You might also want to look into related occupations such as Probation/Parole Officer. In Canada the minimum education standard is a bachelor's degree in social work, criminology, psychology, sociology or other another social science. This might be a great option, especially if persuing further education is not of interest. Other related careers include Social Worker, Psychiatric Nurse, or in keeping with forensics- Forensic Social Work and Forensic Nursing.
Mar 26, 2010 Rating
Alternative path by: Anonymous
Just wanted to mention that if you are not interested in getting into Clinical psychology (you may not have the research experience, volunteer work, etc.) Carleton University in Ottawa, UBC, and Queens offer forensic psych programs. Although forensic psychology is of a clinical nature, entering into a clinical psychology program as opposed to a forensic psychology program is much more competitive. Clinical psyc requires high honours standing, research experience, high GRE scores, volunteer work, and even then you're looking at about a 3-7% acceptance rate.
If you're willing to go to the states they have a PsyD which is based on a prractitioner-scholar model (therefore there is much less emphasis on research). Definitely something to consider if you want to get more experience. Canada has been slow in developing forensic psychology programs and has just opened its first PsyD program in NFLD...unfortunately it's strictly clinical work with no opportunity for a specialization in forensic.
Jan 09, 2010 Rating
Help finding information by: EAPL-S
See the following two websites for information on Forensic Psychology in Canada and Internationally. The EAPL-S is european-based, but is also active in Canada, Australia and Mexico. Feel free to contact either of these organizations for more information.
The forensic group at UBC: www.itssimple.ca/forensicgroup
European Association of Psychology and Law student society
www.eaplstudent.com
Good luck!
Jan 23, 2009 Rating
Much more education by: Anonymous
Yes, you will definitely need more education in order to get into the field of forensic psychology - or any psychology, as a matter of fact.
You will need at least your Masters, and most likely your PhD. (Some provinces allow you to practice with your Masters alone.)
Forensic psych is a specialization in clinical psychology. In order to get into a graduate school in clinical psych, you will need research experience (an Honours degree or independent studies are recommended), a GPA of 3.3 or higher, 3 letters of recommendation from psychologists, a personal statement, and often GRE test scores.
