Master’s Degree in Forensic Psychology @ Marymount University

November 25, 2011 By Patricia Zapf Comments

After having reviewed the five fully online masters programs in forensic psychology, numerous requests were received for more information on the campus-based masters programs in forensic psychology that are available. Thus, this series of articles will review each of the masters programs in forensic psychology and provide information on each program in a similar format so as to assist in comparisons between the various options.

The goal of this series of articles is simply to provide information in a consistent format to assist those individuals who are considering an education in forensic psychology and not to convince anyone to attend a particular program. Having been a professor in this field for the last 13 years I am familiar at some level with almost every forensic psychology program available in North America. Many undergraduate students are not familiar with all the possible options and so this series will lay them out in a consistent format for ease of comparison.

Masters Degree in Forensic Psychology – Marymount University

Program Description

From the website: Marymount University has been a leader in preparing individuals to be part of one of the most sought-after career fields today – forensic psychology.

Marymount was the first Washington, DC, area university to offer the Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology. And you can capitalize on the University’s alliances and proximity to key agencies important to study in this field – organizations such as the FBI, NCIS, the Supreme Court, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice. MU integrates the resources of such agencies through site visits, courtroom observations, field research, internships, and distinguished speakers.

The discipline of forensic psychology is concerned with the application of psychological knowledge to the juvenile, civil, and criminal justice systems. Marymount’s Forensic Psychology program is interdisciplinary and combines study in sociology, criminal justice, and public policy, in addition to the many subfields of psychology. It addresses questions of value, such as how best to achieve fairness and justice in the American adversarial legal system, as well as empirical issues such as the origins of criminal behavior, problems with eyewitness testimony, evaluation of threats against public figures, personalities of political leaders, the origins of terrorism, evaluation and treatment of offenders and their victims, and the effectiveness of trial consultation. Each course incorporates an ethics component to encourage you to grapple with the extremely complicated issues involved in a career in forensic psychology.

Specializations

No concentrations are available. All students take the same series of courses (2 of which are electives for the student to choose).

Credits

The program consists of 39 credits (13 courses, including an internship experience in forensic psychology).

Thesis

Not required. It does not appear that completing a thesis is an option in this program; however, it appears that there are research opportunities available for those students who desire this experience.

Externship/Practicum

Required. Students must complete a pass/fail internship experience in forensic psychology, which consists of 300 hours (270 hours on site and 30 hours in the classroom).

Admission Requirements

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and must submit their GRE scores.

Tuition & Fees

In-State Residents

$770/credit

Out-of-State Residents

$770/credit (additional fees may apply for International Students)

Coursework

Required Coursework (39 credits)

PS 500 Research and Evaluation

PS 501 Bases of Psychopathology

PS 507 Social Psychology of Aggression

PS 517 Neuropsychological Issues, Treatments, and Assessments

PS 580 Foundations of Forensic Psychology

PS 581 Psychology and the Law

PS 582 Advanced Issues in Forensic Psychology

PS 584 Psychology of Criminal Behavior or SOC 507 Juvenile Justice

PS 585 Forensic Assessment

PS 599F Internship: Forensic Psychology

SOC 510 Theories of Social Deviance

One of the following:

CE 508 Crisis Intervention

CE 509 Substance Abuse Assessment and Intervention

One of the following:

CE 524 Theories and Techniques of Family Counseling

CE 551 Multicultural Counseling

CJ 501 Victims of Interpersonal Violence

CJ 508 Principles of Forensic Science I

CJ 509 Principles of Forensic Science II: Advanced Criminalistics

LA 500 Introduction to the Legal System

LA 590 Supervising Legal Research and Writing

LA 591 Advanced Legal Research and Writing/Computerized Legal Research

PS 529 Psychopathology of Childhood and Adolescence

PS 583 Psychology and Treatment of the Juvenile Offender

PS 586 Field Experience in Criminal Court

PS 587 Psychology, Social Policy, and Law

PS 588 Police Psychology

PS 589 Behavioral Criminology

PS 590 Issues in Criminal Assessment and Investigation

PS 591 Child Victimization

PS 592 Foundations of Political Psychology

PS 598 Project

SOC 507 Juvenile Justice

PS 584 Psychology of Criminal Behavior

Concluding Comments

The website also indicates that students in this program have the opportunity to: study abroad, in collaboration with the Forensic Psychology program at London Metropolitan University (a course is offered during alternating summers for select Marymount students); participate in ongoing research through an agreement with the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit; earn a second degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and begin the supervised experience necessary for licensure as a licensed professional counselor (LPC); and land an internship or job with a regionally or nationally recognized agency or continue further study.

