifying the crime. The students should be well-versed with research skills and should try to understand the proper reason for the crime that happened. They may be required to understand the background of the criminals and try to find out their motive behind engaging in crimes.
Future Scope for BA Criminology
Unfortunately, the increased rates of crimes in different countries has created a demand for the criminologists. The BA Criminology students are advised to take up master’s courses to increase their employability in various organisations. The BA Criminology students can join master's courses in Criminology, Forensic Science, law etc to land in decent positions. They can work as lecturers in colleges after the completion of the master courses. They can also engage themselves in research by joining PhD programmes after the completion of their masters.
The criminologists can be a part of the government or private agencies. The salary is fixed in the government sector. While the salary may vary in private organisations. The average salary of a criminologist varies from 4 lakhs to 8 lakhs per annum. Usually, the salary increases according to the skills and experience. The demand for criminologists is more in abroad when compared to India. The criminologists basically work in private detective agencies of various countries. They can also start their own detective firms and earn good money. They can work as consultants for the organisations and mainly advise them on security measures that are to be taken by the organisations.
The BA Criminology students can further explore various career options in:
- Police Establishments
- Prison Departments
- Vigilance and Security departments of Banks and financial institutions
- Private Detective Agencies
- Law Firms
- Government and Private Forensic Science Laboratories
Recruiting Firms that hire BA Criminology students
There are many recruiting firms at both government and private sectors. Some of the top recruiters looking for the BA Criminology students are:
- Government Enforcement agencies
- Central & State Police departments
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
- Central Bureau of investigation (CBI)
- Intelligence Bureau (IB)
- Private Detective Agencies
- Central Investigating Agency (CIA)
- Human Rights Agencies
Final Words
The BA Criminology course is the new one that is offered by various universities due to the increased demands in recent days.Although the course finds more scope in abroad then India, it is best chosen for the students who are having interest towards investigating techniques and finding out the criminals.it is best chosen for the students who are having interest towards investigating techniques and finding out the criminals. They are relatively responsible to find out the real criminals and punish them under the judicial system of the country and provide justice to the victims and their families. The students who want to bring impact in the lives of crime victims can choose to join criminology and show their calibre in finding out the real culprit and ensure the safety and security of the individuals and the society.