Compare courses: Cognitive Neuroscience vs Forensic Psychology

The Bachelor of Forensic Psychological Science is an APAC-accredited undergraduate degree and Australia's first forensic psychology program at undergraduate level.

The degree examines how psychology operates within the justice system, from understanding offender behaviour to informing rehabilitation and decision-making.

Subject areas include:

• Forensic psychology 

• Policing systems 

• Corrections

• Mental health diversity and diagnosis

• Developmental psychology 

• Research methods

Learning is grounded in real scenarios, including case study analysis, report writing for legal contexts, and risk assessments used across justice and community services.

You'll develop skills in behaviour change, program evaluation and forensic report writing, capabilities that are directly applicable to your future career. 

As a graduate, you can progress to honours or postgraduate study - entry criteria apply - or move into roles across corrections, youth justice and community services, including organisations such as ACSO (Australian Community Support Organisation), Child Protective Services and Community Corrections. 

First year studies

From your first semester, you'll build practical and theoretical foundations in forensic psychology through topics such as brain and behaviour, foundations of statistics, research methods and introductory psychological science. This year develops your understanding of human behaviour, scientific thinking and evidence-based analysis while introducing forensic perspectives on psychology and the justice system. 

You'll also choose three electives from a range of psychology-related areas, from criminology and youth justice through to counselling, cyber-crime and security. A list of recommended electives curated by academic staff is available to help guide your selection.

Practical learning is embedded from the start, with industry-informed assessments and insights from guest speakers drawn from organisations including Victoria Police, ACSO (Australian Community Support Organisation), Corrections Victoria and Youth Justice Victoria. Selected guest speakers are past graduates of this degree and are now employed by these agencies.

Second year studies

In second year, you'll examine criminal behaviour, policing and criminal justice systems while developing your understanding of developmental psychology, cognition and human performance, social psychology and advanced statistical analysis. 

Your learning becomes more focused on understanding behaviour across the lifespan, mental processes and social influences, while developing analytical skills relevant to justice, rehabilitation and vulnerable populations, building the analytical and research skills you'll draw on in third year and beyond.

Learning is grounded in case-based scenarios, where you'll analyse offender behaviour, evaluate rehabilitation approaches and apply psychological theory to real justice system contexts.

Honours year entry 

If you're planning a career in professional psychology, now is the time to check the grades required for honours year entry in the Entry Requirements table above.

Third year studies

Your final year focuses on advanced forensic study and applied learning, in areas such as psychological measurement, mental health diversity, diagnosis and treatment, while undertaking a Psychology Project.

Through advanced coursework you’ll strengthen your research design, project management, scientific report writing and applied forensic psychology skills, preparing you for careers in policing, courts, corrections, youth justice and child protective services, or for further study. You’ll learn how to perform risk assessments, testify in court and write reports in forensic contexts.

To prepare for graduation, you’ll sharpen your CV with valuable recruitment advice from HR and recruitment specialists employed by agencies across the Health and Human Services sectors.

Next steps in your psychology career

After three years of study across psychology and forensic behavioural science, you'll graduate prepared for roles in policing, rehabilitation and criminal justice, as well as positions requiring strong analytical, report writing and project management skills.

If you're aiming for a career as a psychologist, you can apply for an honours year, where you'll undertake advanced study in psychological assessment, counselling and ethics, alongside an honours thesis in a specialisation of your choice.