This masters program is intended to prepare students for work in forensic settings. While there does not appear to be a strong emphasis on research in this program, students who are interested in conducting research can take advantage of Marymount’s ties and connections with various agencies for this purpose. Those students who are interested in becoming licensed masters-level clinicians can do so through the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program, but not the Forensic Psychology program. The program offers fieldwork to provide an opportunity for students to develop practical skills. Those students who desire to continue their education at the doctoral level are advised to either select a different masters program with an emphasis on research training (preferred) or to take advantage of every opportunity to conduct research and take research methods and statistics courses while in this masters program.

Filed Under: Education & Training, Masters Programs Tagged With: career, career in clinical forensic psychology, career in psychology, clinical forensic psychology, education, forensic psychology, forensic psychology careers, forensic psychology education, forensic psychology training, Master's degree, psychology careers, psychology degree, study psychology

Master’s Degree in Forensic Psychology @ Holy Names University

November 17, 2011 By Patricia Zapf Comments

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ent/uploads/2011/11/holynames.jpg” alt=”" width=”127″ height=”96″ />After having reviewed the five fully online masters programs in forensic psychology, numerous requests were received for more information on the campus-based masters programs in forensic psychology that are available. Thus, this series of articles will review each of the masters programs in forensic psychology and provide information on each program in a similar format so as to assist in comparisons between the various options.

Masters Degree in Forensic Psychology – Holy Names University

Program Description

From the website: Holy Names University offers six graduate programs in the Counseling Psychology Programs for persons who want to work professionally as counselors in a variety of venues, including forensic and pastoral. Students will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively counsel, fully acknowledging the diverse dimensions of people’s lives. The faculty is made up of practicing clinicians, and students are exposed to a wide variety of counseling theories with an integrated, programmatic emphasis on human diversity and spirituality. Classes incorporate didactic learning with opportunities for experiential practice via written exercises, case studies, and simulations. Integration of learning is fostered by scholarly papers and reflection journals. At the end of the program, students will be able to demonstrate clinical competence and clear understanding of professional responsibilities.

Our students reflect a rich diversity of age, culture, religion, lifestyles, and lived experiences. Holy Names Counseling programs are appropriate for individuals whose own levels of personal and psychological development enable them to have high regard for all human beings, especially those different from themselves. All programs are dedicated to fostering student development of openness and respect for all people. We firmly believe that valuing differences is a hallmark of effective, compassionate counseling. All three programs are designed for the working adult. Most classes are offered in the late afternoons and evenings.

Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology (30 units)

This program, designed for those who may be licensed, prepares professionals for a career in working with victims and perpetrators in a correctional setting. This program is uniquely based in a foundational philosophy of restorative justice. Students will gain theoretical knowledge of the counseling field as it relates to corrections and the legal system, in general. Students completing this program are not eligible for state licensure as Marriage and Family therapists.

Specializations

No concentrations are available. All students take the same series of courses.

Credits

The program consists of 30 credit units.

Designed for the working adult, most classes are offered late afternoons and evenings, Mondays and Wednesdays or Tuesdays and Thursdays. Some Saturday classes are required.

Thesis

Not required. It does not appear that completing a thesis is an option in this program.

Externship/Practicum

Not required. Students do not have the option for an externship or field placement in this program. The website and brochure materials indicate that this Masters program is intended for the working adult and for those who may be licensed clinicians. The intent of this program is to provide a foundation of knowledge for working with clients in forensic settings. Students who do not have clinical experience may be interested in completing the dual MA degree in Counseling and Forensic Psychology.

