TL;DR: BS Criminology is a four-year, 177-unit program under CHED's CMO No. 05, series of 2018, covering criminal law, law enforcement administration, forensics (Criminalistics), and corrections, plus a 540-hour, two-semester practicum in fourth year. Graduates are eligible for the Criminologist Licensure Examination (CLE) under RA 11131; passing it grants automatic PNP entrance eligibility, skipping the separate NAPOLCOM exam that non-licensed graduates still need. Entry-level PNP Patrolman and BJMP Jail Officer I base pay is ₱31,151/month under the 2026 uniformed-personnel pay schedule, before allowances.
BS Criminology is one of the most-enrolled college programs in the Philippines, and its curriculum is built almost entirely around one outcome: producing graduates ready for the criminal justice system, whether that's law enforcement, corrections, forensics, or private security. This guide covers the CHED-prescribed subjects year by year, the practicum requirement, the licensure exam, and exactly how a criminology degree turns into a PNP, BJMP, or BFP career. For the exam's full subject weights and 2026 schedule, see the criminology board exam guide; this post is the undergraduate program that leads up to it. If you're still in senior high, start with what strand for Criminology.
What Is BS Criminology?
BS Criminology is a four-year undergraduate degree that studies crime, criminal behavior, and the criminal justice system, regulated by CHED under CMO No. 05, series of 2018 ("Policies, Standards and Guidelines for the Bachelor of Science in Criminology Program"). CHED's own policy frames the program's mission as producing "professionally competent and morally upright graduates who can deliver efficient and effective services in crime prevention, crime detection and investigation, law enforcement, public safety, custody and rehabilitation of offenders, criminological research, among others."
The curriculum sits inside a College of Criminal Justice framework, and CHED requires that colleges offering it maintain specialized facilities, including a target range, forensic laboratory, moot court room, and a permanent crime scene simulation room, well beyond a standard lecture-hall setup.
Disclaimer: curriculum specifics, elective offerings, and facility quality vary by school within CHED's minimum framework. Confirm the current curriculum with your target school's criminology department before enrolling.
What Subjects Are in the BS Criminology Curriculum?
CHED's CMO 05 sets BS Criminology at a total of 177 units, the largest single component being 105 units of major courses spread across four subject clusters: criminology theory, law enforcement administration, forensics, and crime investigation/corrections.
| Curriculum Component | Units |
|---|---|
| General Education (Core + Electives + Rizal + Chemistry) | 33 |
| Physical Education | 8 |
| NSTP/ROTC | 6 |
| Professional Core Courses | 19 |
| Professional Major Courses | 105 |
| Practicum/Internship (included in Major Courses above) | 6 (540 hours) |
| Total | 177 |
The 19-unit Professional Core covers Introduction to the Philippine Criminal Justice System, Human Rights Education, Criminal Law Book 1 and Book 2, Evidence, and Criminal Procedure and Court Testimony. The 105-unit Major Courses block breaks into four clusters:
- Criminology theory (24 units): Introduction to Criminology, Theories of Crime Causation, Human Behavior and Victimology, Professional Conduct and Ethical Standards, Juvenile Delinquency and Juvenile Justice System, Dispute Resolution and Crisis/Incidents Management, Criminological Research 1 and 2.
- Law Enforcement Administration, LEA (13 units): Law Enforcement Organization and Administration (Inter-agency approach), Comparative Models in Policing, Introduction to Industrial Security Concepts, Law Enforcement Operations and Planning with Crime Mapping.
- Forensics and Crime Investigation, Forensic/CDI (48 units): Forensic Photography, Personal Identification Techniques, Forensic Chemistry and Toxicology, Questioned Documents Examination, Lie Detection Techniques, Forensic Ballistics, Fundamentals of Criminal Investigation and Intelligence, Specialized Crime Investigation 1 (with Legal Medicine) and 2 (with Simulation on Interrogation and Interview), Traffic Management and Accident Investigation with Driving, Technical English 1 and 2 (Investigative Report Writing, Legal Forms), Fire Protection and Arson Investigation, Vice and Drug Education and Control, Introduction to Cybercrime and Environmental Laws and Protection.
