Criminology at UM: A Strategy Success Story
In just two years, UM's Criminology Bachelor’s program has emerged as one of the institution's fastest-growing majors. This fall, the program welcomed 62 new Ñý¼§Ö±²¥, bringing total enrollment to 155—already exceeding its five-year enrollment projection. The program’s rapid growth is a testament to thoughtful planning, strategic investment, and a student-centered approach.
The Foundation: Strategic Enrollment Planning
In 2021-22, UM sociology faculty, led by then department chair Daisy Rooks, put forward a proposal to develop a bachelor’s degree program in criminology with both in-person and fully online options as part of a UM Strategic Enrollment Planning (SEP) process. The SEP aimed to boost enrollment through strategic investments in high-demand programs informed by data and market analysis.
SEP proposals included conservative five-year enrollment growth projections. Those growth projections translated to revenue projections that guided investment decisions. Two years into implementation, the program has already exceeded those five-year projections.
"This an area that a lot of Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ have interest in," says Jackson Bunch, current chair of the Sociology and Criminology department. "Crime broadly is something that we as a society are very intrigued by—if not obsessed. What pulls Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ in changes over time—maybe family in law enforcement, or maybe it’s true crime. Certainly, within our popular media there’s a strong theme of crime, law, and justice that hooks people’s interest."
Design and Implementation
"Our redesigned curriculum offers a well-rounded training for Ñý¼§Ö±²¥," says Bunch. "Agencies want recruits with sensitivity to racial inequality and broader sociological insights. Our criminology degree provides that broad perspective that law enforcement values.
"We are providing Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ with more options, and they've provided positive feedback on that," Bunch adds. "A scholar here specializes in violence, particularly firearm violence, which has seen a lot of interest. Another focuses on policing, law enforcement, and race issues, and another on environmental and white-collar crime. Students are very interested in their classes."
Students are interested in part because they were involved in designing the program.
"When we were planning out the new major and thinking about how it would look, we held student listening sessions and got feedback from Ñý¼§Ö±²¥," Bunch says. "There were Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ interested in more career exploration, so we added that into our courses and created components specifically for career pathways. We made some changes based on student input, and even added new courses in response to their interests. This was something that Daisy Rooks, our former chair, helped spearhead through listening sessions because we are really a student-centered program."
Research also informed the decision to develop an online degree option to serve people who couldn't relocate to Missoula.
"People across the state wanted this option," says Bunch. "We designed the program with nontraditional, place-bound Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ in mind, but traditional Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ also like online options."
Overcoming Challenges
"High demand is a great problem to have, though it requires some adjustments," Bunch says.
One way the department has been able to adjust is through multi-year course planning that mapped out new faculty and new classes. The effort spearheaded by Rooks allows Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ to plan out their majors.
Building online courses has been another challenge for faculty in the department.
"I hadn’t taught online before, but we've had a lot of support for course development," Bunch says. "Working with the experts at UMOnline helped me understand best practices for online classes.
Developing these courses has been a multi-year effort and it's a heavy lift for everyone, Bunch says. "Post-tenure faculty aren’t usually developing four or five new courses, but that’s what we did."
Successful outcomes
The criminology program’s success is reflected in both numbers and student satisfaction.
"The Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ are really excited to have these new professors and classes that are being developed and taught with a lot more options now available to them," Bunch says. "We’re a very student-centered program, and we’re good at retaining our Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ and giving them a good experience."
Tia Zaremski, a senior in Criminology from Great Falls and leader of the Criminology Club, agrees.
"The faculty here are great," says Zaremski, "I have such great connections with them. They really have a vested interest in their work and their Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ and that really shows through. Students are really engaged and enjoy it."
Zaremski says she's always had a passion for understanding people societal influences and that’s what attracted her to the major. Her academic experience included an internship with the federal probation system that she said has opened doors for her professionally.
"Criminology has always been fascinating to me in the sense that it's just it is such a key part of our society, "she says. "My time here has really cemented my decision to study what I study. It's helped me feel really prepared to graduate and move forward."