Admission Requirements

Applicant to any counseling psychology master’s program must have taken an undergraduate general psychology or sociology course or have life experience working in the community mental health field.

From the website: Applicants must meet the following minimum requirements: (1) A bachelor’s degree or its equivalent, conferred by an accredited institution of higher education. (2) An undergraduate record that is satisfactory in terms of quality of scholarship. A scholarship average of 2.7 is required for the total undergraduate program, with an average of 3.0 in the major and in any subsequent graduate work.

The GRE does not appear to be required.

Tuition & Fees

In-State Residents

$800/unit

Out-of-State Residents

$800/unit

Coursework

Required Coursework (30 units)

CPSY 200 Foundations of Counseling: Process and Skills

CPSY 206 Forensic Psychology and the Law

CPSY 207 Psychology of Criminal Behavior

CPSY 208 Substance Abuse Assessment & Treatment

CPSY 209A Assessment, Diagnosis, & Treatment of the Victim

CPSY 209B Assessment, Diagnosis, & Treatment of the Offender

CPSY 211 Forensics: Psychometrics and Assessment

CPSY 212 Forensic Psychology Professional Practice Seminar

CPSY 226 Advanced Issues in Correctional and Community Counseling

CPSY 230 Human Diversity in Counseling

CPSY 245D Domestic Violence Assessment and Treatment

Concluding Comments

This masters program is intended to prepare students for working with victims and perpetrators. It is geared towards those students who have undergraduate degrees in psychology and who are currently working in the field but who would like more knowledge and skill for working various legal and correctional settings. The program is geared towards the working adult who is already licensed and does not lead to licensure eligibility. Those students who are not licensed or who require clinical experience should consider the dual MA degree in Counseling Psychology and Forensic Psychology as the dual program offers practical experience whereas this program does not. Given the limited fieldwork involved in this program, it does not appear to be the most appropriate program for those with no experience working with clients or patients in a psychological or counseling capacity. In addition, this program does not emphasize research and provides no opportunity to conduct research; therefore, those desiring to continue on to doctoral-level training in psychology are advised against taking this masters degree program. This program appears to offer an important knowledge base for those students and licensed clinicians whose work will require them to provide services to victims and perpetrators in a variety of forensic settings.

Filed Under: Education & Training, Masters Programs Tagged With: career, career in psychology, clinical psychology, clinical psychology graduate programs, education, forensic psychology, forensic psychology careers, forensic psychology education, forensic psychology training, Master's degree, Psychology, psychology careers, psychology degree, study psychology

Master’s Degree in Forensic Psychology @ Fairleigh Dickinson University

November 9, 2011 By Patricia Zapf Comments

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content/uploads/2011/11/fairleigh.jpg” alt=”" width=”104″ height=”104″ />After having reviewed the five fully online masters programs in forensic psychology, numerous requests were received for more information on the campus-based masters programs in forensic psychology that are available. Thus, this series of articles will review each of the masters programs in forensic psychology and provide information on each program in a similar format so as to assist in comparisons between the various options.

Masters Degree in Forensic Psychology – Fairleigh Dickinson University

Program Description

From the website: Although many forensic psychologists are academics who teach and do research, most are full-time practitioners. Forensic psychologists are, essentially, clinicians trained to conduct specialized evaluations for the courts and testify as expert witnesses. The evaluations that the courts may request vary widely, ranging from criminal responsibility, diminished capacity and competency to child custody, disability, personal injury, death penalty mitigation, malingering, and violence / dangerousness risk.

Masters-level forensic psychologists will not, for the most part, be assigned to conduct these evaluations, although they may assist under the supervision a doctoral-level forensic psychologist. Masters-level forensic psychologists most frequently are employed as clinicians who conduct therapy with forensic clients, either in forensic settings (e.g., jails, prisons, locked forensic units in state hospitals) or in the community with probationers or parolees. Masters-level forensic psychologists are also employed to do research with a variety of justice-related agencies and organizations. As noted, masters-level forensic psychologists may also be hired by court clinics or private practitioners to assist with evaluations under the supervision of a licensed psychologist.

