The School of Criminology was established under the name of the Department of Criminology by the Board of Governors in February 1975. In 1984, it was renamed the School of Criminology. The School is responsible, through its Director, for the promotion of research and the development and delivery of programs in the field of Criminology. The first director, Dr. Ezzat Fattah, set out the goals of the Criminology program, which included the mission to contribute to public education and public enlightenment about crime and justice through the dissemination of scientific, unbiased information; accelerate the shaping of a fair, rational and responsive criminal justice system; promote understanding and co-operation between people in the social, legal and behavioral sciences, in and outside the University, through an interdisciplinary and integrative approach, through team teaching and team research, and; contribute in various ways to social development and social reform.

In December 1972, a faculty ad hoc committee recommended that graduate and undergraduate programs in Criminology be established and incorporated within the Division of General Studies. In August 1973, the Senate resolved to accept this recommendation. In 1974, Criminology was established as a program within the new Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies, before becoming a full department the next year. In 1985, the School left the Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies to become a departmental unit within the Faculty of Arts.

In 1978 the School added an M.A. program to its offerings, followed in 1984 by the addition of a Ph.D. program. In meeting its research and instruction mandates, the School has sponsored the Criminology Research Centre, whose management committee consists of members of the department. The School has also taken part in the University's Directed Independent Study Course (DISC) Program, recruiting its first Distance Education Coordinator in 1979 and offering its first DIS course in 1980. In May 1981, The Universities Council of B.C. approved the establishment of Certificate Programs (General and Advanced) in Criminology, comprised of a variety of home study courses. The School also sponsors conferences on various topics, and members of the department have attended conferences elsewhere.

The School has been organized administratively into a Director, Associate Directors, and a number of standing committees. The Director is the chief administrative officer, whose responsibilities include the management of the operational budget; faculty tenure, promotion and salary recommendations; teaching assignments; and representation of the School to external bodies. The Director reported, until 1985, directly to the Dean of Interdisciplinary Studies. The Associate Directors have been responsible for space allotment, the appointment of sessional staff, the coordination of curriculum development in graduate and undergraduate programs, and advice to the Director on specific matters. The Departmental Assistant is responsible for much of the day-to-day administration of the School, including the management of the departmental budget, the scheduling of courses, the provision of liaison with administrative offices, and advising students.

The number and composition of departmental committees has varied over time. Long-standing committees include the Undergraduate and Graduate Curriculum Committees. The School also struck various ad hoc committees when required, including those on Field Practices, Planning and Co-ordinating; Statistics; and Legal Studies.