Becoming a member of the Ordre professionnel des criminologues du Québec

Blurry colourful faces - OPCQ — Faculty of Social Sciences

Department of Criminology

Becoming a member of the Ordre professionnel des criminologues du Québec

Since 2015, the Ordre professionnel des criminologues du Québec (OPCQ) has been the body responsible for ensuring public protection by regulating and overseeing the profession of criminologist in Québec. This mandate was entrusted to it by the Government of Québec, which oversees the OPCQ within the province’s professional regulatory system.

Criminology is a profession with a reserved title, and in Québec, only members of the OPCQ are authorized to use the title of criminologist.

Following discussions between the Department of Criminology in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Ottawa and the Ordre professionnel des criminologues du Québec (OPCQ), an agreement was established regarding eligibility for professional permits. University of Ottawa students may be eligible to obtain a permit if they meet specific requirements, which vary according to their admission cycle.

Graduate students admitted prior to the 2015-2016 academic year must submit an application for membership by equivalency of training directly to the OPCQ.

For additional information, please consult the OPCQ website or contact Michèle Diotte at [email protected].

Whether a professional permit is required depends on the position and employer. Students are encouraged to confirm permit requirements directly with their employer.

Please note that this agreement between the OPCQ and the Department of Criminology at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Ottawa is subject to change.

To learn more about OPCQ training requirements, please consult the following information session:

Download the Slide deck (PDF, 225 KB)

Information Session Power Point Introduction Slide — Video

OPCQ Information Session uOttawa 2025

Specific conditions for the OPCQ

Year	Fall	Winter
1^st year (30 course units)	ENG 1100 CRM 1300 9 elective course units	ENG 1120 CRM 1301 9 elective course units
2^nd year (30 course units)	CRM 2300 CRM 2301 CRM 2303 CRM 2316 3 elective course units *	CRM 2302 CRM 2310 CRM 2315 6 elective course units *
3^rd year (30 course units)	CRM 3301 CRM 3312 CRM 3724 CRM 3731 CRM 3335	CRM 3711 CRM 3334 9 elective course units *
4^th year (30 course units)	CRM 4303 CRM 4260 CRM 4317 OR 3 optional course units in criminology (CRM) at the 4000-level * 9 elective course units	CRM 4302 3 optional course units in criminology (CRM) at the 4000-level * 9 elective course units OR CRM 4260 CRM 4317

To obtain a permit, students admitted to the Honours BSocSc in Criminology and the Joint Honours in Criminology and Women’s Studies must satisfy the following conditions:

get an Honours BSocSc in Criminology or the Joint Honours in Criminology and Women’s Studies with Field Placement Option.
to have completed 60 CRM credits that satisfy the following equivalencies:


Equivalencies	Corresponding course at uOttawa
3 credits in criminal and penal justice	CRM 2300 Criminal Law and the Criminal Justice System (3 cr.)
3 credits in youth protection	CRM 3312 Youth and Justice (3 cr.)
3 credits on sentencing and alternatives	CRM 4302 Abolitionism and the Criminal Justice System (3 cr.)
3 credits on institutional and community settings	3 credits from this list: CRM 2306 Prison Community and the Deprivation of Liberty (3 cr.) CRM 3328 Socio-Legal Regulation in the Community (3 cr.)* CRM 4306 Socio-Politics of Incarceration (3 cr.) * CRM 3328 cannot be recognized both as credits on institutional and community settings, and as credits on principles and models of criminological intervention
3 credits on ethics and deontology	CRM 4303 Intervention and Ethics in Criminology (3 cr.)
3 credits in qualitative methodology	CRM 3335 Qualitative Research in Criminology (3 cr.)
3 credits in quantitative methodology	CRM 3334 Quantitative Research in Criminology (3 cr.)
3 credits on sociology based criminology theories	CRM 3301 Contemporary Critical Theories in Criminology (3 cr.)
3 credits on psychology based criminology theories	CRM 2301 Positivist Theories in Criminology (3 cr.)
3 credits victimology theories	3 credits from this list: CRM 3306 Victimology (3 cr.) CRM 2307 Women and gendered violence (3 cr.)
3 credits on mental health problems	CRM 3311 Mental Disorder and Justice (3 cr.)
3 credits on the principles of evaluation	CRM 3331 Risk Management in Criminology (3cr.)
6 credits related to front line work	CRM 2315 Individual Intervention in Criminology (3 cr.) AND CRM 3324 Intervention Practice (3 cr.)
6 credits on the principles and models of criminological intervention	6 credits from this list: CRM 2310 Community Action and Intervention in Criminology (3 cr.) CRM 2309 Criminal Justice and Health (3 cr.) CRM 3308 Prevention and Criminology (3 cr.) CRM 3314 Criminal Justice and Drugs (3 cr.) or CRM 2313 Criminal Justice and Drugs (3 cr.) CRM 3325 Restorative Justice (3 cr.) CRM 3316 Imprisonment and Parole (3 cr.) or CRM 3328 Socio-Legal Regulation in the Community (3 cr.)* * Please note that CRM 3316 or CRM 3328 cannot be recognized both as credits on institutional and community settings, and as credits on principles and models of criminological intervention.
12 credits Field Placement	CRM 4260 or FEM 4260 Field Placement (9 cr.) [N.B. The placement must be in front line intervention. Placements in research or policy development are not recognized by the Ordre] AND CRM 4317 Assessment of Field Placement (3 cr.)

Contact us

Michèle Diotte

Faculty of Social Sciences
Social Sciences Building
Room 13026
Phone: 613-562-5800 ext. 1814
[email protected]

Department of Criminology

Faculty of Social Sciences
Social Sciences Building
120 University Private, Room 14002
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5
Canada (maps)

Tel.: 613-562-5303
[email protected]

Office hours

September 1 to May 31
Monday to Friday: 8:45 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

June 1 to August 31
Monday to Friday: 8:45 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Becoming a member of the Ordre professionnel des criminologues du Québec

Specific conditions for the OPCQ

Current recommended course sequence arrow_drop_down

Conditions as of the 2017-2018 admission cycle arrow_drop_down

Conditions for the 2016-2017 admission cycle arrow_drop_down

Conditions for the 2015-2016 admission cycle arrow_drop_down

Contact us

Michèle Diotte

Department of Criminology

Office hours