BA/BS in Police Studies

Police Studies is offered as a minor or certificate through the School of Criminology in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Simon Fraser University. The program examines the history and development of policing, the role of police in contemporary society, and different facets of police work, including management, operational practice, discretion, the use of force, and public-police relations. It also covers forensics, cybercrime, offenders, and accountability and ethics in policing. The minor requires a minimum of 15 upper-division units on top of lower-division criminology prerequisites, while the certificate requires 18 units across six courses, two of which must come from a specified policing course list. Both options are aimed at undergraduates and serving police officers who want to focus their criminology studies on policing-related courses. Classes are delivered in person at the Burnaby and Surrey campuses. Police Studies is administered within the wider criminology curriculum rather than as a stand-alone admitted program.