California has few bachelor’s degrees formally titled forensic psychology. The clearest current options are broader bachelor’s degrees with a Forensic Psychology concentration, primarily at Touro University Worldwide and California Baptist University. Several other California institutions offer closely related degrees in forensic behavioral science, psychology and law, criminal behavior, or general psychology with forensic coursework.
The title on the degree is only part of the decision. A psychology-based curriculum usually provides better preparation for psychology graduate programs because it emphasizes statistics, research methods, development, cognition, personality, and abnormal psychology. A criminology or criminal justice curriculum places more weight on courts, corrections, criminal behavior, law, investigation, and justice agencies.
Neither route qualifies a graduate to practice as a forensic psychologist in California. Psychologist licensure requires a qualifying doctoral degree, supervised professional experience, and state-required examinations. A bachelor’s program is the beginning of that education path, not a professional license.
This guide focuses on programs operated by California-based institutions. It includes direct forensic psychology concentrations, closely related behavioral programs, and selected adjacent degrees with enough forensic or psychology-and-law content to merit comparison. General psychology degrees containing only an isolated forensic elective are not treated as direct matches.
California bachelor’s programs at a glance
| Institution | Awarded degree or pathway | Forensic designation | Format | Forensic or related coursework | Practical or research component |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Touro University Worldwide | BA in Psychology | 12-credit Forensic Psychology concentration | Fully online, no residency | Forensic Psychology, Applied Social Psychology, Criminal Behavior, Psychology and the Law | No required internship or campus residency identified |
| California Baptist University | BA in Psychology | Optional Forensic Psychology concentration | Riverside campus; an online Psychology BA is also listed | Forensic Psychology, psychopathy, social psychology, adolescent and adult development | Multi-semester research capstone and presentation |
| California Baptist University | BA in Behavioral Science | Optional Forensic Psychology concentration | Riverside campus | Interdisciplinary behavioral science plus forensic concentration | Field experience or capstone |
| California Baptist University | BA in Sociology | Additional Forensic Psychology concentration | Riverside campus | Sociology, culture, social systems, forensic psychology, psychopathy | No concentration-specific internship identified |
| California Baptist University | BA in Christian Behavioral Science | Optional Forensic Psychology concentration | Traditional pathway listed in the catalog | Psychology, sociology, anthropology, theology, and forensic courses | No forensic internship identified |
| California State University, Fresno | BS in Forensic Behavioral Science | Closely related named degree | Primarily campus-based in Fresno | Psychology of crime, forensic neuroscience, law, evidence, clinical-forensic foundations | Optional internship, research lab, mock trial, honors, and service learning |
| Azusa Pacific University Global | BA in Applied Psychology | 15-credit Criminal Behavior concentration | Fully online | Criminal Psychology, Forensic Psychology, adolescent psychology, conflict management, group processes | Two-course applied psychology capstone |
| Azusa Pacific University Global | BS in Criminal Justice | 15-credit Criminal Behavior concentration | Fully online | Criminal and forensic psychology plus criminal law, investigation, corrections, and forensics | Senior project or capstone |
| University of California, San Diego | Clinical Psychology BS or Experimental Psychology BS | Forensic preparation through course planning | Campus-based in La Jolla | Psychology and the Law, criminology, assessment, decision-making, neuropsychology | Two research courses required |
| University of California, Riverside | Psychology-Law and Society BA | Interdisciplinary psychology-and-law degree | Campus-based in Riverside | Psychology, legal institutions, law, and society | No program-specific placement identified in the reviewed materials |
| National University | BA in Psychology | Forensic Psychology elective | Online delivery emphasized | General psychology core plus one forensic elective | Senior project; eligible students can take two graduate forensic science courses |
The direct-match category is small. Touro offers the clearest fully online concentration, while California Baptist University allows the same named concentration to be attached to several different base majors. Fresno State and Azusa Pacific University Global provide substantial related coursework without formally calling the option a Forensic Psychology concentration.