Our program at Fairleigh Dickinson University is designed to offer our students the maximum possible exposure to the broad field of forensic psychology while at the same time streamlining a curriculum that allows students to finish in 18 months. Students are exposed through coursework to all of the aforementioned areas of forensic psychology practice. In addition, students gain invaluable clinical experience through the completion of a 300-hour externship placement, and have the option to participate in forensic research and do a thesis.

Specializations

No concentrations are available. All students take the same series of courses and 2 electives.

Credits

The program consists of 36 credit hours, which the student takes over the course of 1 ½ years.

Thesis

Not required. Students have the option to participate in research and complete a thesis.

Externship/Practicum

Required. Students complete a 300-hour externship placement as a requirement of the program.

Admission Requirements

Students are required to have completed an undergraduate degree in psychology or a related field from an accredited institution of higher education (including coursework in Introductory Psychology, Statistics, and Abnormal Psychology) and must submit their scores from the general test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). The website does not provide any information regarding average or minimum GRE scores or GPA.

Tuition & Fees

In-State Residents

$1075/credit hour

Out-of-State Residents

$1075/credit hour

Coursework

Required Coursework (36 credits; the following + 2 electives)

PSYC6121 Statistics and Research Methods

PSYC6114 Psychopathology

PSYC6230 Introduction to Forensic Psychology

PSYC6231 Psychological Basis of Criminal Behavior

PSYC7235 Evaluating Criminal Responsibility & Competency to Stand Trial

PSYC7230 Forensic Evaluation & Assessment

PSYC7130 Forensic Interviewing Techniques

PSYC6227 Clinical Practice in Forensic Contexts

PSYC7234 Ethical Issues in Forensic Psychology

Externship and Proseminar

Concluding Comments

This is a relatively short (fewer than usual credit hours) and relatively expensive (higher tuition per credit hour than most) masters program that appears mainly geared towards those students who wish to be involved in the delivery of psychological services to those in the correctional or forensic mental health systems. The focus on assessment appears relatively strong whereas interventions and other treatment methods are less emphasized. There does not appear to be a strong research focus in this program but the materials do note that a thesis is optional and is recommended for those students who would like to pursue doctoral-level study in psychology. It is unclear whether the thesis work would substitute for the externship requirement or some other part of the curriculum or would be completed in addition to the regular curriculum. Students interested in doctoral-level study in forensic psychology might wish to consider a more research-focused masters program.

Filed Under: Education & Training, Masters Programs Tagged With: career, career in clinical forensic psychology, career in psychology, clinical forensic psychology, clinical psychology graduate programs, education, forensic psychology, forensic psychology careers, forensic psychology education, forensic psychology training, Master's degree, psychology careers, psychology degree, study psychology

Master’s Degree in Forensic Psychology @ The College of Saint Elizabeth

November 7, 2011 By Patricia Zapf Comments

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ent/uploads/2011/11/stelizabeth.jpg” alt=”" width=”120″ height=”120″ />After having reviewed the five fully online masters programs in forensic psychology, numerous requests were received for more information on the campus-based masters programs in forensic psychology that are available. Thus, this series of articles will review each of the masters programs in forensic psychology and provide information on each program in a similar format so as to assist in comparisons between the various options.

Masters Degree in Forensic Psychology – The College of Saint Elizabeth

Program Description

From the website: The M.A. in Forensic Psychology and Counseling program is a 48-credit, cohort-based program offered over a 2-1⁄2 year time frame. By offering a solid curriculum that focuses on counseling, evaluation and treatment, the program prepares graduates for a career in providing counseling services to those involved in the criminal justice system.

The mission of the program is to provide graduates with the skills and knowledge they need to provide effective, high quality mental health counseling and evaluation services in a variety of forensic settings. By building on the strong curriculum and success established in the Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology the program will balance traditional knowledge of counseling with the understanding, evaluation, and treatment of adult and juvenile offenders, as well as the victims of crime and domestic violence. The curriculum would prepare graduates to work in a number of settings such as juvenile detention centers, secure forensic units in state facilities, community mental health centers, jails/prison, probation services, court service units, protective services, violence risk assessment, and specialized agencies such as child advocacy centers.

