The criminology and public policy concentration is focused on the contributions that criminological theory and research can make to advancing our knowledge and understanding of criminal behavior and developing effective policies of crime prevention and control.  Criminology involves the study of the nature, distribution, and causes of crime and victimization, with particular attention to measuring crime and testing theories about criminal behavior.  Our policy focus includes primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention efforts that target individuals, organizations, institutions, communities, and broad social structural and cultural change.  The concentration in criminology and public policy is multi-disciplinary: we improve our understanding of crime and its control by applying insights from the social sciences, the humanities, law, and the natural sciences.

Experiential education is the cornerstone of a Northeastern education. Anchored by our signature cooperative education program, students can choose from a variety of experiences such as working in their chosen field(s), participating in research with faculty, volunteering in the community or broadening their viewpoint with an international component such as study abroad or an international co-op. The experiences our students gain enhance the classroom discussions with living examples and augment their résumés with responsible positions.