The School of Criminology is the largest in Canada and on the Pacific Rim and is one of the leading criminology and criminal justice teaching and research centres in the world. The School has a complement of 33 full time faculty members, over 900 declared majors, minors and honours students, and 125 graduate students at the M.A. and Ph.D. levels. We also house several major research institutes and centres including the Institute for Canadian Urban Research Studies, the Centre for Restorative Justice, the Centre for Social Responsibility, and the Institute for Studies in Criminal Justice Policy. Some faculty are also members of other centres and institutes in the University such as the Mental Health, Law and Policy Institute and the Gerontology Research Centre.
The School is located in Saywell Hall on the east side of the Burnaby campus, immediately to the north of Strand Hall. The move was timely because we are growing and diversifying in keeping with our interdisciplinary teaching and research programmes, as well as our international focus.
The new building houses the recently created Centre for Forensic Research, a joint venture involving the School of Criminology, the Department of Archeology and forensic researchers from other departments. We anticipate that the Centre will become the focal point for world class research on a range of forensic science topics. We have also opened new offices at the Surrey campus of Simon Fraser University where we are offering a distinctive police studies programme with a range of degree, diploma and certificate options. We are also developing a new Master of Arts degree programme specifically designed for justice system managers. A new Master of Arts in Applied Legal Studies programme began in September 2008 and involves a unique partnership with British Columbia’s Society of Notaries Public.
We host research fellows and visiting professors from other parts of Canada and the world and during the past year had visitors from Korea, Japan, Australia, and Britain. Our faculty members are involved in a wide range of international research projects and policy consultations.
On the Burnaby campus we hope to soon supplement our regular criminology and criminal justice offerings with concentrations in areas such as restorative justice and forensics. Our new legal studies minor and diploma programmes started in September 2006 and are quickly building into key components of the School’s undergraduate programming. An undergraduate major and a graduate programme in legal studies are in the design phase.
We are also developing a programme of Cybercrime Studies at both the undergraduate and graduate levels to be offered in conjunction with our new International Cybercrime Research Centre. The Centre opened in 2008 and is supported by the Government of British Columbia.
It is an exciting time to be involved with the School of Criminology and I invite you to find out more by either visiting the Burnaby or Surrey campuses to speak with one of our advisors or by exploring the nooks and crannies of our website. If you have any questions or comments about our programming, our research centres and institutes, or our plans for growth please do not hesitate to contact my office, or the faculty and staff associated with these initiatives.
Sincerely,
Robert M. Gordon, PhD
Professor and Director