The School of Criminology is one of 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 over 30 full time faculty members, a large number of adjunct professors and associate members, over 1,000 declared majors, minors and honours students, and more than 100 graduate students at the M.A. and Ph.D. levels.
We house several major research institutes and centres including the Institute for Canadian Urban Research Studies, the Centre for Restorative Justice, 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 northeast side of the Burnaby campus, immediately north of Strand Hall. We are growing and diversifying in keeping with our interdisciplinary teaching and research programs, as well as our international focus. Saywell Hall also houses the 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 including wildlife forensics and animal cruelty.
We have offices, and teaching and research space, at the Surrey campus of Simon Fraser University where we are offering a distinctive police studies program with a range of degree, diploma and certificate options. We are also developing a new Master of Arts degree program specifically designed for justice system managers. A Master of Arts in Applied Legal Studies program 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, Australia, the United States and Britain. Our faculty members are involved in a wide range of international research projects and policy consultations.
On the Burnaby campus we have supplemented our regular criminology and criminal justice offerings with concentrations in areas such as restorative justice and forensics. Our legal studies minor, diploma, and certificate programs started in September 2006 and are quickly building into key components of the School’s undergraduate programming. We have also developed a program of cyber crime studies at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in conjunction with our International Cyber Crime Research Centre. The Centre opened in 2008 with the support of 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.
Robert M. Gordon, Ph.D.
Professor and Director.