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Clinical Forensic Psychology – Information on Salary, Jobs, Careers, and Schools and Colleges Offering Graduate Programs

May 23, 2011 By Clarissa Comments

What is Forensic Psychology?

It is quite typical that when people hear about clinical forensic psychology they think of getting into a criminal’s mind, getting their hands dirty with collecting evidence at a crime scene, and studying cases over and over in detail. This is the stereotype that most people have about forensic psychology; however, there is much more to forensic psychology than these common perceptions.

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Forensic Psychology, according to the American Board of Forensic Psychology, is “the application of the science and profession of psychology to questions and issues relating to law and the legal system.” Forensic psychology is a specialization that deals with concerns that occur at the interface of law and psychology. Those who practice forensic psychology are not necessarily forensic psychologists by training; they may be counselors, neurologists, or clinical psychologists (to name just a few professions) who offer or who are invited to offer their expertise to analyze crimes, testify, or provide recommendations in criminal or other legal cases.

This (narrowly-defined) field within psychology may be conceptualized by some as a relatively new area of expertise, with its history beginning in 2001 when the American Psychological Association recognized it as specialty area. However, the roots of forensic psychology extend deep and are traced by some to Wilhelm Wundt’s laboratory of forensic psychology in Leipzig, Germany.

The demand for forensic psychologists is increasing. The exposure that this field has received in recent years from books, articles, movies, and television programs has increasingly caught the attention of interested students considering this as a career option. Therefore, it is helpful to know what types of activities forensic psychologists engage in, what type of job you can expect to get after completing a degree in forensic psychology, and what are the best schools that offer this type of degree program.

What Does a Forensic Psychologist Do? All about Forensic Psychology Careers

A career in clinical forensic psychology will require you to work in many different areas of the legal system thus, having continuing education is important. This program is not all about being famous or working in the FBI or getting your hands dirty on a case. This job requires learning and being patient.

Forensic Psychology Jobs – What You Can Do After the Degree

Those who hold a degree in forensic psychology can work in any career within the justice system. Some work in the courtrooms, while there are those who choose to work at the police department. Some may choose to work at correctional facilities; there are also those who choose a career as a college professor. Depending on their personal reasons, there are those who study serial killers, offenders and juvenile delinquents. Job openings for those in this field are never running out.

In all these jobs though, skills in research, analysis and profiling are certainly part of the requirements. There is an assessment for any one who wants to get a career in forensic psychology to check whether the person has these skills.

Forensic Psychology Programs – Scope of Study

An introduction in forensic psychology always starts the program. The instructors usually will start you on Bartol’s Introduction to Psychology and other handbook and journals of psychology to get you warmed up on your studies. After learning the essentials and history of the major, they will get you into more details of the program. It is also a necessary part of the course to gain training in handling and dealing with people so internships is definitely part of the course syllabus almost every semester. There will be a lot of evaluations throughout the course so as you can track whether you’re indeed learning and you’re getting a hang of the program. By the end of the course you should be familiar with legal terms, your profiling skills should be excellent, and your familiarity with the Journal of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology should be great.

Forensic Psychology Graduate Programs – Is It Needed?

Slots for Forensic Psychology bachelor’s degree program are only a few. The path for those who want to pursue a career in forensics is to get in this field and get a course in a different psychology major in college and then take a masters degree and eventually get into a doctoral program to be a PhD or PsyD. Studying further will get you a higher chance of getting that dream job or pay. Some choose to get in medical school to pursue a career in psychiatry. There are also times that a professional choose to enter into law school to be able to take their career further. No matter what step you choose to take, it is important to keep in mind that to master forensic psychology it is a must to gain knowledge and experience from top universities offering a graduate program.

Forensic Psychology Schools – How Do You Choose?

There are now a number of schools offering a degree in forensic psychology. Some are more famous than the others because of their rankings and how far they are taking their scale in advertising their programs. Whatever school you choose, it is important that you take into consideration not only their rankings but also their ethical and moral standards, if it is in line with your own; after all you are the one schooling and absorbing the knowledge from them.

Internships are also vital in this program, so it would be great to know in what company or organization they have an affiliation with when it comes to accepting students as apprentice or interns. It’s usually the internship program of the schools that defines whether they really support their students in getting excellent education.

Forensic Psychology Colleges in the Country

As of current, there are only a few colleges offering forensic psychology courses. There are only a few names that come to mind if you’re checking on a bachelors degree in forensic psychology, the most noted schools are Argosy University and Marymount University.

All the others such as John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York (NYC), University of Denver, Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology and American Academy of Forensic Psychology offer the program with a masters of Arts (MA) degree and a doctorate degree.

