Forensic Psychology Master’s Degree
Students who are interested how psychology applies to crime investigation may be interested in pursuing a Master’s degree in forensic psychology. The program is designed to prepare students for working with offenders or victims of crime.
A student who chooses to major in this area gets a good background in the mental health and legal issues that affect offenders. The program helps students to develop empathy and understanding for offenders and their victims alike. Examples of courses in this program include the following:
• Addiction, Intervention and Treatment
• Crisis Counseling and Brief Therapy
• Epidemiology of Deviant Behavior
• Identification & Management of the Mentally Disordered Offender
• Introduction to Forensic Psychology
• Learning Theories
• Legal Aspects of Forensic Psychological Practice
• Legal and Ethical Issues in Forensic Psychology
• Research and Evaluation
• Profiling the Offender
• Psychological Assessment I: Intelligence & Cognition
• Psychological Assessment II: Projective Techniques
• Psychological Assessment III: Objective Personality Assessment
• Psychological Evaluation, Consultation, & Testimony
• Psychology of Criminal Behavior
• The Mentally Ill & Police
• Theories of Personality
Career Options
Some graduates from this program work as criminal profilers for law enforcement agencies, while others work with attorneys as consultants during the jury selection process. Others give testimony as expert witnesses at trial or work on legislation in the areas of psychology and the law.