Specializations

No concentrations are available. The program is a Masters in Forensic Psychology and Counseling.

Credits

The program consists of 48 credit hours, which the student takes over the course of 2 ½ years. The curriculum consists of 24 credit hours that are shared with the Masters in Counseling Psychology program as well as 21 credits of Forensic Psychology courses and a 3-credit course in Justice Studies.

Thesis

Not required.

Externship/Practicum

Required. Students complete both a practicum and field experience in counseling psychology.

Admission Requirements

From the website: Graduate programs in Psychology are coeducational. Applicants must have a baccalaureate degree, with a minimum of 12 credits in psychology, which includes:

General Psychology
Developmental Psychology (Child Development, Adolescent Development, Adult Development or Life Span Development course)
Theories of Personality and Psychopathology (Abnormal Psychology)
Elementary Statistics and Experimental Psychology are prerequisite courses for PSY 63: Research Methods and Advanced Statistics

The baccalaureate degree must be from an accredited undergraduate institution with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale).

Students will be invited for an interview based on their academic achievement, letters of reference, personal statement and relevant experiences. The interview will include a case review and a standardized personality assessment. Transfer of credit into the graduate program will be subject to evaluation and approval by the program director.

All graduate transfer credits must carry a minimum GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale). A maximum of 10 transfer credits will be accepted for the master’s in counseling psychology program.

The GRE is not required.

Tuition & Fees

In-State Residents

$899/credit hour

Out-of-State Residents

$899/credit hour

Coursework

Core Coursework shared with Counseling Psychology (24 credits)

PSY 620 The Helping Relationship in Counseling

PSY 631 Research Methods and Advanced Statistics

PSY 633 Counseling Theories and Methods I

PSY 637 Group Dynamics and Interpersonal Communication

PSY 641 Psychopathology and Diagnosis

PSY 651 Substance Abuse Counseling

PSY 671 Counseling Theories III: Practicum

PSY 691 Counseling Theories IV: Field Experience

PSY 699 Culminating Project

Core Coursework in Forensic Psychology (21 credits)

PSY 621 Introduction to Forensic Psychology

PSY 622 Violence and risk assessment

PSY 623 Trauma and Crisis Intervention

PSY 624 Psychological Assessment for Forensic Psychology I:

PSY 625 Psychological Assessment for Forensic

PSY 626 Evaluation and treatment of Juvenile Offenders

PSY 627 Evaluation and treatment of Adult Offenders

PSY 628 The Social Psychology of Crime and Criminal Behavior

Core Coursework in Justice Studies (3 credits)

JUS 620 Law and Legal Systems

Concluding Comments

The College of Saint Elizabeth offers a Masters in Forensic Psychology and Counseling program that prepares students to work in various forensic and criminal justice settings, providing a variety of psychological services. The website does not provide any information regarding whether this program is licensure-eligible; however, a review of the curriculum suggests that students who complete this program may be eligible to apply for masters-level licensure in counseling psychology in those states that offer this level of licensure. The program is practice-oriented, as opposed to having a strong emphasis on research, so those students thinking about completing a masters program as an entree into doctoral-level study are advised to consider other programs with a stronger emphasis on research and that require a thesis.

Master’s Degree in Forensic Psychology @ The Chicago School of Professional Psychology

November 2, 2011 By Patricia Zapf Comments

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ploads/2011/05/chicagoschool-150×150.jpg” alt=”" width=”150″ height=”150″ />After having reviewed the five fully online masters programs in forensic psychology, numerous requests were received for more information on the campus-based masters programs in forensic psychology that are available. Thus, this series of articles will review each of the masters programs in forensic psychology and provide information on each program in a similar format so as to assist in comparisons between the various options.

Masters Degree in Forensic Psychology – The Chicago School of Professional Psychology

Program Description

From the website: Graduates of The Chicago School’s Forensic master’s program are trained to apply the art and science of psychology within the legal system and related fields. Chicago Campus students gain hands-on experience at The Chicago School Forensic Center, which provides high-quality forensic psychological services and programming (such as evidence-based interventions, policy advocacy, and program development) to improve the health and well-being of individuals within diverse communities.