Touro University Worldwide BA in Psychology with a Forensic Psychology concentration
Touro University Worldwide, based in Los Alamitos, offers a 120-credit BA in Psychology with a 12-credit Forensic Psychology concentration. The degree is entirely online, has no residency requirement, and uses eight-week sessions with six start dates each year. Touro University Worldwide is institutionally accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission.
The four concentration courses are:
- Forensic Psychology
- Applied Social Psychology
- Criminal Behavior
- Psychology and the Law
Together, these courses address subjects such as eyewitness testimony, interrogation, competency, insanity defenses, jury decision-making, psychopathy, substance abuse, criminal behavior, and mental health courts. The concentration is compact, but every course has a clear connection to psychology, law, or criminal behavior.
The surrounding psychology major matters as much as the concentration. Touro’s BA requires 39 credits in core psychology study, along with general education and electives. That broader psychology foundation is more relevant to psychology graduate admission than a degree built primarily around policing or corrections.
The program’s main practical advantage is delivery. There is no required campus visit, laboratory residency, or internship identified in the current curriculum. Applicants balancing work, caregiving, military service, or distance from a campus can complete the academic requirements online. Touro also permits up to 90 semester credits to transfer under its transfer policies, which may substantially shorten the route for someone arriving with community college or prior university credit.
Admission can be based on a high school diploma, GED, or transfer status in good academic standing. The university displays undergraduate tuition of $280 per semester credit after scholarship. Because that figure depends on scholarship treatment, it is not an unconditional tuition rate and should not be multiplied by 120 credits to produce a guaranteed degree price. Transfer credit, scholarship eligibility, fees, and the number of credits completed at Touro all affect the actual amount.
This program is the most direct fully online match among the verified California-based options. Its limitation is practical exposure. The current program materials do not list a required internship, supervised field placement, or in-person research experience. Someone planning a research-intensive PhD or PsyD application would benefit from adding research work, statistics beyond the minimum, or relevant community experience outside the concentration.
Touro states that the degree does not lead to licensure or certification. It can provide undergraduate preparation for graduate education and for bachelor’s-level positions that use research, communication, behavioral knowledge, or justice-system familiarity, but it does not authorize psychological assessment, diagnosis, psychotherapy, or independent forensic practice.
California Baptist University’s Forensic Psychology concentration pathways
California Baptist University offers more than one route into its undergraduate Forensic Psychology concentration. The current catalog associates the concentration with Psychology, Behavioral Science, Sociology, and Christian Behavioral Science. Those combinations share forensic courses, but they produce materially different academic foundations.
The concentration includes:
- Developmental Psychology: Adolescence and Adulthood
- Introduction to Forensic Psychology
- Psychopathic Mind
- Social Psychology
It is listed as 12 to 15 units. At least 12 concentration units must be distinct from the base major. Because Social Psychology can also appear in a major’s requirements, an individual degree plan may need another approved course to preserve the required number of distinct concentration units.
CBU’s traditional undergraduate tuition for 2026-2027 is $42,264 for a full-time student taking 13 to 18 units per semester. Listed annual fees are $2,460. The university’s estimated annual residential cost is $57,942 before financial aid, including shared housing and the minimum meal plan. These figures describe different cost categories: $42,264 is tuition, $44,724 combines the listed tuition and fees, and $57,942 is a broader residential estimate.
Psychology BA with a Forensic Psychology concentration
The Psychology BA is the most conventional CBU option for someone planning graduate education in psychology. The major covers research methodology, statistics, lifespan development, personality, tests and measurement, cognition, abnormal psychology, counseling, social psychology, psychophysiology, and the history and systems of psychology.
Psychology majors also complete a research capstone extending across multiple semesters and present their findings. Research-assistant opportunities may be available. That research sequence has greater value for graduate preparation than the concentration label alone because doctoral programs often assess quantitative preparation, research experience, writing ability, faculty fit, and familiarity with psychological literature.