Forensic Psychology Degree Online – Is there Such a Thing?

The answer to this is yes. Some colleges also offer online option to those who want to gain their graduate degrees at home. Topics, modules and exams are given and administered over the Internet. Spotlighted university offering online courses are The American College of Specialist Psychology and Argosy University. The Chicago School of Expert Psychology also has certificate and master’s degree that they offer through distance education.

Is the Course Worth It? Forensic Psychology Salary

After getting a bachelor’s degree, studying the majors and getting an evaluation, the next thing to consider is the worth of the program. Although they say money is not everything, it is still perfectly normal to have an outlook of success, in which the common measurement is the salaries. According to Payscale.com, for those new in the field it is normal to have a salary of about $53,500 to $57,224. It can shoot up to as much as $86,000 depending on years of experience.

The salary is not capped as a forensic psychologist can get as many consultations and justice system participation so depending on their credibility and reputation, their salary can rise through side jobs and court case evaluations.

Clinical Forensic Psychology is a vocation for some and career for others but no matter how you feel about it, it is important that you gain the necessary knowledge to be the best in this field.

Psychology Degree – Online and Masters Degrees in Psychology

May 12, 2011 By Clarissa Comments

If you want to know what careers you can have or what you can do with a psychology degree then reading this will help you know if this program is the best considering what you envision to do with your life. For parents, this might help you get a thorough knowledge on what possible opportunities your child can have in case they decide to get a psychology education in college.

What is Psychology and What Can I Do With a Psychology Degree?

This course is designed for high school graduates and would-be college students who want further learning in counseling, investigative evaluation by knowing all about the science of the human mind, and organizational and social effects of how a person thinks and behave.

There are a lot of available specializations that a person can choose depending on what job he is interested in. One of them is social psychology which specializes in studying how humans relate to each other as well as how they relate to each other. Another one which we are also familiar with is Education psychology, which studies how humans think on an educational setting and how well people respond to educational interventions. Professional psychology, which studies a broader specialization which includes, clinical, educational, criminal, forensic, industrial, organizational and even sports psychology, is the most popular, yet it is also the most accelerated as this usually requires a doctorate or a PhD.

Now that you know what possible subjects or what facet of psychology you want to be a specialist in, it is time to learn about what kind of colleges offer these courses.

Most Christian colleges offer accredited psychology programs. They may have associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree and even graduate courses. Bachelor of Arts in Psychology may also be offered by small colleges and state universities.

Getting Online Psychology Degrees Now Gaining Popularity

“What other option do I have when I don’t have much time to travel and go to regular school?” is a common question asked especially by moms or by people whose jobs take a lot of their time.

Another path that a lot of people now take to get a career in psychology is to earn it through online means. This is best for people after a career in this field but wants distance education as the mode of teaching. This path also offers almost the same as the regular school, an associate degree, an undergraduate degree and a doctoral degree can also be earned here. Aside from the learning that you can get, one advantage of getting a degree online is the ease of passing requirements, paying for tuition fees and getting syllabus or subject to take without the hassle of long queues at the school registrar or standing in line at the cashier.

Masters Degree in Psychology – Is It Needed?

So you’ve taken your bachelor’s degree in Psychology, you might be asking yourself, “what will be my next step?” It depends on what you want to do. You may want to start working at a company as a personnel trainer, an account executive, human resource personnel or administration officer and start earning a decent salary. If you want to deal with human’s psychological health as a psychologist or doctor, you must master the science and pursue further studies. This is the usual route for those who want to run and hold a clinic. A master’s degree in psychology is now being offered for distance education, so if you want a higher position or greener pastures then taking further studies is the way to go.

What Can You Do With A Psychology Degree? – A Summary

Holding a degree in psychology can get you jobs in different fields as this science covers a broad spectrum. A job in the office as an administrative assistant, in the school as a counselor or in a company as a human resource officer, in the government as someone helping out in administering justice and even in a company that promotes and manages team sport.

Opportunities are endless when you get a psychology degree, it’s just all up to you and what you want to achieve in life.