Through a range of community partnerships, the center gives students powerful service-learning opportunities that prepare them to be competent and civically engaged forensic mental health practitioners. Internship placement rates typically exceed 95% for students enrolled in the program’s licensure track. The Chicago School offers students a wide range of applied forensic psychology learning experiences rarely available at other schools—such as providing expert witness testimony in front of practicing judges and attorneys during a realistic mock trial experience, participating in a hostage negotiation simulation, or providing Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) to families involved with the juvenile court system.

Students pursuing the forensic psychology master’s degree may tailor their coursework to meet particular educational and professional goals and may choose from forensic psychology concentrations in child protection, sex offenders, or corrections. The program prepares licensure-track students to sit for the professional counselor licensure exams in Illinois (LPC and LCPC).

In addition, from another website: Licensure, Non-Licensure Practice, and Thesis tracks lead to a Master of Arts degree in Forensic Psychology. The tracks are campus-based and share a common core of 28 credit hours. Within the first semester, students officially declare their track (consisting of an additional 20 to 32 credit hours). These tracks are offered on a semester calendar system with a total of three semesters per academic year. The Licensure track is the only track in which students, upon program completion, are eligible to sit for the National Counselor Exam (NCE) and the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Exam (NCMHCE) within the state of Illinois for licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), respectively.

Note: The Chicago School of Professional Psychology also offers an online-only Masters in Forensic Psychology, which is described elsewhere.

Specializations

Three areas of concentration are available: child protection, corrections, or sex offenders.

Credits

Students may complete either a licensure track, which prepares them for the professional counselor licensure exams in the State of Illinois (60 credit hours) or a non-licensure practice or thesis track (48 credit hours).

Students are required to take 28 credit hours of core coursework and then an additional 20 – 32 credit hours, depending upon the chosen track (thesis, licensure, or non-licensure practice).

Thesis

Not required. Student may complete a non-licensure thesis track (but this track is not eligible for licensure; the goal is to prepare students for doctoral level training). The thesis track requires 6 credits of thesis work (four semesters).

Externship/Practicum

Required for the licensure track and the non-licensure practice tracks. Both the licensure track and the non-licensure practice track require 700 hours of fieldwork over a period of 9-12 months.

Admission Requirements

From the website: Application to the M.A. in Forensic Psychology program is open to any person who has earned a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution and who meets other entrance requirements. Applicants will be judged on their overall ability to do graduate work. Factors that are considered in admission are: GPA from undergraduate and any graduate schools, successful work history after completion of the baccalaureate degree, the admission essay, and letters of recommendation. Generally, an undergraduate GPA of a 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale is required for admission. Students must submit official transcripts from all schools where a degree was earned. It is recommended that transcripts are submitted from all schools where credit was received to enhance their applications. Please see the application for detailed instructions and information regarding application requirements, application deadlines, and letters of recommendation.

The GRE is not required.

Tuition & Fees

In-State Residents

$953/credit hour

Out-of-State Residents

$953/credit hour

Coursework

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology offers the Masters in Forensic Psychology at the Chicago, Washington, DC, and Los Angeles campuses. The information provided below is for the Chicago campus.

Core Coursework (28 credits)

FO 608 – Professional Development Group (1 credit)

FO 610 – Introduction to Forensic Psychology (2 credits)

FO 611 – Ethics and Professional Issues in Forensic Psychology (3 credits)

FO 612 – Psychology of the Lifespan (3 credits)

FO 613 – Psychopathology (3 credits)

FO 617 – Clinical and Diagnostic Interviewing (3 credits)

FO 622 – Mental Health Law (2 credits)

FO 627 – Forensic Documentation, Report, Writing and Testifying (3 credits)

FO 647 – Diversity in Forensic Psychology (3 credits)

One of the following

FO 619 – Evaluation and Treatment of the Adult Offender (2 credits)

FO 620 – Evaluation and Treatment of the Juvenile Offender (2 credits)

The following course for licensure and non-licensure practice tracks

FO 614 – Research Methods (3 credits)

The following course for thesis track

FO 659 – Research Methods for Thesis Students (3 credits)

Track Courses

The track courses depend upon the track chosen (thesis, licensure, or non-licensure practice) as well as the area of concentration selected (child protection, sex offender, or corrections). Thus, there are multiple different combinations of courses available for the various tracks/concentrations.

