Criminal Psychology & Behaviour (Certificate)

• Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD), OR
• Grade 12 equivalency certificate achieved through College academic upgrading, OR
• Mature Student Status (19 years of age or older)
• You must maintain an overall average of 60% or a GPA of 2.0 in order to graduate
• A minimum of 25% of courses must be completed through Durham College.

Students are required to print or save a copy of the Program of Study when beginning the program. This document contains critical details about program progression and graduation requirements specific to the academic year in which your program was started.

Click to access the Program of Study for the current academic year.

Students who began this program prior to the current academic year may contact the Professional and Part-Time Learning office at ppl@durhamcollege.ca or 905-721-3052 to obtain your Program of Study and graduation requirements.

Program Length

• You will have a maximum of 15 semesters (5 years) from the start date of your first course to complete this program.
• The minimum amount of time to complete a program is unique to each student and based on multiple factors:
• Your capacity: How much time do you have to dedicate to your studies. A person with more time is able to take more courses each semester and complete the program faster then a student that has additional commitments.
• Number of courses in the program: The number of courses in each program differs and this is a key factor when calculating a completion timeline.
• Course pre-requisites: A pre-requisite is a course that must be completed prior to taking another course. The number of course pre-requisites in a program can play a factor in how quickly a program can be completed.
• Course availability: Not every course is offered every semester. In some instances, students may need to wait until the next time a specific course is offered and this may impact their completion timelines.

Program Cost

Professional and Part-Time Learning offers courses individually with no upfront program cost. You pay for each course when you register, and most courses cost between $350 and $400. To see the most up-to-date prices, visit the “Current Course Offerings” section on the program page and select the course of your choice. The cost will be displayed next to the “Add to Cart” button.

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be equipped to:

• Examine the psychological theories that contribute to criminal behaviour.
• Interpret how social factors (gender, culture, age, poverty, race, family history, cults), psychological factors (personality, biological, chemical), and economic factors influence criminal behaviour and co-dependency.
• Analyze and explain the use of forensic and correctional psychology and prevention methods in policing and the Canadian court system.
• Compare the various therapies used to treat violent and delinquent individuals.

Graduates may look for employment in policing in victim support, group homes or as support for lawyers working with clients who require victim support. The knowledge gained may also be of interest to individuals working in security, social work, psychology, journalism, and government or politics.

Graduates interested in further professional development may be interested in the following courses/programs:

• # Social Service Worker (Two-Year Ontario College Diploma)

Have you completed all your courses and program requirements? If so, please complete an Application for Graduation form and submit the required fee to the Office of the Registrar. For more information, visit the graduation page.