The forensic concentration then adds focused study of legal applications, psychopathy, social behavior, and adolescent and adult development. This is a psychology-first route. It provides more direct coverage of standard psychology domains than CBU’s Sociology or Behavioral Science alternatives.
The curriculum does not list a required forensic placement. The practical emphasis is instead on the research capstone. Someone aiming for victim services, offender rehabilitation, court-related research, or later forensic psychology study could pair the capstone with a relevant research question or seek experience in a community agency. The degree itself does not prepare a graduate to perform court-ordered evaluations or practice as a psychologist.
CBU is a Christian university, and its undergraduate education incorporates a Christian worldview. That institutional context is a substantive feature of the academic experience, especially in behavioral science and psychology courses that address human development, ethics, counseling, and social behavior.
Online Psychology BA pathway
CBU’s 2026-2027 catalog lists a separate Psychology BA Online and also contains the undergraduate Forensic Psychology concentration requirements. The online psychology curriculum includes statistics, research methods, lifespan development, personality, testing and measurement, cognitive psychology, abnormal psychology, counseling, social psychology, psychophysiology, and a capstone.
The catalog does not clearly establish that every forensic concentration course will be offered online on a predictable rotation. The evidence therefore supports describing the online Psychology BA and the concentration as current catalog options, but not promising that the full concentration can always be completed online without scheduling constraints.
The listed 2026-2027 online undergraduate tuition is $541 per unit, plus applicable online general fees. That rate differs from CBU’s traditional semester pricing. The online route could be less expensive than the residential pathway depending on transferred credit, annual course load, fees, and aid, but the available figures do not support a universal total-price comparison.
Behavioral Science BA with a Forensic Psychology concentration
CBU’s Behavioral Science BA combines anthropology, psychology, and sociology. Its base curriculum includes statistics, research methodology, personality, lifespan development, abnormal psychology, social problems, and related behavioral science study.
This interdisciplinary structure approaches behavior at several levels. Psychology addresses individual cognition, development, and personality. Sociology examines groups and institutions. Anthropology adds culture and human variation. The forensic concentration then applies selected psychological ideas to crime and legal settings.
Behavioral Science majors complete either a supervised field experience or a capstone. The field experience can add practical exposure to human services, community programs, research, or behavioral work, although a forensic placement is not guaranteed. That choice gives this pathway a different practical structure from CBU’s Psychology BA, where the multi-semester research capstone is central.
The Behavioral Science BA aligns well with broad interests in victim programs, offender services, social services, community agencies, and behavioral research. A student targeting a psychology doctorate needs to compare the degree’s psychology coverage with the prerequisites of intended graduate programs. Some doctoral programs expect particular laboratory, biological psychology, cognition, measurement, or advanced statistics courses that an interdisciplinary degree may not include to the same depth.
Sociology BA with an additional Forensic Psychology concentration
CBU’s Sociology BA examines social structures, sociological theory, culture, social problems, research, and group behavior. Students complete the required Cultural Sociology concentration, with Forensic Psychology available as an additional concentration.
This route approaches crime and legal behavior primarily through social context. It is better aligned with questions about institutions, communities, inequality, group dynamics, corrections, and policy than with clinical assessment or individual psychological treatment.
The additional concentration requires at least 12 upper-division units distinct from the sociology major. Because it is added beyond the required Cultural Sociology concentration, this pathway can involve more planning and potentially more coursework than attaching forensic psychology to a base major with less overlap.
A sociology foundation can support work or graduate study related to criminology, corrections, victim services, policy analysis, or justice research. It is less direct preparation for graduate psychology than a psychology major unless the student adds enough psychology, statistics, and research coursework to meet the target program’s prerequisites.
Christian Behavioral Science BA with a Forensic Psychology concentration
The Christian Behavioral Science BA integrates psychology, sociology, anthropology, political science, theology, and Christian studies. Its forensic concentration uses the same general course set in development, forensic psychology, psychopathy, and social psychology.
