The School of Criminology was formerly known as the Department of Fundamentals of Public Security Teaching and Research, established in 1984, making it one of the earliest academic units at the university. In 2005, responding to the growing demand for crime governance professionals within China’s public security system, the University launched an undergraduate program in Criminology and founded the Department of Criminology. In 2013, following further expansion, it was reorganized as School of Criminology.
The Criminology Program is the longest-running undergraduate program of its kind in China and stands as one of the most established disciplines within the field of police science. It currently holds the status of a National First-Class Undergraduate Program and offers comprehensive education at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels. The program is designed to meet the demands of modern policing, equipping students with systematic knowledge of criminological theories, fundamental skills, and professional competencies in crime prevention and control. Graduates are well-prepared to take up roles in crime prevention and governance within public security agencies and related institutions. The School places strong emphasis on undergraduate education, continuously enhancing the quality of teaching and the development of policing professionals.
The School is among the first at the university to offer postgraduate education, having launched its master’s program in Criminology in 1997, followed by a doctoral program in 2011. In 2020, it introduced a Professional Master’s in Policing with a specialization in Crime Governance, and it now hosts a postdoctoral research station in Criminology. The School’s key research areas include: Theory and Practice of Criminology, Sociology of Crime, Psychology of Crime, and Comparative Policing. Over 1,000 master’s and doctoral graduates have gone on to make significant contributions to political-legal institutions and related sectors across China.
In recent years, the School has actively explored emerging fields, successfully establishing two micro-specializations: “Environmental, Food, and Pharmaceutical Crime Governance” and “Police Psychology and Mental Health”. It has organized an experimental program in “Spatio-temporal Analysis of Crime” and is planning a new liberal arts discipline focused on “Governance of Environmental Resources, Food and Pharmaceutical Crimes”, fostering interdisciplinary integration development of criminology.
The School of Criminology comprises 4 teaching and research offices: Criminology, Psychology, Sociology, and Fundamentals of Public Security, along with a Police Psychology Laboratory. It also operates several research and service centers including the Police Psychology Research and Service Center, Contemporary Religion and Social Security Research Center, Border Security and Safe China Collaborative Innovation Center, Food, Pharmaceutical, and Environmental Crime Research Center, and Psychology Testing Center under Institute of Public Security.
The School has over 50 full-time faculty members, including 5 doctoral supervisors. Among them are 1 recipient of the Ministry of Public Security’s special allowance, 1 National Outstanding Teacher in public security, 2 Beijing Municipal Teaching Masters, and 1 Beijing Municipal Outstanding Teacher. The School also operates 2 Beijing Higher Education Outstanding Undergraduate Education Teams and 1 Ministry of Education Curriculum Ideology and Politics Teaching Team.
In recent years, the School of Criminology has leveraged its strengths in emerging crimes, social security, police psychology, and fundamental police studies to continuously improve its teaching and research. It serves as a think tank supporting both society needs and operational policing, promotes theoretical innovation and practical application, and strives to develop into a nationally and internationally influential research hub in criminology.