Filed Under: Career & Salary Info, Career Information, Education & Training, Masters Programs, Terminal Degree, Undergraduate Programs Tagged With: Associate's degree, Bachelor's degree, career in psychology, education, Educational psychology, Master's degree, online psychology degree, Psychology, psychology careers, psychology degree, study psychology, study psychology online

10 Ways to Increase your Chances of Getting into Graduate School

May 5, 2011 By Patricia Zapf Comments

There is no doubt that being offered admission into a graduate program in clinical psychology is a competitive endeavor. The high number of applicants and the low number of admissions makes admission a rare event. Most programs will seek the highest-quality applicants, making this a competitive event for both the student-applicants as well as the admitting programs. It is typical for a single program to receive about 200 or so applications for between 5 and 8 admission spots, making the chances of being admitted less than 5%. This article describes a few of the ways in which you can increase your chances of being offered admission into a graduate program. The focus here is on doctoral programs in clinical psychology but the advice can be applied to any type of graduate program.

Start Early

The earlier you know that you want to go on to receive a graduate degree in clinical psychology the better. Undergraduate students should seek out various opportunities beginning in the first or second year of their degree programs. If you are one of the lucky ones who knows what you would like to do upon completion of your undergraduate degree, good for you! Get started early! Inquire as to whether your undergraduate degree program has an Honors degree or other “track” for those interested in going on to graduate school and take advantage of this opportunity. Typically, an honors degree will involved advanced coursework as well as a research project. Both of these will help to prepare you for the rigors of graduate school.

Of course, many students will not discover their interest in psychology until later in their undergraduate degree programs. As soon as you know that you would like to go on to graduate school, you need to get started on this process. The first thing you will want to do is talk to the faculty in your department and find out who is working on what research. It is very important that you start to know the faculty members in your department and find someone with whom you can work. This experience will be invaluable.

Get Involved in Research

There are two types of doctoral degree programs to which you might apply—a PhD program or a PsyD program. There are more PhD programs available but these tend to be much more competitive than the PsyD programs. The PhD degree is a research degree and so you will need to complete a dissertation to obtain your doctoral degree. Although PsyD programs tend, in general, to be less research-oriented, this does not mean that you will be able to make it through a doctoral program (any doctoral program) without having to do some research. Research will be an inevitable part of your doctoral program and so individuals who have research experience are going to be more competitive in their applications than are those without research experience. If there is only one thing that you do as an undergraduate to prepare for graduate school, it should be getting involved in research!

Working with a faculty member and getting involved in their research gives you at least three distinct advantages when applying to graduate school. First, it allows you to begin to understand how to conduct research, which is important to graduate programs. Second, it gives you something to talk about in your graduate school interviews (most clinical programs will conduct an interview of their top candidates). Third, it allows you the opportunity to work closely with a faculty member who will then be able to provide you with a strong letter of recommendation.

Many times students will say that they did not get involved in research because there was no one on faculty who was interested in what the student wanted to study. This is not the way to go about this process. Students should get involved in research of any type. Most psychology departments do not have forensic psychologists on faculty but this should not stop students who are interested in pursuing forensic psychology from getting involved in research while an undergraduate. No graduate program is going to say, “Well, she had research experience but it wasn’t in forensic psychology (or cognitive psychology, or neuropsychology, etc) so we didn’t offer her admission.” Graduate programs do not expect that students will have experience conducting the exact type of research that they would like to conduct while in graduate school. In fact, they know that most students will not. Simply getting involved in research while an undergraduate is what’s important!

What Schools offer Forensic Psychology Courses or Programs?

March 15, 2011 By Patricia Zapf

Forensic psychology is a growing field with more and more schools offering courses and programs in forensic psychology. For those interested in this field, there are numerous choices to consider when selecting a forensic psychology school. One of the first things to consider when selecting a school is what it is that you wish to accomplish. If taking a course or two in forensic psychology is what you are interested in, many colleges and universities offer one or more courses in forensic psychology or psychology and law as part of their psychology major. Chances are good that a college or university near you offers a course in this area.

If obtaining a Master’s or Doctoral degree in forensic psychology is what you are interested in, then a little more research about the various schools that offer these programs is necessary to ensure that they offer what you want. If your desire is to complete a Master’s degree in forensic psychology, which will allow you to work in various settings such as correctional facilities, state and forensic hospitals, community mental health centers, under the supervision of a doctoral-level psychologist then there are numerous schools that offer terminal masters degrees in forensic psychology (see the list below).

If you wish to practice independently as a forensic psychologist (without having to be supervised), you will need to complete a doctoral degree. There are a number of very good doctoral programs with a specialization in forensic psychology (see the list below). To work directly with those individuals involved with the criminal and civil justice systems (such as conducting evaluations and/or providing treatment), you will need to complete a doctoral degree in clinical psychology so as to become a licensed psychologist. If you are not interested in working directly with clients or patients but would prefer to conduct research on issues related to psychology and the law, a doctoral degree in some area of psychology (not clinical psychology) would suffice.