These requirements apply to students entering UMass Amherst in Fall 2026 or later. 

Please note: There is no "double dipping" within the major, meaning that a single course cannot fulfill more than one requirement. 

7 Required Courses

2 Distribution Requirements

Students will take ONE (1) Social Inequality & Diversity elective,
and ONE (1) Culture, Organizations, & Institutions Elective.

4 Criminology, Law, and Deviance Courses

One (1) Required Course: 

  • SOCIOL 241: Criminology

Students must take One (1) of the following three courses:

  • SOCIOL 248: Conformity & Deviance
  • SOCIOL 323: Sociology of Law, OR 
  • SOCIOL 342: Deviance & Social Order

Students must take TWO (2) Criminology, Law, and Deviance Courses: