Forensic Psychology
Forensic psychology is the application of behavioural science to the criminal justice system. It is a young field that has grown rapidly in popularity.
This certificate program is for those who are interested in expanding their knowledge of psychology with a unique focus on the subject’s application to the legal and criminal justice system.
Forensic psychology garners interest from both students and community members who want to learn about evidence-based practices and advance their careers. For example, prospective police officers may learn about the social cognitive science behind biased decision-making as well as the predictors of criminalization. Legal practitioners who interact with the media may benefit from learning about the mechanism behind media influence on public attitudes toward crime.
The forensic psychology certificate creates a bridge for learners to study a specialized subset of psychology, allowing them to either ladder into a full degree or apply their knowledge to the field directly.
Additionally, this certificate could be of interest to community members with career aspirations or current employment in a field related to the criminal justice system, such as police officers, correctional officers, social workers, security officers, legal staff, lawyers, policy researchers, non-profit employees, nurses, and education staff.What is Forensic Psychology?
Forensic psychology is the intersection of psychology and the law. Forensic psychology provides an important social context for the many contributors to criminal behaviour and the enforcement of laws. Core courses are based on the scientific method, providing learners with the tools for critical analysis of claims about legal practice and criminality.
This program also provides students with an understanding of responsible production and dissemination of forensic psychology research.
Quick Facts
Forensic Psychology Meet Your Faculty
Why Study Forensic Psychology at the University of Regina?
We offer the only forensic psychology education in the prairie provinces.
Few experimental forensic psychology programs exist in Canada, and even fewer have experts in eyewitness lineups, child deception, and jury decision-making, which can all be found in our program. We also have strong ties to other forensic programs, including Simon Fraser University, Ontario Tech University, and Carleton University.
Those who work in the justice system can put the skills they’ve learned into practice right away.Experiential learning
Students may see demonstrations of special equipment (such as eye-trackers) or mock trial simulations via guest lectures or lab volunteer activities.
Several courses offer community service-learning opportunities, including guest speakers, visits to courthouses, correctional centres, and more. Some of the core courses offer community-based experiential learning opportunities, such as completing volunteer work and writing a critical reflection paper.Volunteer opportunities
Students can volunteer in faculty research labs to gain experience in conducting forensic psychology research and experiments.Expert faculty members
Our faculty members’ expertise includes the following areas:
- Child development
- Deception detection
- Eyewitness memory and police lineups
- Children as victims and witnesses
- Jury decision-making
Flexibility
More than half of the courses are offered online and/or hyflex to increase accessibility and flexibility for students.Forensic Psychology Frequently Asked Questions
PSYC 321: Forensic Psychology
An overview of the field of forensic psychology. Topics include: psychology of police investigations, deception, eyewitness testimony, child victims and witnesses, juries, mental illness in court, sentencing and parole, domestic violence, sexual offenders, psychopathy, risk assessment, and special offender populations.
PSYC 322: Psychology of Criminal Behaviour
This course examines biological, personality, and social theories and empirical research in the context of understanding criminal and violent behaviour. Topics covered include: offender assessment and classification, offender treatment, criminal pathways to and desistance from crime, prevalence, and types of offenders.
PSYC 312: Psychology of the Jury
An examination of juror decision-making research from Canada and the United States. Topics may include: the CSI-Effect, perceived police legitimacy, juror selection, and emotion, in addition to other pre-trial, mid-trial, and post-trial sources of juror bias.
PSYC 360: Psychology of Deception
An examination of deception (e.g., lying, cheating) across the lifespan. Topics may include: how children learn to lie, the (im)morality of deception, methods of lie-detection and honesty-promotion across contexts (e.g., parenting, forensic, education), atypical lie-telling, and cheating. Legal and social implications will be discussed.
What Can You Do With a Certificate in Forensic Psychology?
Upon successfully completing your certificate in forensic psychology, you will be ready for the next step of your career. Some of our graduates pursue further studies, such as graduate or law school. One recent graduate of the program is now pursuing her Master of Science in Experimental and Applied Psychology.
The jobs that graduates can go on to include:- Forensic Psychologist
- Police Officer
- Forensic case manager
- Policy or government researcher
- Crime analyst
- Correction officer
- Probation officer
- Research assistant
- Victim's advocate
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