This is a faith-integrated behavioral science degree rather than a conventional psychology major. It may suit someone who wants to study behavior, crime, and human services within CBU’s explicitly Christian academic framework. The current catalog confirms the pathway, although the public-facing materials provide fewer delivery and program details than they do for the Psychology and Behavioral Science degrees.
The reviewed catalog does not identify a required forensic internship. Applicants planning research-intensive clinical or forensic psychology graduate education should compare the degree’s methods, statistics, laboratory, and psychology course coverage with the admission requirements of intended doctoral programs.
Fresno State BS in Forensic Behavioral Science
California State University, Fresno offers a 52-unit BS in Forensic Behavioral Science through its Department of Criminology. The title is closely related to forensic psychology, but the degree is not a Psychology BS. It combines behavioral science with a substantial criminal justice foundation.
Required coursework includes:
- Administration of justice
- Criminal law
- Statistics
- Criminology
- Forensic evidence
- Ethics
- Psychology of crime
- Forensic neuroscience
- Forensic behavioral science and law
- Foundations of clinical forensic practice
- Research methods
Students also select specialized Forensic Behavioral Science electives and general electives. Available specialized subjects include interviewing and interrogation, violence risk, forensic case formulation, and treatment planning.
The degree offers broader justice-system coverage than a standard psychology major. Students examine law, evidence, criminal behavior, ethics, and justice administration alongside behavioral topics. That blend can be useful for careers or graduate programs connected to corrections, victim advocacy, behavioral research, law enforcement, legal services, or offender programs.
Fresno State also offers an elective internship, a Forensic Behavioral Science Research Lab, honors opportunities, mock trial, service learning, and department activities. The internship is not a universal degree requirement. A student can therefore complete the major without a formal placement, while someone seeking practical exposure can pursue the elective or participate in related department work.
The department directly cautions that students are unlikely to perform professional forensic behavioral science work without a graduate degree. It identifies possible bachelor’s-level roles such as research analyst, paralegal, behavioral technician or specialist, police officer, correctional officer, and victim advocate, all subject to the qualifications and training set by individual employers.
For 2026-2027, Fresno State lists annual undergraduate tuition of $6,838 and campus fees of $1,796 for a full-time California resident. Housing, food, books, transportation, and personal costs are separate. The tuition and fee amount should not be compared directly with CBU’s residential cost estimate because the CBU figure includes selected living expenses while Fresno State’s $8,634 combined figure covers only listed tuition and campus fees.
Fresno State is a strong fit for a student who wants criminal justice and behavioral science in one degree. A future psychology doctoral applicant may need more psychology laboratory or core-domain coursework than the major requires. In contrast, someone interested in justice agencies, corrections, behavioral casework, victim advocacy, or criminology may find its law and criminal justice content more directly relevant than a traditional psychology BA.
Azusa Pacific University Global BA in Applied Psychology with a Criminal Behavior concentration
Azusa Pacific University Global offers a fully online, 120-credit BA in Applied Psychology. Its recommended 15-credit Criminal Behavior concentration includes both Criminal Psychology and Forensic Psychology, but the concentration is formally titled Criminal Behavior.
The five concentration courses are:
- Criminal Psychology
- Forensic Psychology
- Adolescent Psychology
- Conflict Management
- Group Processes
Criminal Psychology examines psychological explanations of criminal conduct and psychopathology. Forensic Psychology covers applications of psychology to law and legal processes, including research, ethics, culture, and legal institutions.
The underlying Applied Psychology major includes statistics, research methods, personality theory, social psychology, cognition, physiological psychology, cultural psychology, professional ethics, interviewing and counseling techniques, and a two-course capstone. Compared with a general psychology degree containing one forensic elective, this pathway provides a larger, more coherent block of criminal behavior and legal psychology coursework.
