Policing (BA in Combination)

Examine the critical role and complexities of policing in modern society. Our program was created in consultation with law enforcement agencies across Canada. You’ll study relevant and current topics to modern-day policing, including diversity, ethics, and police psychology. Graduates prepare to pursue a career in law enforcement or related fields. You must combine this online program with another Bachelor of Arts program to complement your learnings in policing.

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Apply Your Learning

Make the most out of your university career by taking advantage of all that Laurier has to offer you. Volunteer work, campus clubs, leadership programs, studying abroad, work experience – there are so many ways you can extend your classroom experience into the real world.

Here are just a few examples of the experiences you’ll get in the Policing program:

  • Participate in the Policing community page online, Community Space for Policing Degree, and meet other students in your online community.
  • Attend the Criminology Students' Association Annual Conference and public Criminology lecture series to hear from industry experts.
  • Learn about Research Assistantship opportunities in your area of interest and work one-on-one with professors from your program.

Check out the Policing Experience Guide.

 

2022 graduates who secured employment or went on to postgraduate studies

 

Laurier ranks in the top 6 percent of universities worldwide*

 

students who gained hands-on learning experiences at Laurier in 2022

*Center for World University Rankings (CWUR)

Admissions

Format: full time or part time      Duration: four years     Start: September (fall term) or January (winter term) or May (spring term, Brantford only)    OUAC code: UPC (combined with a Brantford campus program); UPB (combined with Psychology, Brantford campus); UPD (combined with a Waterloo campus program); UPE(combined with Psychology, Waterloo campus)

Program Details

About Laurier's Policing Program

Our combination Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Policing program is unlike any other in Canada. Combining a BA in Policing (offered online) with another BA program in Waterloo or Brantford – such as Psychology, Criminology, Health Studies or Religion and Culture – enhances the breadth and depth of your knowledge by expanding perspectives and experiences.

Extensive consultations with law enforcement agencies across Canada helped to shape the topics covered in this program. Topics include leadership, communication, diversity, ethics and building resilience. An advisory board ensures the course material stays relevant and current.

Acquire Key Skills

The courses are designed to provide you with the skills to critically evaluate and apply different perspectives of our rapidly changing modern communities to police work experiences.

  • Analysis and interpretation to productively contribute to law enforcement policy development.
  • Application of criminological and psychological theories, and perspectives to interpret and critique law enforcement issues.
  • Refined interpersonal communication to enhance leadership skills.
  • Sharpened critical thinking abilities to analyze and understand multiple perspectives and issues encountered in the field to better serve individuals and the communities.
  • Crafting and delivery of arguments using logic and sound reasoning.

 

Program Options and Courses

Design Your Degree

You must combine this program with another Bachelor of Arts degree at Laurier, from either our Waterloo or Brantford campus. Some popular options include:

Sample Courses

  • Civil Unrest: The State's Use of Force Against its Citizens
  • Cybercrime
  • Ethics, Corruption and Policy Accountability
  • Immigration and Conflict Zones
  • Mental Health, Addiction, and Crime
  • Police Psychology
  • Reasoning and Argumentation in the Criminal Justice System
Learn more about courses offered in the Policing program.

Community Service-Learning

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Community Service-Learning (CSL) courses at Laurier integrate service in the community with what you are learning in your classes. Placements are approximately 10 weeks and take place on a weekly basis from the second week of classes to the final week, typically for two hours per week.

CSL placements consist of volunteering at a local community service, such as a soup kitchen or a children's treatment centre. It’s a great way to apply classroom knowledge and gain practical experience in your field of study. Build your resume, develop your network, and graduate with experience.

Interested? Learn more about Community Service-Learning.

Tuition and Scholarships

Getting a university education is an investment in your future.

At Laurier, we take financial health seriously by providing a wide variety of funding opportunities for you throughout your degree, such as scholarships and bursaries, and by equipping you with the skills to manage your finances effectively in the years to come.

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Your Career Awaits

Graduates of the combination Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Policing will be well positioned to function and contribute in a range of public safety professions or pursue graduate studies in policing, criminal justice, law or related disciplines.

Note: Successful completion of the combination BA in Policing does not in itself provide any guarantee of recruitment as a police constable.

Possible career paths include:

  • by-law enforcement officer
  • civilian police service worker
  • conservation officer
  • corporate security
  • corrections officer
  • customs and boarder security officer
  • fraud investigator
  • loss prevention specialist
  • military/armed forces
  • policy analyst/advisor
  • private investigation
  • probation/parole officer
  • special constable

Explore more careers.

Support After Graduation

Alumni for life means that you have access to Career and Employment Support offered at Laurier for your entire career.

Program Location

Courses for our Policing program are offered entirely in an online format. Designed to engage students in multiple formats such as student-instructor, student-content and student-student interaction, so you have significant opportunities to interact with other students in your class.

The program you choose to combine with Policing will determine whether your degree will be entirely online or if you will be required to take courses on one of our two undergraduate campuses, for example:

  • If you choose to combine your major in Policing with Human Rights, you will attend classes on our Brantford campus.
  • If you choose to combine your major in Policing with Sociology, you will attend classes on our Waterloo campus.

To better understand whether your program will entirely be online or if you will be attending one of our campuses, visit the Bachelor of Arts (BA) program page you plan to combine with your Policing major.

"I'm a retired officer after 39 years of policing in Canada. The Policing BA doesn't help my career as would be the main reason for most students. For me, the program helps me to be introspective and evaluate past successes and failures. I enjoy that I can take classes online from anywhere."

Vincent Eagan, Policing graduate