USF's Department of Criminology is ranked in the top 10 criminology programs in the United States, based on faculty productivity.

Criminology is an extremely diverse area, covering many different topics within the general study of crime and the legal system. In USF Polytechnic's bachelor's degree program, students will examine issues of law enforcement, victimology, systems of punishment, development and history of the criminal law, and the organizations that work to enforce our criminal statutes. In addition, students will explore aspects of the social world (economics, politics, education, etc.) that influence criminality. Students may decide to specialize in particular aspects of the study of crime, such as gangs, cybercrime, drugs, sexual violence, crime mapping or homicide.