Forensic Psychology, MSc

This British Psychological Society accredited Forensic Psychology Masters is designed to prepare psychology graduates with the academic knowledge and practical skills necessary to conduct practical work and research within a forensic context. Why choose this course?

It is accredited by the British Psychological Society. This means that by obtaining the MSc in Forensic Psychology you also be completing the first stage in your professional training towards becoming a qualified Registered Forensic Psychologist.

The focus on blending research and practical expertise is reflected in the Programme Team, which consists of forensic practitioners or academics who each have considerable experience working with offenders and victims in a range of forensic contexts in the UK. Attached to the MSc in Forensic Psychology is the Sexual Crimes and Misconduct Research Unit (SOCAMRU), which incorporates a group of active researchers currently engaged in collaborative work with:

• HM Prison Service
• the Police Service
• the National Health Service (NHS)
• High Secure Hospitals
• the Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI).

Contact us
Email
Telephone: +44 (0)115 848 4460
School of Social Sciences website

What will I study?

During the course students will study selected modules which cover the key knowledge and research skills recommended by the Division of Forensic Psychology in the British Psychological Society. The course will also equip students with core practical skills that will facilitate their progression towards becoming a practitioner in the field of forensic psychology. The modules comprise:

• Explanations of Crime, Criminal Behaviour and Victimology
  This module will provide you with a conceptual basis for understanding crime, criminal behaviour and victimisation. It will also provide you with the theoretical basis for more applied modules such as Assessment, Formulation and Treatment and Professional Forensic Practice.
  
• Police, Justice System and Psychology
  The first of two modules exploring a forensic context. This module will permit you to develop current knowledge about how psychology can be applied to the civil and criminal justice system, in particular the role of psychology in police and legal processes.
  
• Professional Forensic Practice
  This module and Reflective Practice Group runs across all three terms. Term One allows you to develop a comprehensive understanding of the BPS’ Professional Code of Conduct and Ethical guidelines, and start to consider how these guidelines can be applied and understood in terms of your developing professional practice and research skills. In Term Two students develop more sophisticated practitioner skills, in risk assessment, forensic interviewing, clinical case formulation and treatment planning. In Term Three students will have the opportunity to attend specialist practitioner lectures and to go on site visits to forensic institutions, such as prisons and Secure Hospitals.
  
  The reflective practice group occurs weekly and is a space to think about a range of student relevant issues, such as course material, coursework, developing professional identity, well-being, group dynamics and employability. The reflective practice groups also provide students with a theoretical and experiential understanding of reflection and its importance in professional practice.
  
• Advanced Experimentation and Statistics
  Modules one and two run across Term One and Two. These modules examine the theoretical and philosophical underpinnings of statistics used in experimental research. The module also covers application of various experimental designs and statistical techniques and computer software, such as SPSS
  
• Qualitative Research Design and Analysis One
  This module aims to provide you with a comprehensive philosophical and methodological grounding in qualitative research. Additionally you will develop the necessary skills to manage and handle qualitative data, alongside a range of data analytic techniques used by qualitative researchers in psychology.
  
• Assessment, Formulation and Treatment of Offenders and Victims
  In this module you will explore conceptual and applied issues associated with the core practitioner skills of assessment, formulation and treatment. You will gain a critical knowledge of assessment methods and tools, and develop an understanding of how this assessment information can be integrated with conceptual explanations of criminal behaviour and victimisation to develop coherent clinical interventions.
  
• Punishment, Rehabilitation and Aftercare
  This is the second module exploring a forensic context. This module will allow you to develop knowledge about forensic settings commonly encountered by offenders post-sentencing, in particular prisons, secure hospital settings and community initiatives. The role of the victim in post-sentencing initiatives will also be explored, e.g. victim-offender mediation.
  
• Mixed Methods
  This module considers the ontological, epistemological, practical, and theoretical issues involved in combining qualitative and quantitative research in psychology. It demonstrates some of the most effective ways in which quantitative and qualitative research techniques can be employed together within a single research programme, and it will also introduce some unusual methods which combine quantitative and qualitative elements within a single procedure (for example, repertory grids and Q methodology).

Study and support

NTU's Psychology Division is one of the largest in the UK, with a group of academics and practitioners who conduct and supervise research in a range of applied Forensic areas. The course is supported by a team of approachable staff, and delivered through taught modules; small group reflective practice sessions; and supervised individual research work.

How will I be assessed?

Assessments will be diverse in format and will include:

• examinations
• essays
• oral presentations
• practical reports
• a research project.

Psychology resources and facilities

The University has made significant financial investment in the Psychology Division over recent years upgrading accommodation, facilities and equipment used exclusively for the provision of our psychology courses and for research.

We have a modern undergraduate teaching laboratory suite opened in 2006, and a further phase of development, opened in 2007, includes a second teaching laboratory specifically catering for postgraduate students.

In addition there are specialist suites dedicated to particular areas of interest in psychology, including:

• social interaction, group work and interviewing
• computer gaming and cyberpsychology
• eye-tracking
• cognitive modelling and visual analysis
• psychophysiology.

Alongside these are new flexible cubicles for student project work, a psychometric test bank library, and a technical workshop.