The licensure track: (no concentration) requires an additional 32 credit hours (in addition to the core coursework); with a concentration in child protection requires an additional 33 credit hours; with a concentration in sex offenders or corrections requires an additional 35 credit hours.

The thesis track: (no concentration) requires an additional 20 credits (in addition to the core coursework); with a concentration in sex offenders or corrections requires an additional 23 credit hours. There is no option for a thesis track with a concentration in child protection.

The non-licensure practice track: (no concentration) requires an additional 20 credits (in addition to the core coursework); with a concentration in sex offenders or corrections requires an additional 23 credit hours. There is no option for a non-licensure practice track with a concentration in child protection.

Each of the courses required for the various track/concentration combinations can be found here.

Concluding Comments

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology appears to offer Masters degrees in Forensic Psychology to fit most any students’ academic and professional goals. Those students desiring to move into doctoral education in forensic psychology are advised to complete the thesis track whereas those desiring to become licensed counselors (note: this is not the same as a licensed psychologist, which requires a doctoral degree in most states) are advised to complete the licensure track. Those who desire to practice under the supervision of others, without being licensed, are advised to complete the non-licensure practice track. Of courses, this might also be an appropriate track for students who desire to complete doctoral level psychology professional degrees, such as the PsyD (which would allow the doctoral level psychologist to obtain licensure as a psychologist).

There are no differences in tuition level as a function of whether a student is in-state or out-of-state, although this generally means that tuition will be more costly for in-state students than attending a state university or college.

Filed Under: Education & Training, Masters Programs Tagged With: career in clinical forensic psychology, clinical forensic psychology, clinical psychology graduate programs, education, forensic psychology, forensic psychology education, forensic psychology training, Master's degree, psychology careers, study psychology

Forensic Psychology Careers | Academic—Law School Professor

July 7, 2011 By Patricia Zapf Comments

Forensic Psychology Career Spotlight

A few years back, I was part of the American Psychology-Law Society’s Careers and Training Committee, which put together a career handbook for prospective students in forensic psychology (psychology and law). Part of this manual contained a series of biographies from various professionals in forensic psychology to give students an idea of what it is like to work in this field as well as the wide variety of opportunities that the field holds. Short, personal statements were solicited from successful doctoral-level psychologists whose work related to psychology and law (forensic psychology issues).

Biographers were asked to describe how they choose their career path, how they ended up in their current position, and what advice they would give to aspiring students. The intent was to give interested students a glimpse of career options and the steps some people took to get there.

To ensure a wide variety of professionals, biographies were solicited from 10 different categories:

These biographies serve as an interesting collection of careers that are possible within the field of forensic psychology. I can’t help but think as I re-read through my own, and my colleagues’, biographies what a wide variety of options there are within this field and how my love for the field has not yet waned. For anyone who is considering a career in forensic psychology, these biographies are a great read. Enjoy!

Academic—Law School Professor

Dr. Jennifer K. Robbennolt, Associate Professor of Law, University of Missouri

I am an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Missouri School of Law and a Senior Fellow in the Center for the Study of Dispute Resolution. Before accepting my current position, I earned a law degree and a Ph.D. in social psychology in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Law/Psychology Program, clerked for a state supreme court judge, and spent two years as a Postdoctoral Research Associate and Lecturer at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and Department of Psychology at Princeton University. As a psychologist working on research topics that implicate both psychological and legal questions, I have had the opportunity to explore areas as diverse as how citizens and judges determine punitive damages and the implications of these findings for tort reform, the role of empirical research in informing the law of intestacy, the role of the media in influencing the public’s perceptions of the legal system as well as the decisions of various players in the system, and the role of apologies in the resolution of disputes.