The program is fully online and uses eight-week courses with multiple annual start dates. No required campus residency or forensic field placement appears in the reviewed catalog. The two-course applied psychology capstone supplies an integrative academic experience, but it is not the same as a supervised clinical placement.
Azusa Pacific University Global is institutionally accredited by WSCUC. It was known as Los Angeles Pacific University before adopting its current name in September 2026, and it remains separately accredited from Azusa Pacific University.
The published 2026-2027 undergraduate tuition rate is $535 per credit. That figure is tuition rather than total cost of attendance. Transfer credit, fees, books, annual enrollment, and aid will affect the actual cost.
This route is better aligned with graduate psychology preparation than the university’s Criminal Justice BS because the major includes a broader psychology foundation. It still does not qualify a graduate for psychologist licensure or independent forensic practice.
Azusa Pacific University Global BS in Criminal Justice with a Criminal Behavior concentration
The university also recommends the Criminal Behavior concentration with its 120-credit BS in Criminal Justice. The concentration courses are the same, but the base major changes the degree’s academic emphasis.
The criminal justice core covers criminology, criminal law, adjudication, investigation, corrections, constitutional law, forensics, research methodology, risk analysis, professional writing, and a senior project. Criminal Psychology and Forensic Psychology add a behavioral dimension, while the remaining concentration courses address adolescence, conflict, and group processes.
This is primarily a criminal justice degree. It is better suited to interests in courts, corrections, probation, investigation, public safety, or justice administration than to psychology doctoral preparation. It includes less general psychology depth than the Applied Psychology BA and is not a forensic psychology degree.
No required internship, clinical placement, or campus residency appears in the reviewed catalog. The program uses the same fully online, eight-week structure and the same published $535-per-credit undergraduate tuition rate.
Research-oriented and psychology-and-law alternatives
A named concentration can organize electives into a clear theme, but it is not the only undergraduate route into graduate forensic psychology. Research-intensive psychology degrees can provide stronger preparation in statistics, experimental design, scientific writing, and faculty-supervised research. Those elements frequently carry more weight in graduate admission than a concentration title.
UC San Diego Clinical Psychology BS or Experimental Psychology BS
UC San Diego does not present a named forensic psychology bachelor’s degree. Its Department of Psychology recommends the Clinical Psychology BS specialization or the Experimental Psychology BS to undergraduates interested in forensic psychology.
Both fall 2026 curricula include natural science, mathematics or formal skills, computer programming, statistics, research methods, and hands-on research. Students complete two research courses and a substantial upper-division psychology curriculum.
Relevant electives include:
- Psychology and the Law
- Criminology
- Clinical Assessment and Treatment
- Clinical Neuropsychology
- Social Psychology
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Memory
- Social Cognition
- Drugs and Mental Disorders
- Impulse Control Disorders
The Clinical Psychology BS offers a more direct connection to psychopathology, assessment, and treatment topics. The Experimental Psychology BS emphasizes scientific psychology and research design. Either can support forensic psychology graduate preparation when paired with law-and-psychology electives, relevant research, and suitable field experience.
UCSD’s structure is especially useful for a student pursuing a research-focused PhD. The degree requires deliberate planning because no formal forensic concentration appears on the transcript. The tradeoff is between title recognition and scientific depth: Touro or CBU supplies the named concentration, while UCSD supplies extensive quantitative, scientific, and research preparation.
UC San Diego uses cohort-based tuition. For students first enrolling in 2026-2027, the published quarterly systemwide tuition is $4,734 and the student services fee is $462, before campus-based fees. Nonresident supplemental tuition is listed separately at $13,090 per quarter.
UC Riverside Psychology-Law and Society BA
UC Riverside’s Psychology-Law and Society BA combines psychology with the study of legal and law-like institutions. It is an interdisciplinary psychology-and-law degree, not a forensic psychology concentration or clinical training program.
