The field of forensic psychology examines the intersection between human behavior and the law. SDSU's College of Extended Studies has partnered with SDSU's Homeland Security Graduate Program to launch this comprehensive, online Professional Certificate in Forensic Psychology with an emphasis in Mental Illness Risk Management, specifically designed for individuals in law enforcement, fire and rescue, emergency management, and community organizing. It's also ideally suited for those interested in forensic psychology, homeland security, public safety, and disaster-response humanitarian assistance.

This Program is on Pause

The Professional Certificate in Forensic Psychology is on hiatus until further notice. Join our email list to receive program updates as they become available.

We look forward to once again offering this comprehensive online program to professionals who work in forensic psychology, homeland security, public safety, and disaster-response assistance.

 

About This Certificate
In recent years, it has become increasingly clear that interactions between emergency responders and the public they serve are becoming more difficult, frequently because of cultural differences and mental health challenges. This certificate enables community leaders and organizers to appreciate the community-oriented goals of law enforcement, helping to build trust and social capital on both sides, with the goal of generating real solutions. It also offers proven tools to boost resilience in the wake of natural disasters and other community traumas.

Enrolling in the Program
Enroll in the program at any time, even before registering for a course. It’s free, and offers many benefits:

  • Secure your curriculum (should the requirements change in the future).
  • See upcoming courses when you log into your student account.
  • Track your progress.

Enrolling in a program doesn’t mean you’re registered for courses. You still must register and pay for each course you wish to take.

 

Program Highlights

  • Fully online
  • Eight-week courses
  • Instructors are all content specialists with real-world experience
  • Complete in as few as six months or take up to two years

Who Will Benefit
This certificate program is specifically designed for individuals in law enforcement, fire and rescue, emergency management, and community organizing. It's also ideally suited for those interested in forensic psychology, homeland security, public safety, and disaster-response humanitarian assistance. These courses fulfill continuing education unit (CEU) requirements for some disciplines.

Certificate Requirements
To earn the Professional Certificate in Forensic Psychology, you must successfully complete two (2) core courses and three (3) electives.

Core Courses
Introduction to Mental Health
Introduction to Forensic Psychology

Elective Courses (choose three)
Cyber Psychology
Correctional and Police Psychology
Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Counter-Terrorism
Challenges and Psychological Components for Active Shooter Identification
Immigration Psychology

For more information email forensic.certificate@sdsu.edu.

Courses

2018 Fall2019 Spring2019 Summer
FPSY 0001 Introduction to Forensic Psychology

This course is intended to introduce students to the wide-ranging field of forensic psychology and is designed to consider the relationship between psychology and the law by showing how psychological research and theory can inform the legal process. This course will examine the position and responsibilities of forensic psychologists in police work, criminal investigation, investigative behavioral analysis, threat assessment, eyewitness identification, school bullying, mental defenses and competency issues, sexual abuse issues, juvenile forensics and death penalty cases, and jury selection.

Course Date(s)

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Instructors
Katherine Turner, Sara Roldan
FPSY 0002 Introduction to Mental Health

This course is intended to introduce students to the wide-ranging field of clinical psychology and is designed to consider the relationship between mental health and law. The purpose of this course is to introduce you to the major psychological disorders as we have defined them, and provide you with an overview of their primary symptoms and psychological theories. We will also discuss diagnostic issues, methods used to study psychopathology, and the major perspectives at work in psychology today.

Course Date(s)

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Instructors
Katherine Turner, Sara Roldan
FPSY 0003 Correctional and Police Psychology

In this course you will be learning about the intersection of mental health, the practice of psychology and two major forensic fields. By the end of the course you will have learned about many topics in both forensic fields including:
Police Interviews, Domestic Violence, Use of Force, Suicide and Law Enforcement, Cops in Trouble, Restorative justice, Peer support, Complex Trauma and Grief, Critical incidents, Psychological Disorders involved in crime, Types of Forensic Evaluations inmates in jail undergo, Family Crimes, Malingering, Sex Crimes, Stalking and Harassment, Death Penalty, Crime Victims and Gangs.

Course Date(s)

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Instructors
Anthony Ewing, Melissa Kastner-Treisman
FPSY 0004 Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Counter-Terrorism

Terrorism has prevailed in human society from the earliest times of our existence. Terrorism, today with all its sophistication, presents a significant problem to the security and growth of nations all over the world. The first responders and communities need to enhance their knowledge and skills through advanced education about the cultural context of the terrorism.

The Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Counter-Terrorism course teaches on how to be a competent counter terrorism strategist by learning the cultural sensitivities and eliminating the biases through the understanding of the formal concepts of culture and cross-cultural adaptation, comparative cultural patterns, and interaction among different cultures. This course further coaches on the nuances involved in defining terrorism and learning the effectiveness of counter terrorism tools and techniques by studying the examples of the international terrorist movements such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS with proper political and cultural context in South Asia and the Middle East as well as domestic terrorism and home-grown violence in the U.S.A. and Europe.

Course Date(s)

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Instructors
Sobhya Agha