Forensic Psychology Programs (BA)

This program is offered through the Departments of Psychology, Child and Youth Studies, and Political Science.

Program Director

Voula Marinos

Program Coordinator

Katie Thompson

Program Descriptions for BA (Honours) and BA (with Major)

Forensic Psychology and Criminal Justice (FPAC) approaches the study of criminal behavior and criminal justice from multiple theoretical perspectives. This transdisciplinary program will include the study of individual (psychological) factors, social and cultural factors, and factors relating to the criminal justice system and other relevant institutions. Students will take courses from the Psychology, Child and Youth Studies, and Political Science departments. Our program combines the approaches of these disciplines to the study of criminal and aggressive behaviour. Rather than assuming that a behaviour, or a system’s response to behaviour, stems from any one factor or perspective, FPAC is premised on the idea that factors across disciplines are required in order to provide more nuanced, critical, and complex understandings of behaviour and responses. Courses specific to the FPAC program include a transdisciplinary course at the 3rd year level that examines crime from multiple perspectives, a quantitative methods course (3rd year), and a qualitative methods course (3rd year).

Psychology

Students will learn about the study of human behaviour in relation to psychological theory. First- and second-year courses will provide the background knowledge needed for the third- and fourth-year courses that focus on various types of aggression, antisocial, and criminal behaviour.

Child and Youth Studies

The Child and Youth Studies contribution to FPAC is three-fold. First, the Child and Youth Studies department is, itself, transdisciplinary in nature. Students will get their first exposure to transdisciplinarity through the introductory courses that focus on multiple approaches to the study of children and youth. Child and Youth Studies courses address issues and topics that are rooted within psychology, sociology, and other theoretical perspectives. Upper-year courses in Child and Youth Studies that are included in the FPAC curriculum focus specifically on children and youth in relation to the criminal justice system. Importantly, issues are placed within broader social, economic and political contexts and the effects on marginalized social groups. These courses are taught from a critical sociocultural and criminological perspective.

Political Science

Finally, courses housed in Political Science will provide students with a background in how the criminal justice system operates. Through the required political science courses, students will also gain knowledge regarding policy and government, providing them with a backdrop for the more senior courses that focus on the criminal justice system. As in Child and Youth Studies, the Political Science department houses a wide variety of ontological, philosophical, and methodological approaches.

Program Notes

1. Students must achieve a minimum 70 percent major average and a 60 percent non-major average to receive an Honours degree.
2. To be eligible for FPAC 4F95  in Year 4, students must have completed 15 credits, achieve a minimum 80 percent major average and a minimum 75 percent achieved grade in FPAC 3P10  or FPAC 3P15 .
3. Students entering Year 2, Year 3, and Year 4 must receive academic advising to select courses. Some of the upper year courses have prerequisites that may need to be considered.
4. It is recommended that students in Honours program take POLI 1P91  and POLI 1P98 .
5. Students intending to register in  PSYC 3P32  or PSYC 4P27  need to choose CHYS 2P10  or PSYC 2P12  as one of their second-year electives. Students are encouraged to take POLI 2P13  or POLI 2P99  as one of their second-year electives.
6. Students are encouraged to take POLI 3P97  or POLI 3Q95 .
7. Students in the Honours program who opt for the fourth-year course-based pathway can choose two additional half courses (1.0 credits) on related topics (special topics courses or relevant courses from other departments), numbered 3(alpha)90 or higher, to be determined in conjunction with an academic advisor.
8. Students in the BA (with Major) program have the option to take a practicum (FPAC 4F92 ) as a fourth-year elective.
9. In 20 credit degree programs a maximum of eight credits may be numbered 1(alpha)00 to 1(alpha)99; at least three credits must be numbered 2(alpha)90 or above; at least three credits must be numbered 3(alpha)90 or above; and the remaining credits must be numbered 2(alpha)00 or above.
   
   In this 20 credit BA with Major degree program a maximum of eight credits may be numbered 1(alpha)00 to 1(alpha)99; at least four and one-half credits must be numbered 2(alpha)90 or above; at least one and one-half credits must be numbered 3(alpha)90 or above; and the remaining credits must be numbered 2(alpha)00 or above.
   
   In 15 credit degree programs a maximum of eight credits may be numbered 1(alpha)00 to 1(alpha)99; at least three credits must be numbered 2(alpha)90 or above; and the remaining credits must be numbered 2(alpha)00 or above.
   
   In some circumstances, in order to meet university degree and program requirements, more than 15 or 20 credits may be taken.