The program is relevant to legal psychology, criminology, public policy, law and society, and research on legal decision-making or institutions. It may also support later graduate work involving psychology and law. The curriculum should not be read as training to conduct clinical forensic assessments.
No program-specific internship or clinical requirement was identified in the reviewed materials. The degree’s value lies in its interdisciplinary academic framework rather than a required professional placement.
National University BA in Psychology
National University offers a 120-credit BA in Psychology with online delivery emphasized and monthly starts. The degree covers statistics, research design, biological psychology, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, personality, social psychology, psychopathology, and a senior project.
Forensic Psychology is available as an upper-division elective, but no current undergraduate Forensic Psychology concentration was verified. The degree therefore belongs in the adjacent category rather than beside Touro or CBU’s named concentrations.
Eligible students nearing graduation may take two Master of Forensic Science courses through a bachelor’s-to-master’s transition option. Forensic science and forensic psychology are different disciplines, however. A graduate forensic science course may address evidence, investigation, or laboratory applications rather than the psychological study of law and behavior.
National University offers flexibility and a conventional psychology foundation, but its forensic specialization is limited at the undergraduate level. It fits a student who wants a broad psychology degree with one forensic course more than someone seeking a structured sequence in criminal behavior and psychology-law topics.
Psychology-first versus criminal-justice-first preparation
The base major has a larger effect on academic preparation than the presence of one forensic course.
Psychology-first programs
Touro’s Psychology BA, CBU’s Psychology BA, UCSD’s psychology BS options, National University’s Psychology BA, and APU Global’s Applied Psychology BA generally emphasize:
- Statistics and research methods
- Developmental psychology
- Social psychology
- Personality
- Cognition
- Biological or physiological psychology
- Abnormal psychology or psychopathology
- Psychological theory
- Academic research and scientific writing
These subjects align more closely with common psychology graduate prerequisites. They also build the foundation needed to understand assessment research, mental health, human development, memory, decision-making, and behavior.
UCSD has the strongest explicit scientific and hands-on research structure among the programs reviewed, while CBU requires a multi-semester research capstone. Touro provides the clearest fully online named concentration but does not list a required internship or research residency. APU Global combines online applied psychology with five courses in criminal behavior and related subjects.
Criminal justice and behavioral science programs
Fresno State’s Forensic Behavioral Science BS and APU Global’s Criminal Justice BS place more emphasis on:
- Criminal law
- Courts and adjudication
- Corrections
- Investigation
- Criminology
- Justice administration
- Evidence
- Interviewing
- Professional writing
- Risk, violence, and offender behavior
These subjects can be more directly connected to justice agencies and correctional environments. They also provide context for how legal systems operate. Their main limitation for future psychologists is that they may not include the same breadth of psychology laboratory, cognition, biological psychology, measurement, or advanced research coursework as a psychology degree.
CBU’s Behavioral Science and Sociology options fall between these categories. Behavioral Science combines several social sciences, while Sociology focuses more heavily on institutions, culture, and social systems.
Planning for graduate study in forensic psychology
Most professional work identified as forensic psychology requires graduate education. At the doctoral level, forensic psychologists may conduct assessments, provide treatment, study legal decision-making, consult with courts, or perform research. The precise scope depends on training, licensure, employment, and professional competence.
A useful undergraduate plan includes more than a forensic concentration. Prioritize the following:
- Statistics and research methods: Graduate programs expect applicants to understand research design, data analysis, and scientific evidence.
- Faculty-supervised research: A laboratory, honors project, thesis, research assistantship, or substantial capstone can demonstrate readiness for graduate research.
- Core psychology coverage: Development, cognition, social psychology, personality, biological psychology, abnormal psychology, and measurement commonly appear in psychology curricula and graduate prerequisites.
- Strong academic writing: Legal and psychological work both require precise written analysis.
- Relevant experience: Victim services, crisis programs, behavioral health settings, correctional services, research projects, and community agencies can clarify career goals. The value of an experience depends on its duties and supervision, not merely the agency name.
