This course is accredited by the British Psychological Society and approved by the Health Professional Council
This course has a start date in September
Professional Doctorate in Forensic Psychology (DForenPsy)
Three years full-time or six years part-time or a combination
The Professional (practitioner) Doctorate Forensic Psychology aims to educate and train psychology graduates to work with victims and/or offenders under the supervision of registered forensic psychologists and to attain the highest standards of research and practice. In collaboration with Institute of Mental Health (IMH), the course aims to develop skills such as assessment, management, intervention, treatment and evaluation.
Year 1
In the first year you will study a masters programme consisting of eight modules:
- Theories of Criminal Behaviour
- Forensic Child Psychology
- Forensic Mental Health
- Law and Criminal Justice
- Forensic Organisational Psychology
- Forensic Practice Interventions
- Research Methods and Analyses
- Research Project
On successful completion of the masters component, you may progress on to the doctorate component or exit with an MSc Criminological Psychology.
Years 2 and 3
During the doctorate component, you will apply your knowledge to practice while on placement in forensic environments. You will experience interventions with children and adults in community and secure settings and develop skills and competency in four core areas:
- conducting psychological applications and interventions
- case studies, research and evaluation
- communicating knowledge to other professionals
- training other professionals in psychological skills and methods
At the end of the course, you will submit a thesis on your research and practice in a specific area of forensic psychology.
Individuals holding a British Psychological Society (BPS) accredited good honours degree in psychology and some relevant experience may apply. Applications close in February each year and interviews are held in April. The course begins in late September. This programme is approved by the Health Professions Council (HPC) and accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and confers eligibility to apply for HPC registration and BPS chartered membership respectively.
Top-up Doctorate in Forensic Psychology (DForenPsy)
Two years full-time or four years part-time or a combination
The aim of the ‘top-up’ programme is to allow postgraduate psychologists already holding a British Psychological Society (BPS) accredited MSc Criminological/Forensic/Investigative Psychology to obtain a doctorate through applying their knowledge to practice with victims or offenders. These individuals will be eligible to fast track onto the two year doctorate component of the course (see above). Applications for the ‘top-up’ Doctorate are accepted throughout the year with a start date in September This programme is approved by the Health Professions Council (HPC) and accredited by the BPS and confers eligibility to apply for HPC registration and BPS chartered membership respectively.
Those applicants working in a forensic setting may use this setting as a placement, if appropriate.