Forensic Linguistics- Advanced Practice Certificate

Program Description/Overview

The Violence and Safety Institute of the California School of Forensic Studies is dedicated to providing PRACTICAL forensic education and training to a broad range of professionals, including law enforcement, security professionals, first responders, human resource professionals, mental health professionals, medical practitioners, and education professionals.

The Institute’s Advanced Practice Certificates cover diverse subject areas, yet share a single objective: To support participants to effectively assess and manage conflict and violence.

Students benefit from the partnerships CSFS has with various national and international agencies and organizations, including Forensic Linguistics Intelligence, the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association (ILEETA), and ASIS International. Some courses and certificates are also eligible for continuing education (CE) credit through the American Psychological Association. 

Certificates are accepted for transfer credit toward concentration courses in CSFS’s Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology, Public Policy and Law . This certificate is designed for professionals interested in gaining a greater understanding of conflict dynamics and in obtaining evidence-based knowledge and skills to support conflict resolution in multiple contexts. NOTE: Students enrolling in this certificate program must have successfully graduated from a regionally accredited master’s degree program.

This certificate is designed for professionals interested in gaining a foundational understanding of the application of science to language in the context of criminal and civil law. Course particularly targets linguists, educators, forensic mental health professionals, and lawyers.

Program Learning Outcomes/Goals

1. Describe basic concepts in forensic linguistics, including author identification, discourse analysis, forensic phonetics, linguistic dialectology, and plagiarism detection.
2. Apply evidence-based practices to language analysis common to forensic investigations.
3. Apply evidence-based practices to engage in accurate author profiling.
4. Assess the ways in which forensic linguists support national and international investigatory efforts.

Professional Behavior Expectations/Ethical Guidelines

Respectful Speech and Actions: As an institution of higher education, the University has the obligation to combat racism, sexism, and other forms of bias and to provide an equal educational opportunity. Professional codes of ethics and the academic code shall be the guiding principles in dealing with speech or actions that, when considered objectively, are abusive and insulting.

Professional Behavior: This program is a graduate-level professional program, and each member of the program, both students and faculty, are expected to engage in professional behavior and conduct. Students should always display empathy, self-control, friendliness, generosity, cooperation, helpfulness, and respect in all of their interactions with other students, staff, and faculty. Students will strive to exemplify professional behavior in all aspects of their participation in this program, to be on time in all engagements, to thoughtfully and diligently complete activities and assignments, and to treat all other program members with respect and dignity.

Credit Units

Total Credit Units: 9

Total Core Credit Units: 9

Total Elective Credit Units: N/A

Total Concentration Credit Units: N/A

Curriculum Plan