Gain a practical understanding of criminal and social justice issues in Canada and the world. Improve your analytical reasoning, critical thinking, communication skills, and information retrieval to prepare you for your future profession.

The Criminal and Social Justice program, based at Okanagan College's Penticton campus, will provide students with an Arts-based criminal and social justice education. It is a two-year, four-semester program in which students will take a variety of criminal and social justice related courses in Sociology, Psychology, Political Science and Criminology, as well as elective Arts courses of personal interest. Some fields of inquiry may include Indigenous studies, gender studies, race and ethnicity, globalization and poverty.

Students will graduate from this two-year program with a Diploma in Criminal and Social Justice and transfer into degree opportunities at other institutions in British Columbia and elsewhere, or they can move directly into the workforce, as there is growing labour demand in the field of criminal and social justice.

Students exit the program with a solid, practical understanding of criminal and social justice issues in Canada and the world, as well as the academic skills of analytical reasoning, critical thinking, communication, and information retrieval that will be applied to their future profession and academic pursuits.

This program is intended primarily to provide students with the education necessary for further study. After transfer and additional study, career options include:

Corrections Officer

Community and Probation Control Officer

Forensic Psychologist

Victim’s Assistance Worker

Youth Advocate

Police Officer