Criminal justice major launching in September

The University of Maine is launching a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in September.

The degree program will be housed in the Department of Sociology and is intended to help address the continued demand for expertise in criminal justice-related work. It was approved by the University of Maine System Board of Trustees on Monday, Jan.13 during its regular meeting.

“The Sociology Department is thrilled to launch our new major in criminal justice,” said Karyn Sporer, associate professor and chair of the Department of Sociology. “This is a great opportunity for the students at Maine’s flagship campus, and it will have a positive impact on the state of Maine and beyond.”

The program will offer educational opportunities unique to UMaine, including an interdisciplinary curriculum, grounded in sociology, that explores the impacts of inequality and inequity. Students will develop strong research and data analysis skills to prepare them for employment or advanced study. 

This interdisciplinary major will bring together the full array of opportunities available at UMaine, while also enabling students to take advantage of online courses at other UMS institutions. Career opportunities the program can help students achieve include police, correction, parole and juvenile intake officer; crime analyst, border patrol agent, victim service specialist, substance abuse counselor, paralegal, security manager and occupational health and safety specialists. Additionally, the degree can provide another pathway to a law program. Ultimately, it will allow students the full experience of an R1 university campus while pursuing the study of criminal justice.

“This is a program that our students have been asking for for some time,” said Emily Haddad, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. “Our minor in criminal justice has been very popular and we’re happy to be able to offer the major here at Maine’s flagship university.”

The new program addresses the great need for people to fill criminal justice positions, both in Maine and across the country. Between May 2023 and 2024, there were 256 unique job listings covering a range of roles suitable for those with an education in criminal justice in Maine alone. Meanwhile, in the 2022-2023 academic year, the most recent year for which data are available, there were just 48 criminal justice bachelor’s degrees awarded at public institutions statewide. Introducing this program will potentially narrow the significant gap between the number of degrees awarded and the region’s market demand.

The major will be open to new first-year and transfer students, as well as to students already at UMaine. Visit the Undergraduate Admissions website to learn more about it.