Criminology, data science and entrepreneurship majors are attracting new students.

Stacy Wittrock, Assistant Professor of Criminology, said while pop culture and true crime may be making calling attention tot he discipline, the study of criminology soberly delves into factors behind crime.

“Criminology is the study of crime and criminal behavior. We look at the social factors and also individual reasons or causes for crime and criminal behavior” she said.

Often when crime is portrayed in pop culture, the viewer learns horrifying details but not the reasoning behind crime.

Criminology seems to spark an interest in nearly every student. “I’ve had people that are interested in law enforcement, criminal law, business majors that wanted to understand the financial aspect of crime,” said Wittrock.

She said the curriculum is designed to prepare students for the workplace. “We pick up a lot of research skills that are really helpful and beneficial when an employer is looking at resumes and interview skills,” said Wittrock.

Because of this, job opportunities for this major are  diverse, she said. Graduates might choose to become police officers, agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), but also probation and parole officers who help convicted criminals reintegrate into society.

Data science, on the other hand, is designed students to work in any company that depends on data to run successfully. Data science is “a combination of statistics and computer science so students learn how to go work with businesses, analyze their problems, and figure out what the data is telling them,” said Dr. Steven Tedford, Chair of the Mathematical Sciences Department.

The major responds to a need in today’s society for those prepared to solve real world problems. The major is  the next natural step to bridge the gap between other majors, including statistics, computer science, and information technology, Tedford said.

Tedford said the ideal candidate for this major is someone who likes to solve problems using data-based solutions, and someone who likes numbers would naturally be drawn to data science.

Tedford said the interesting thing about this major is how this major works in conjunction with other majors in the Department of Mathematical Sciences. “If you are training and become a math/statistics major or any of the other ones, when you go out and get a career a lot of the time they become data analysts, data scientists, or even statistical analysts,” said Tedford.

He emphasized that the major really helps students gain strength in looking at various data sets and at the same time gain valuable knowledge that can be used universally and virtually anywhere. Thwe University offers this major major with around six online classes, making it a partly online major similar to the minor of Public Health, which is also online.

Pop culture also plays a role in calling attention to entrepreneurship, another new major attracting students. Most television viewers are aware of “Shark Tank,” the infamous  show in which  entrepreneurs pitch their product to turn their business from small to booming. The major is designed to prepare students to either start their own venture or work entrepreneurially within a company. “An entrepreneurial mindset, being intrapreneurial, is so important as we enter and look at what is important in the workforce  with changing technology and this digital age,” said Michelle Conway, Instructor of Entrepreneurship and Management.

Conway said the curriculum arms students to be successful in whatever direction they decide to pursue and adapt in the ever-changing business world. “Being able to create, innovate, and think differently and disrupt is important as we continue to move forward in society. We’re promoting students to show up as their best professional selves,” said Conway.

Conway said that anyone who has had a lemonade stand, or who has sold something in their lives, may have the “entrepreneurial itch”  within them.  She said the major is a fit for those who think with originality and are willing to take  risks to succeed.

Students may also choose a specialization in social entrepreneurship, which emphasizes the importance of community.  This major prepares students who have a passion for their own ventures, or the ability to work within a company, while simultaneously gaining valuable social skills within various disciplines, Conway said.