1. Direct Entry From High School
Criminology is a direct-entry program (direct from high school), which is available as a 120 credit Honours BA, an “unlinked” Honours (Double Major) BA, a “linked” Honours (Double Major) Interdisciplinary BA, and an Honours (Major/Minor) BA (with Criminology being the Major). Direct-entry admission to the program requires at least six Grade 12 U or U/C courses, including Grade 12 U English. The minimum average for admission to the program will normally range from 80% to 85%, to be determined on a yearly basis according to demand and available teaching resources.
If you are interested in becoming a student, please contact the Admissions Office for help with this process. Telephone: 416-736-5000, Address: Bennett Centre for Student Services.
Questions and concerns regarding the Criminology Program can be addressed to the Undergraduate Program Assistant, Telephone: 416-736-2100 x 22760 Address: Ross Building Room South 740.
2. Transfer From College or University
a) Students transferring from a College of Applied Arts and Technology (CAAT) require an overall Grade Point Average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale OR 6.0 on 9.0 scale on a minimum of 8 academic semester courses completed over 2 semesters to be eligible for admission to the Criminology program. Transfer credits for CAAT transfers will be granted according to Faculty norms. Students graduating from Police Foundations programs are typically awarded 30 transfer credits which are counted as elective credits towards the BAH degree.
b) Students transferring from another University require a Cumulative GPA of at least 6.0 (B) or equivalent. As well, students transferring from another University must have achieved at least a grade of B (6.0) in any course(s) deemed equivalent to the 1000-level Introduction to Criminology core course to be admitted to the program. Additional transfer credits will be assessed at the time of acceptance.
3. Change of Major for Current York Students
Unlike other programs or majors at York, where there are few restrictions on changing majors, becoming a Criminology major is a competitive process. This reflects the high demand for the program and thus restrictions on our ability to accommodate new students. With this in mind, each year a limited number of spots (normally 25) are made available for current York students wishing to transfer into the Criminology program. All decisions on internal transfers are based exclusively on GPA. While the cutoff varies from year-to-year depending on the strength of the applicant pool, students with a GPA of 6.5 or higher should stand a good chance of gaining acceptance to the program. Please note: Students must possess an overall GPA of at least 6.0 and have completed at least 18 credits to be eligible to apply.
The application window for the Criminology program normally runs from February 1 to May 1 of each calendar year. In order to apply for transfer to the Criminology program, students must complete the following steps between February 1 and May 1.
(1) Submit a change of major request through the registrar’s office website. Students within the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies must apply for the Summer Session. Students from other faculties (e.g. Health) must apply for the Fall/Winter Session.
(2) Send an e-mail notification to the Criminology Program Office (crimprog@yorku.ca) that you have applied for transfer into the program. Students who fail to notify the program directly via e-mail will NOT be eligible for admission.
All students will be notified of the results of the application process (via the online request system) on or before June 15. Applications submitted after May 1 will NOT be considered and students will need to wait until the following February to reapply.
All successful applicants will be required to enrol in our first year course, CRIM 1650 6.0 “Introduction to Criminology.” In addition, students may choose to take two of our required second year courses: CRIM 2652 and CRIM 2653. However, in order to move forward in the Criminology program and take additional courses, students must achieve a minimum grade of B in CRIM 1650 as well as maintain an overall GPA of 5.0 (C+) or above (this is a standard requirement for all honours students in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies). Students who do not meet either of these criteria will be removed from the program and will have to choose another major (e.g. Social Science).