In FPAC, you will have courses from Child and Youth Studies, Psychology, and Political Science.

In year 1, you are required to register in Psychology 1F90; Child and Youth Studies 1F90; and two first year half courses in Political Science. You will also need to take two context credits, one in Humanities and one in Sciences.

In Child and Youth Studies courses, you will examine issues affecting children and youth from multiple perspectives. You will learn about the factors and experiences that can lead children and youth to engage in criminal behaviour and how the criminal justice system responds from a critical perspective.

In your Psychology courses, you will learn about the study of human behaviour including aggression and criminal behaviour. For example, how do we predict who is dangerous and how do we know who will reoffend in the future? What exactly is a psychopath and are they more likely to engage in violent crime? How do we explain why some people engage in criminal activity while others do not?

In your Political Science courses, you will find out how the criminal justice system operates. Who makes criminal law, and who is responsible for law enforcement, including policing, prosecution, and the organization and operation of the courts? How does the constitution, especially the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, shape the criminal justice system and its processes?

Link to course calendar

Context credits are required to provide you with breadth of knowledge. As a student in the Faculty of Social Sciences, you need to take one full credit (1.0) in each of the Humanities and Sciences in your first year. Below is the list of courses that count as context credits. You must choose your context credits in first year from these 2 lists (one full credit from each).

Courses with an F in the name are full credits (1.0). Courses with a P in the name are half credits (0.5; you would need 2 of these to make one full credit).

HUMANITIES

CANA 1F91 (Canadian Studies)
CLAS 1P91, 1P92, 1P93, 1P95, 1P97, 2P34 (Classics)
CPCF 1F25 (Communication, Pop Culture, and Film)
DART 1P91, 1P92, 1P94 and 1P95 (Dramatic Arts)
ENGL 1F91, 1F95, 1F97 (English)
ENCW 1P06 (English)
FILM 1F94 (Communication, Pop Culture, and Film)
FREN 1F90 (French)
GERM 1F90, 1P93 (German)
HIST 1F90, 1F92, 1F95, 1F96, 1P91, 1P97, 1P99 (History)
IASC 1F02, 1P06, 1P99, 1Q98, 1Q99 (Interactive Arts and Science)
INDG 1F90, 2F01 (Indigenous Studies)
INTC 1F90 (Intercultural Studies)
ITAL 1F90, 1P96 (Italian)
*LING 1F25 (Linguistics)
MARS 1F90 (Medieval and Renaissance Studies)
MUSI 1F10, 1P50, 1P55 (Music)
MLLC 1F90 (Modern Language, Literature, and Cultures)
PHIL 1F90, 1F91, 1F93, 1F94 (Philosophy)
SPAN 1F90, 1P95 (Spanish)
STAC 1F98 (Studies in Arts and Culture)
VISA 1P99, 1Q98, 1Q99 (Visual Arts)
WRDS 1F90, 1P06 (Writing, Rhetoric, and Discourse Studies)

SCIENCES

APCO 1P00, 1P50 (Applied Computing)
ASTR 1P01, 1P02 (Astronomy)
BIOL 1F25, 1P23, 1P24, 1P27, 1P28, 1P91, 1P92 (Biology)
CHEM 1P91, 1P92 (Chemistry)
COSC 1P02, 1P50 (Computer Science)
ERSC 1P01, 1P02, 1P92, 1P94 (Earth Sciences)
GEOG 1F91 (Geography)
IASC 1P00, 1P50 (Interactive Arts and Science)
MATH 1P70 (Math)
PHYS 1P21, 1P22, 1P91, 1P92 (Physics)
SCIE 1P50, 1P51, 1P52 (Science)

As an FPAC student, you will meet with a student advisor once per year to make a program plan that works for you.  To book an appointment with the Program Coordinator, go to my.brocku.ca, select Appointment Bookings- Academic Advising- Forensic Psychology and Criminal Justice.

Change of Major requests for current Brock University students are considered on a case-by-case basis and dependent upon space availability in the program at the time of the request. Spaces are typically reserved for new incoming students. Interested students must consult the Program Coordinator to further discuss eligibility.

If you choose to do a practicum in fourth year, you will be working for 80 hours with one of our practicum partners in the areas of law enforcement, law, and clinical/forensic. This will give you hands on experience in the field to prepare you for your chosen career path!

We have built choice into the program structure so that you will be able to choose among a variety of relevant courses depending on your interests and chosen career path. Please review the course calendar for further insight on the course program structure.

Link to course calendar

The entry requirements for FPAC are:

Minimum Average: 70%

Pre-requisites:

• English (ENG4U) (or equivalent*)

Recommended:

• One 4U math (MDM4U preferred)