- Course alignment with intended graduate programs: A PsyD with clinical training, a research PhD in psychology and law, a master’s in forensic psychology, and a graduate criminology program can have very different prerequisite expectations.
The broader forensic psychology degree pathway includes master’s and doctoral education. Undergraduates who already expect to pursue licensure should choose a bachelor’s curriculum that preserves access to the needed graduate prerequisites rather than selecting solely by concentration title.
California psychologist licensure requires a doctorate
California does not issue a bachelor’s-level forensic psychologist license. According to the California Board of Psychology, psychologist licensure requires a qualifying doctoral degree. The doctorate can be in psychology with an approved specialization, including forensic psychology where the degree meets applicable requirements.
Licensure also requires 3,000 hours of qualifying supervised professional experience, passage of the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology, and passage of the California Psychology Laws and Ethics Examination.
Consequently, none of the bachelor’s programs on this page authorizes a graduate to:
- Practice independently as a psychologist
- Diagnose mental disorders as a licensed psychologist
- Conduct court-ordered psychological evaluations independently
- Provide psychotherapy as a licensed psychologist
- Represent themselves as a California-licensed forensic psychologist
Bachelor’s graduates may qualify for research, human services, corrections, victim advocacy, behavioral support, probation-related, law enforcement, or administrative positions depending on the employer’s requirements. Job titles are not standardized across California agencies, and some positions require separate academy training, experience, background investigations, certification, or graduate education.
How to choose among the California options
Start with the intended career direction rather than the forensic label.
A future PhD applicant who wants research in psychology and law should prioritize statistics, experimental design, faculty research, and upper-division psychology. UC San Diego’s Clinical or Experimental Psychology BS, CBU’s Psychology BA, and other psychology-first routes provide the most relevant academic structure. A named forensic concentration can still be useful, but it should not replace research preparation.
A working adult seeking a California-based online degree with an explicit Forensic Psychology concentration has the clearest match at Touro University Worldwide. Its eight-week courses, six annual starts, transfer allowance, and lack of residency requirements create substantial scheduling flexibility. The program’s current materials do not list required field or research experience, so practical development must come through optional work, volunteering, or later graduate training.
Someone who wants an online psychology degree with a larger criminal-behavior course block can compare Touro with APU Global’s Applied Psychology BA. Touro uses the formal Forensic Psychology concentration title and requires four concentration courses. APU Global uses a five-course Criminal Behavior concentration that includes separate Criminal Psychology and Forensic Psychology classes.
Applicants interested in justice agencies, corrections, offender behavior, or victim advocacy can give greater weight to Fresno State’s Forensic Behavioral Science BS. Its law, evidence, ethics, neuroscience, criminal behavior, and clinical-forensic foundation courses create a distinct criminology-oriented curriculum. The optional internship and research lab provide routes to practical or scholarly experience, although neither turns the bachelor’s degree into professional psychology training.
CBU offers the greatest variety of base majors tied to the same named concentration. Choose the Psychology BA for the most conventional psychology foundation, Behavioral Science for an interdisciplinary route with a field-experience or capstone choice, Sociology for institutional and social analysis, or Christian Behavioral Science for explicitly faith-integrated behavioral study.
Cost comparisons require matching the same categories. Fresno State’s published resident tuition and campus fees are much lower than CBU’s listed traditional tuition and fees, but living arrangements, aid, transfer credit, time to completion, and online access can change the full financial picture. Touro’s advertised rate is after scholarship, while APU Global publishes a standard per-credit tuition figure. None of those numbers alone represents a guaranteed total degree cost.
The most useful final comparison is simple: identify whether the goal is graduate psychology, justice-system employment, behavioral or human services, or a broad psychology education with forensic electives. Then favor the curriculum that supplies the underlying methods, psychology depth, legal context, research experience, and practical exposure needed for that direction.