The academic environment of a law school is both similar to and different from that of a department of psychology. While psychologists within departments of psychology may have primary interests in diverse areas of psychology, they have in common both a shared interest in the study of psychology and a shared commitment to the use of scientific methodologies to explore their questions of interest. In a law school, faculty members have primary interests in diverse areas of the law (ranging from constitutional law to the law of property or contracts, to criminal law and so on), and more diverse methodological approaches, but have a common interest in understanding, commenting on, and improving the law.

That there are fewer empirical researchers in a law school than in a psychology department is both the biggest challenge and the biggest opportunity. There are fewer natural opportunities for detailed discussion of research design or statistics. Instead, there is a wealth of practical experience that grounds one’s research and stimulates one’s ideas about areas of the law that are ripe for the insights of psychology, but that have been relatively neglected by psychologists. Moreover, the opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration and exchange abound – law faculty may have backgrounds in fields such as economics, sociology, journalism, political science, history, and the physical sciences. Thus, there are exciting possibilities for bringing psychology to areas of the law that have been less frequently examined by psychologists.

Another difference is that law faculty are less likely to work directly with graduate students in psychology, though may still sit on thesis committees. Instead, I am able to introduce psychological science to large groups of future attorneys.

It takes some effort to retain an identity as a psychologist when one’s academic home is a law school. A desire to maintain a connection to psychology has implications for decisions about how to frame research questions, where to publish the results, and how to keep current with developments in psychology as well as law. While the challenges are plentiful, the opportunities make meeting those challenges worthwhile.

Dr. Jeffrey Rachlinski, Professor of Law, Cornell University

Like most kids in the United States, I was obliged in junior high school to undertake a personality inventory designed to identify sensible career choices. The results of the inventory produced “lawyer” and “psychologist” as the careers to which I was best suited. Upon entering college at the Johns Hopkins University, I majored in psychology, hoping to put off deciding between the two. In my sophomore year, I was fortunate enough to enroll in a course in law and psychology taught by Donald Bersoff, then the director of the joint program in law and psychology at the University of Maryland law school and the psychology department at Johns Hopkins. Upon being exposed to Professor Bersoff’s seamless synthesis of the two disciplines, I resolved never to truly make a choice.

I applied to several programs in law and psychology offered in the late 1980′s and eventually settled on Stanford. The small program had the advantage of having an advisor–David Rosenhan–who was appointed in both the law school and the psychology department. Unknown to me when I enrolled, it also had the advantage of having two psychologists, Amos Tversky and Lee Ross, whose work was beginning to have a big impact on the discipline of law.

I spent graduate school balancing time in the law school with research in the psychology department. The balance was not always successful. Maintaining research in the psychology department sometimes left me little time to prepare law school classes, and preparing law school classes often meant that research had to be put off.

In my law school classes, I was stuck by the pervasive influence of economics on law. Rational choice theory, rather than psychology, seemed to be legal scholars’ principal model of how people think. At the same time I was discovering the role of economics in law, I encountered Tversky’s extensive critiques of economics. Bringing some of the psychological research on judgment and choice to law would also enable law and psychology to branch out a bit beyond traditional areas of scholarship. The potential to bring psychology’s thinking to law through the critique of economics has become my work. My dissertation, for example, restructured a widely cited economic model of litigation developed by economists with Tversky and Kahneman’s Prospect Theory.

Upon completing my law degree, I entered private practice while completing the work for my dissertation. This lasted only a brief time, however, as I was fortunate enough to find a law school with a strong and growing interest in social science–Cornell. Although I have taught as a visiting scholar at four other law schools since then (Chicago, Penn, Virginia, Yale), I have remained at Cornell for the past ten years. I continue to conduct research and write on the application of the cognitive psychology of judgment and choice to areas of law that have previously treated economics as the only relevant social science. These include securities regulation, environmental law, products liability, corporate governance, and administrative law.

As far as advice, I recommend that any budding law-and-psychology scholar read Michael Saks’ article, “The Law does not live by eyewitness testimony alone” (Law and Human Behavior, vol. 10, pp. 279-80, 1986). Forensic psychology, jury research, and eyewitness identification are laudable subjects– but there is a whole world of unexplored opportunities for a law-and-psychology scholar willing to reach beyond them.

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