CriminologySubject regulations

Criminology is the study of crime, the investigation of the causes of criminal behaviour, and of society’s response to it.

Criminology is available as a first major for the Bachelor of Social Sciences (BSocSc). Criminology may also be taken as a second major or minor in other undergraduate degrees, subject to approval of the Division in which the student is enrolled.

To complete Criminology as a single major for the BSocSc, students must gain 135 points from papers listed for Criminology, including 105 points above 100 level, and 60 points above 200 level. Students must complete CRIMN101, SOCIO102, SOCIO204, CRIMN300, CRIMN301, SOCIO311, and SOCPY303.

To complete Criminology as part of a double major for the BSocSc, students must gain 120 points from papers listed for Criminology, including 90 points above 100 level, and 45 points above 200 level. Students must complete CRIMN101, SOCIO102, SOCIO204, CRIMN300, CRIMN301, SOCIO311 or SOCPY303.

To complete a minor in Criminology, students must complete 60 points from CRIMN101, SOCIO102, SOCIO204, CRIMN300, CRIMN301, SOCIO311 or SOCPY303.

Other qualifications

Prescriptions for:

A Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma are available to graduates who have not included Criminology at an advanced level in their first degree.
For further details, contact the Division of Arts, Law, Psychology and Social Sciences Office.

Criminology papers

Code and paper title	Points	Occurrence/Location The study locations.
CRIMN101Criminology and Social Justice in New Zealand This paper provides an introduction to criminology. It emphasizes the interrelation of crime, punishment, and the mass incarceration of Māori in New...	15	25B (Hamilton) & 25B (Secondary School - Unistart) & 25B (Tauranga)
CRSCI101Crime Science and Prevention This paper introduces the topics, theories, and approaches that make up Crime Science. The central focus is on understanding crime.	15	25B (Hamilton) & 25B (Online) & 25B (Secondary School - Unistart)
FPSYC101Forensic and Criminological Psychology This paper introduces students to forensic psychology and encompasses a wide range of topics derived from the intersection of psychology with the...	15	25A (Hamilton) & 25A (Online) & 25A (Secondary School - Unistart)
HISTY107Aotearoa Histories: Past and Future This introductory paper provides students with an overview of Aotearoa New Zealand's histories through hundreds of years of Māori and Iwi history and...	15	25A (Hamilton) & 25A (Secondary School - Unistart)
MAORI150Te Tiriti o Waitangi: An Introduction to the Treaty of Waitangi This paper seeks to provide a sound understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It reviews historical and contemporary interpretations and takes into...	15	25A (Hamilton) & 25A (Tauranga) & 25B (Hamilton) & 25I (Hamilton) & 25X (Hamilton)
PACIS100Introduction to Pacific Histories, Languages and Cultures This paper introduces students to foundational elements of Pacific Studies, including various histories, languages and cultures and their importance...	15	25A (Hamilton) & 25A (Secondary School - Unistart)
PHILO106Social and Moral Philosophy An investigation of contemporary moral and social issues from a practical ethics perspective. Issues may include abortion, animal welfare...	15	25A (Hamilton) & 25A (Online) & 25A (Tauranga)
SOCIO102The Sociology of Crime, Deviance and Social Justice This paper provides students with an introduction to criminology and the criminal justice system, with a focus on the New Zealand context.	15	25A (Hamilton) & 25A (Tauranga)

Code and paper title	Points	Occurrence/Location The study locations.
CRSCI201Crime Patterns and Analysis The focus of this paper is on crime as a potentially preventable event. Crimes occur in a patterned way that is partly determined by situational...	15	25A (Online)
FPSYC201Psychological Criminology Crime is a result of how people think, feel, and behave within their ecological context, making psychology one of the core disciplines in...	15	25B (Online)
GEOGY219Māori Lands and Communities This paper introduces students to Māori geographical perspectives and examines key events that shape Māori communities and their relationships to...	15	25B (Hamilton)
LEGAL205Foundations in Legal Studies A paper to provide students with a basic understanding of the New Zealand legal system, and an introduction to the law of torts, contract, agency...	15	25A (Online)
PACIS200Pacific Migration, Diaspora and Identity This paper looks at the various socio-historic influences on migration in the Pacific and the relationship between Indigenous cultures of origin and...	15	25B (Hamilton)
PSYCH206Social Psychology and Development Social psychology topics include group behaviours, social relationships, and helping and hindering others. Developmental psychology investigates why...	15	25B (Hamilton) & 25B (Tauranga)
SOCIO204Punishment, Society and Social Justice This subject will provide students with a critical understanding of the theoretical, political and policy issues associated with societies' response...	15	25B (Hamilton)
SOCPY200Social Policy and Social Issues The paper continues the study of social policy at 200 level. The focus of this paper is on the welfare state, the policy cycle as well as social...	15	25A (Hamilton) & 25A (Online)

Code and paper title	Points	Occurrence/Location The study locations.
CRIMN300Drug Policy: Health and Harms in Aotearoa New Zealand This paper provides an overview of the debates surrounding the regulation of illicit drugs in Aotearoa New Zealand, with explicit reference to the...	15	25B (Hamilton)
CRIMN301Criminology The paper overviews criminological approaches to the study of crime, causes of criminal behaviour, and society’s responses, developing familiarity...	15	25B (Online)
FPSYC301Correctional Psychology: Theory, Research and Practice This paper examines the application of psychological theory, research and practice to the operation of correctional systems and their various roles...	15	25B (Online)
GNSEX303Intersectionalities: Identities and Inequalities This paper provides a comprehensive review of the historical context for understanding contemporary issues of race, gender, sexuality, and social...	15	25A (Hamilton)
HISTY302Blood, Land, DNA: Contemporary Indigenous Histories and Archives This paper explores critical questions about power, sovereignty, and belonging in contemporary Indigenous history, focusing on Aotearoa, the Pacific...	15	25B (Hamilton)
LEGAL301Crimes The general principles of criminal liability.	30	25D (Hamilton) & 25D (Tauranga)
MAORI303Critical Indigenous Theory This paper looks at the key theoretical influences, from Marxism to post-structuralism, upon critical Indigenous studies and the most significant...	15	25B (Hamilton)
PSYCH302Community, Culture and Diversity The focus of this paper is the study of social justice, intersectionality, transformative interventions, and social change strategies that are...	15	25B (Hamilton) & 25B (Tauranga)
SOCIO311Current Issues in Crime Control and Social Justice This paper examines sociological explanations for criminal behaviour and examines issues within criminal justice.	15	25G (Online)
SOCPY303Critical Feminism and the Prison State This paper employs anti-carceral feminist theories and frameworks to explore the phenomenon of mass female imprisonment across nation states, with a...	15	25A (Hamilton) & 25A (Online)

2025 Catalogue of Papers information current as of 9 Apr 2025 01:00am

CriminologySubject regulations

Other qualifications

GradCert(Crim) and GradDip(Crim)

Criminology papers