- Corrections, Internship, and Character Formation (20 units): Institutional Corrections, Non-Institutional Corrections, Therapeutic Modalities, Internship (OJT 1 and 2, 540 hours total), Character Formation 1 (Nationalism and Patriotism) and 2 (Leadership, Decision Making, Management and Administration).
How Long Does It Take, and What's the Practicum Requirement?
BS Criminology is a standard four-year program. In CHED's sample program of study, forensic and investigation-heavy subjects concentrate in the second and third years (Forensic Photography, Forensic Chemistry and Toxicology, Specialized Crime Investigation), while the Practicum/On-the-Job Training and Community Immersion requirement runs across both semesters of fourth year: 270 field hours per semester, 540 hours total, with 3 units credited each semester.
CHED's policy requires schools to maintain a link-up with accredited police or security training centers, DILG, NBI, PNP, crime laboratories, corrections and rehabilitation centers, probation and parole administration, and the Bureau of Immigration for practicum placement, and describes the program's distinguishing feature as students' direct contribution to "police visibility" in the community during this period. Students submit a case study or case analysis report reflecting their practicum experience, reviewed by the criminology department faculty.
Does BS Criminology Lead to a Board Exam?
Yes. BS Criminology graduates are eligible for the Criminologist Licensure Examination (CLE), administered by the Professional Regulation Commission's Board of Criminology under Republic Act No. 11131, the Philippine Criminology Profession Act of 2018, which repealed the earlier RA 6506. The law's stated policy recognizes the criminology profession's role in "national security, public safety, peace and order, and nation-building," and it governs the exam, registration, licensure, and continuing professional development for the field.
The CLE covers six subjects: Criminal Jurisprudence and Procedure, Law Enforcement Administration, Crime Detection and Investigation, Criminalistics, Correctional Administration, and Criminal Sociology, and requires a general weighted average of at least 75% with no subject below 50%. National passing rates have varied widely by administration, from roughly 30% in weaker cycles to a record 66% (30,320 of 45,936 examinees) in February 2026. For the full subject weights, 2026 schedule, and review strategy, see the criminology board exam guide.
How Do You Join the PNP, BJMP, or BFP After Criminology?
A criminology degree feeds directly into three uniformed services, but the entry path differs depending on whether you've passed the CLE.
| Agency | Path for Registered Criminologists (CLE passers) | Path for Non-Licensed Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| PNP | Board license itself serves as eligibility under RA 6506 as amended by RA 11131; no separate NAPOLCOM PNP Entrance Exam required | Must pass the NAPOLCOM PNP Entrance Exam (verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, logic, general information; passing score historically 75%); any bachelor's degree qualifies to sit for it |
| BJMP | Registered Criminologist status grants qualifying second-level civil service eligibility for BJMP recruitment | Must hold a bachelor's degree and pass BJMP's own 3-hour, roughly 160-item cognitive aptitude exam (Verbal Comprehension, Quantitative Ability, Logical Reasoning, General Information) |
| BFP | Criminologists are recognized for lateral entry into specialized/technical BFP positions under RA 9263, the BFP/BJMP professionalization law | General entry available; lateral-entry technical slots specifically favor criminology and other specialized qualifications |
All three agencies additionally require Filipino citizenship, good moral character (no conviction involving moral turpitude), an age range generally between 21 and 30 at appointment, and passing a Physical Agility Test, medical exam (including vision, hearing, dental, and BMI standards), psychological/neuro-psychiatric exam, drug test, and background investigation. BJMP typically runs its entrance exam cycle two to four times a year.
Disclaimer: agency recruitment quotas, exact age/height/weight cutoffs, and exam schedules change periodically. Confirm current requirements directly with the PNP (through the CORPS portal), BJMP, or BFP regional office before applying.
How Much Does BS Criminology Tuition Cost?
