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Masters Degree Programs in Forensic Psychology

January 20, 2012 By Comments

 

This article provides a review and summary of various graduate programs offering masters degrees in forensic psychology. There appears to be five fully online masters programs in forensic psychology and at least 13 different campus-based masters programs in forensic psychology. Each of these is reviewed and summarized to provide relevant information to those interested in pursuing graduate education in the field of forensic psychology.

Online Masters Degree in Forensic Psychology

Last year I reviewed and summarized five fully online masters programs in forensic psychology (four of which are based in the United States and one of which is based in the United Kingdom). Each of these programs appears to have its various strengths and weaknesses as well as differences in tuition costs.

For an easy comparison chart of these five programs, please click here.

For summaries and reviews of each of these programs, please click the relevant link below:

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology

University of North Dakota

Argosy University

Walden University

University of Liverpool

Campus-Based Master Degree in Forensic Psychology

Although there are a few programs where students can complete a Masters in Clinical Psychology or a Masters in Experimental Psychology with a concentration on psychology and law, there are also about thirteen programs that offer Masters Degrees in Forensic Psychology.

I have summarized each of these programs with respect to their program description, coursework, tuition, and whether or not a thesis and/or clinical practicum work is required or available as part of the program.

For a summary of the relevant program, please click the links below:

American International College

Arizona State University

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology

College of Saint Elizabeth

Fairleigh Dickinson University

Holy Names University

John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Marymount University

Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology

New York Law School

Roger Williams University

University of Denver

University of North Dakota

Career Profiles and Information

If you are already in a masters or doctoral program in forensic psychology or just want more information on careers in forensic psychology, check out the rest of this site as there are a bunch of articles on career opportunities in forensic psychology as well as a bunch of great career profiles prominent individuals in the forensic psychology arena. Enjoy!

Image courtesy of helpingpsychology.com

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Considering an online degree, online courses in forensic psychology? Some things to mull over

July 20, 2011 By Comments

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Given the rising rates of students taking online courses (more and more students are taking online courses every year) and new data regarding the differences in completion and drop-out rates for online versus face-to-face courses (online courses have higher drop-out rates), this article provides some information to consider when decide whether online coursework is the right choice for you.

Online Education is the Wave of the Future

Online education is the wave of the future. The numbers of students who have taken online courses or online degrees has dramatically increased over the last few years. Currently, nearly one third of all higher education students complete an online course.

Allen & Seaman (2010) reported that during the Fall 2009 term more than 29% of higher education students took at least one online course, which represents a 21% increase over the number reported the previous year. These percentages far exceed the 1.2% growth of the overall higher education student population.

A recently released report by Xu and Jaggars (2011) followed 51,000 community college students in the state of Washington between 2004 and 2009 and found some interesting results regarding online versus traditional face-to-face classroom students.

Characteristics of Online Students

Xu and Jaggars (2011) found that “online courses were consistently more popular among women, White and multiracial students, students who applied and were eligible for federal need-based aid, English-fluent students, students from higher quintiles of socioeconomic status (SES), and students with a stronger level of academic preparation” (p. 5). In addition, among those students for whom employment information was available, those who worked more hours were also more likely to take online courses.

Traditional Classroom vs. Online Education

Xu and Jaggars (2011) found an 8-percentage point difference in completion rates between online and traditional classes, with 82% of online students completing their courses versus 90% completion rates for face-to-face classroom students. This difference was especially evident in the early college years. Students who took online courses early in their college careers were more likely to drop out than were those who took only face-to-face courses. Similarly, among those students who took any online courses, those with the most online or web-based credits were the least likely to graduate or to transfer to a four-year college or university.

These researchers conclude, “online coursework may be more difficult for some students to complete, which in turn could inhibit their academic progression and eventual completion.” (p. 21).

Jaggars (2011) reviewed the online learning literature and reported the following four challenges faced by students in online courses:

  1. technical difficulties,
  2. a sense of social distance and isolation,
  3. a lack of the “high learner control” that may be needed for success in the relatively unstructured and flexible online environment, and
  4. limited availability of online student support services.

Misperceptions about Online Courses

Perhaps one of the biggest contributors to the lack of success in online course completion compared to traditional face-to-face classroom course completion lies in the third challenge outline above: a lack of “higher leaner control” that is needed for success in the unstructured (at least when compared with traditional face-to-face classroom courses) and flexible online learning environment.

There appears to exist an inaccurate perception of online courses—that they are somehow easier than traditional face-to-face courses. That is, there exists confusion between the convenience and flexibility allowed by online courses and the amount or level of work required, with some students believing that this convenience, flexibility and relative lack of structure somehow makes the course easier. This couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, online courses are most often more difficult than the tradition face-to-face classroom courses and require more work from both students and instructors alike.

The hard truth is that students taking online courses need to be able to structure their own time (as opposed to having it structured for them in the form of showing up to a face-to-face class meeting on certain dates at certain times) and need to be able to motivate themselves to perform the required coursework.

Much of the online pedagogy employed by top instructors includes the use of discussion boards (to have students engage with each other and with the instructor in discussion of the various course materials), thought papers or reaction papers (to allow/require students the opportunity to critically evaluate the course material and consider their own points of view on such), web-based research (allowing students the opportunity to develop web-based research skills and to critically evaluate information in the public domain), and weekly quizzes or tests (as a means of evaluating the extent to which the student has understood the weekly assigned materials).

Compare the above to many traditional face-to-face courses where students are expected to read the weekly assigned materials (although are not typically required to have their knowledge or understanding of these materials evaluated through weekly quizzes or tests since this takes up too much of the precious face-to-face time) and show up to class to listen to a lecture and, perhaps if there is time, engage in discussion about the lecture material.

Online courses typically require at least as many hours devoted to the course as face-to-face courses and often they require more. In addition, online courses require that students have the intrinsic motivation to complete the required weekly tasks since there do not exist many extrinsic motivators such as the fear of showing up to class unprepared and being called out.

Consider Your Personal Characteristics and Level of Motivation

The students who do the best in online courses are those who are able to schedule their time accordingly, motivate themselves to perform the required coursework, and who take the time to read the course syllabus and all the details for each assignment. It is often the case that the students who do not do well in online courses are those who do not read the syllabus and related course materials, are not intrinsically motivated to perform the coursework, and who are not adept at scheduling their time.

Consideration of your personal characteristics, such as how well you are able to self-motivate, how adept you are at time management, and how attentive to detail you are will assist you in determining whether online education is the right medium for you.

References

Allen, I. E., & Seaman, J. (2010). Class differences: Online education in the United States, 2010. Needham, MA: Sloan Consortium.

Jaggars, S. S. (2011). Online learning: Does it help low-income and underprepared students? (CCRC Working Paper No. 26, Assessment of Evidence Series). New York, NY: Columbia University, Teachers College, Community College Research Center.

Xu, D., & Jaggars, S. S. (2011). Online and hybrid course enrollment and performance in Washington state community and technical colleges. (CCRC Working Paper No. 31). New York, NY: Columbia University, Teachers College, Community College Research Center.

Photo courtesy of hubpages.com

Filed Under: Forensic & Clinical Psychology, Online Programs Tagged With: , ,

Psychology Degree – Online and Masters Degrees in Psychology

May 12, 2011 By 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.Psychology Degree

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.

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