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School of Liberal Arts & Education
Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice & Homeland Security
The Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice, and Homeland Security is composed of seven highly credentialed faculty members who hold terminal degrees from R1 research universities. Faculty bring diverse scholarly expertise and research interests that span sociology, criminal justice, homeland security, and related interdisciplinary fields. Department faculty are actively engaged in scholarship with publications in reputable peer-reviewed journals, they have ongoing research agendas, and faculty, along with student researchers, regularly participate in regional, national, and international conferences.
Contact
Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice & Homeland Security
Hampton University
246 Martin Luther King Hall
Hampton, VA 23668
- 757-727-5338
- david.taylor@hamptonu.edu
Department Overview
Graduates of the department are well prepared for success beyond the undergraduate classroom. Alumni regularly gain admission to top-ranked graduate programs and law schools, secure competitive internships, and obtain professional positions across multiple sectors of the criminal justice system, including law enforcement, corrections, courts, policy analysis, homeland security, and nonprofit and advocacy organizations. Through rigorous academic training, engaged scholarship, and meaningful community partnerships, the department prepares students to become thoughtful leaders, practitioners, and change agents in an increasingly complex global society.
In addition to their scholarly contributions, faculty members are deeply committed to community engagement and activism. They collaborate with local, state, and national organizations to address social justice issues, criminal justice reform, public safety, and community well-being. Faculty actively mentor students through research projects, conference presentations, internships, and experiential learning opportunities, fostering critical thinking, professional development, and civic responsibility.
Department Majors
Sociology Program
The Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice, and Homeland Security offers a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Sociology with an emphasis in social inequality and social policy. The examination of social inequality focuses on race, class, and gender inequalities and the processes through which such inequalities become embedded in societies’ social structures. Some of the sociology courses examine the consequences of economic, political, and social stratification. Other courses critically analyze social policies that address racial bias, institutionalized discrimination, poverty, crime, and community health and aging. Some major and elective courses examine the role of social policy in dismantling institutional bases of inequality.
The Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice, and Homeland Security is committed to creating a classroom structure that is conducive to learning, where students can develop their sociologic al perspective and analytical skills. Achieving this depends on offering high quality and innovative learning opportunities in our courses.
Students enrolled in the Sociology program must earn a total of 120 credit hours to earn a degree. In addition to the university’s general education and foreign language requirements (33 credits), students pursuing a B.A. in Sociology must earn 69 credits by successfully completing 23 sociology courses and an additional 18 credits by completing six elective courses. Students must earn a grade of C or higher in all major courses, ENG 101, ENG 102, and COM 103. Completion of an approved internship is also required for graduation.
Criminal Justice Program
The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Criminal Justice, housed within the Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice, and Homeland Security, is designed to prepare students for local, state, and national leadership roles related to crime and its control. The program’s interdisciplinary focus examines crime through social, cultural, political, and economic perspectives. Students are introduced to the behaviors that society seeks to control or regulate, the institutions and instruments used to achieve such control or regulation, and the methods employed to influence and modify behavior.
Criminal justice courses provide comprehensive overviews of the legal system, with particular emphasis on types of criminal behavior and the role of sociological theory in examining crime. Criminology courses offer more in-depth analyses of the causes and consequences of crime and criminal justice policies, including critical examinations of the concept of “society” as a contributing factor to crime and how institutions respond to criminal behavior.
Students enrolled in the Criminal Justice program must earn a total of 120 credit hours to earn a degree. In addition to the university’s general education and foreign language requirements (33 credits), students pursuing a B.S. in Criminal Justice must earn 69 credits by successfully completing 23 criminal justice courses and an additional 18 credits by completing six elective courses. Students must earn a grade of C or higher in all major courses, ENG 101, ENG 102, and COM 103. Completion of an approved internship is also required for graduation.
Cyber Security (Criminal Track) Program
The Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice, and Homeland Security, in collaboration with the Department of Computer Science, offers a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Cybersecurity. The Criminal Justice track is housed within the Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice, and Homeland Security. The mission of this program is to educate students who will not only become technically elite in the field of cybersecurity, but students will also develop the leadership skills necessary to lead public and private agencies in the 21st century.
Graduates of the program will: (1) acquire knowledge of cybersecurity concepts, theories, and strategies relevant to real-world case studies involving cybercrime; (2) learn the fundamentals of computer forensics; (3) develop competence in detecting, assessing, and analyzing cyber threats and vulnerabilities; (4) gain knowledge of cyber defense, national security and intelligence, cyber intelligence, and the protection of critical infrastructure; (5) understand the nature and profiles of cybercriminals and cyber gangs; and (6) comprehend the global reach and expansion of the virtual world and the contemporary politics of cyber warfare.
Students enrolled in the Cybersecurity (Criminal Justice Track) program must earn a total of 120 credits. In addition to the university’s general education and foreign language requirements, students seeking a B.S. in Cybersecurity must earn 30 credits by successfully completing ten core Computer Science and Criminal Justice courses and an additional 30 credits by completing ten Criminal Justice track courses. Students must earn a grade of C or higher in all major courses, ENG 101, ENG 102, and COM 103. Completion of an approved internship is also required for graduation.