Beginning next fall, students majoring in interdisciplinary studies will be able to declare an option for a major in criminology and criminal justice.

The decision to offer the option was made in response to “humongous student demand,” said Matthew DeLisi, assistant professor of sociology.

Iowa State has had a criminal justice minor for 21 years, but in recent years there has been increasing pressure to expand the program.

“The minor is helpful, but you still need to have a major. This would help students interested in law enforcement really focus on that,” said Katie Laumann, senior in psychology with a criminal justice minor.

The current criminal justice minor draws classes from 15 different departments.

The new option will add classes in policing, corrections and white-collar crime. To accommodate these classes, the sociology department will be adding another faculty member.

“We finished interviews last week, and hope to hire our new faculty this week,” DeLisi said.

He noted the interest in the new option has already been “pretty intense.”

“We have 277 criminal justice minors right now, and while some of them will graduate this spring, we are expecting the growth to be pretty dramatic,” he said.

Iowa State is not alone in experiencing an increase in demand for criminal justice studies.

“This is a nationwide phenomenon,” DeLisi said. “Criminal justice is the fastest-growing social science, and has been for some years.”

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, forensic science technician is one of the 10 fastest-growing occupations for college graduates.

The bureau predicts the job market to expand 36 percent by 2014.

Credit for criminology’s explosive growth centers on two areas, DeLisi said. Demographic shifts will cause many retirements in the near future, creating plenty of job openings in law enforcement fields.

“Unfortunately, crime never goes away. There will always be demand for these jobs,” DeLisi said.

Another factor responsible for growth in the field is the appeal of the subject, he said.

“It is a very interesting area, very practical. There is a great deal of intrigue, yet it is very real-world,” he said.

Laumann noted there is a wide variety of occupations for students interested in criminal justice.

“Most students are geared toward law enforcement, whether that’s probation, corrections or law school. There are so many opportunities,” she said.

Students currently studying criminal justice have felt the effects of the growing interest in their program.

“I’ve had a hard time trying to register. The classes are always full. It’s far past time they made it a major,” Laumann said.