Criminology and Security Studies in Nigeria & Universities Offering It
It is an academic discipline that makes use of scientific methods to study the nature, extent cause and control of criminal behaviour.
Criminology is defined as the body of knowledge regarding crime as a social phenomenon. It includes within its scope the processes of making laws, of breaking laws and or reacting toward the breaking of laws. (Edwin Sutherland and Donald Cressey)
The most important areas of the course include:
- The development of criminal law and its use to define crime
- The cause of law violation and
- The methods used to control criminal behaviour.
Criminologists use objectives research methods to pose research questions (hypotheses), gather data, create theories and test their validity.
It is essentially an interdisciplinary science. Criminologists have been trained in diverse fields most commonly sociology, but also criminal justice, political science, psychology, economics and the natural sciences.
List of Universities offering it
- Bayero University Kano
- Caleb University
- Nigeria Police Academy Wudil click here to view requirements
UTME subject combination for criminology: Economics, Mathematics. Any of Government, History, Geography, Lit-in-English, French and CRK/IRK.
For Criminology and Security Studies
- Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba
- Achievers University
- Chrisland University
- Federal University Oye-Ekiti
- University of Ilorin
- National Open University of Nigeria
- Salem University Lokoja (it also offers criminology and Penology)
UTME subject combination for criminology and security studies: Economics, Mathematics. Any of Government, History, Geography, Lit-in-English, French and CRK/IRK.
People with degree in this course can go on to a variety of careers in the field which include
- Police officers
- Detective
- Federal agent
- Corrections officer
- Corrections counselor
- Criminal investigator
- Community correctional worker
- Juvenile treatment worker
- Probation officer
- Parole officer and private security/investigations
You may also require additional training and qualifications specific to the agency. Furthermore, this program prepares students who wish to seek higher degrees in justice studies or related fields.