Published per-year rates from named schools give a workable range: Philippine College of Criminology charges roughly ₱29,900 per semester in tuition and fees, Arellano University's Mandaluyong campus runs approximately ₱30,000 per year, and Jose Rizal University lists roughly ₱40,600 for first year rising to ₱58,200 by second year. On the higher end, schools like Emilio Aguinaldo College run closer to ₱56,000-₱60,000 per year. Overall, private-school BS Criminology commonly falls in the ₱30,000-₱60,000 per year range, though costs run higher at premium institutions with stronger forensic lab facilities. BS Criminology is free at state universities and colleges (SUCs) under RA 10931, subject to each SUC's own admission and retention requirements.
Disclaimer: tuition figures change every school year and vary significantly by institution. Confirm the current rate directly with your target school's admissions office before budgeting.
What Careers and Pay Can BS Criminology Graduates Expect?
| Career Path | Entry Requirement | Approx. Monthly Pay (2026) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| PNP Patrolman/Patrolwoman | CLE license (auto-eligible) or NAPOLCOM PNP Entrance Exam | ₱31,151 base + allowances | DBM/EO 107, s. 2025 (MUP schedule) |
| BJMP Jail Officer I | CLE license (2nd-level eligibility) or BJMP entrance exam | ₱31,151 base (~₱45,000-₱55,000 all-in with allowances) | EO 107, s. 2025 |
| Private security/investigation | Any criminology degree, CLE preferred | ₱24,000-₱31,000 | Jobstreet (Investigator role) |
| Corrections, forensic, or research roles | CLE license typically required or strongly preferred | Not separately tracked by these sources | — |
Base pay for entry-level PNP and BJMP officers is identical under the 2026 uniformed-personnel schedule because both fall under the same Military and Uniformed Personnel (MUP) base-pay structure, set to rise to ₱32,634 in 2027 and ₱34,119 in 2028 under Executive Order No. 107, series of 2025. Allowances, including a daily subsistence allowance and hazard pay, are added on top of the listed base figure and can push total entry-level compensation noticeably higher than the base salary alone suggests.
Disclaimer: these figures combine official government pay schedules with third-party job-board estimates (Jobstreet); actual private-sector offers vary by employer, region, and experience.
Is BS Criminology Right for You?
Before committing to BS Criminology, weigh these questions:
- Do you want a direct path into law enforcement, corrections, or fire protection? The degree, and especially the CLE license, is built specifically around that outcome, and licensure meaningfully speeds up PNP and BJMP entry.
- Are you comfortable with the physical and background-check requirements of uniformed service? Age limits, physical agility tests, and psychological screening apply across PNP, BJMP, and BFP regardless of your academic record.
- Does your target school have real forensic lab and firing range facilities, or a memorandum of agreement substituting for them? CHED requires these facilities (or a formal partnership arrangement), and program quality varies with how seriously a school invests in them.
- Are you interested in non-uniformed paths instead? Forensic science, private security management, corrections/parole work, and criminology teaching are all open to Registered Criminologists without joining a uniformed agency.
For a broader framework on choosing your college course, see what course to take in college and the top in-demand courses in the Philippines.
Ready to find the right school? Browse schools or compare tuition and CLE passing rates across hundreds of Philippine colleges and universities on SchoolFinderPH.
Sources
- CHED CMO No. 05, s. 2018 — Policies, Standards and Guidelines for BS Criminology (official PDF)
- Republic Act No. 11131 — Philippine Criminology Profession Act of 2018 (Supreme Court E-Library)
- Republic Act No. 9263 — BFP and BJMP Professionalization Act (Supreme Court E-Library)
- LisensyaPrep — How to Join the PNP as a Criminology Graduate 2026
- Super Tutor — BJMP Entrance 2026 Reviewer: Format, Pipeline, 8-Week Plan
- Super Tutor — PNP Salary 2026: Start Pay + Rank Table
- Super Tutor — BJMP Salary 2026: Jail Officer I Pay Table
- Jobstreet Philippines — Investigator Salary
- SchoolFinderPH — Criminology Licensure Exam (CLE) Guide 2026
- SchoolFinderPH — Best Criminology Schools in the Philippines 2026
