PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
The City University of New York

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Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology
FAQ Page

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1. What is Forensic Psychology?
2. What is the Master's Program in Forensic Psychology?
3. What is taught in the Master's Degree Program at John Jay College?
4. What are the prerequisites for admission to the Master's Program in Forensic Psychology?
5. Who are the students in the program?
6. Who are the faculty?  What are their areas of expertise?  Their interests?
7. How do graduates of the Master's Degree Program in Forensic Psychology utilize their training?
8. How does the award of the Master's Degree affect students opportunities of being accepted into selective doctoral programs in psychology?
9. Is there financial aid available?
10.  How do I apply to the Master's Program in Forensic Psychology?
11. What research opportunities are there in the MA Program in Forensic Psychology?

 Forensic Psychology is the application of psychological insights, concepts and skills to the understanding and functioning of the legal and criminal justice system.  It embraces psychology and the law, the psychology of police and policing, corrections, probation, parole, victim services, addiction services, family services and the full range of activities related to law enforcement, treatment of offenders, etc.
 
 

 The Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology is a 39-credit program, comprised of 36 credits of coursework plus a 3-credit Externship (400 hours of Field Work) or a Thesis.
 
 

 The program follows two major thrusts:  The first includes courses in psychological concepts and skills similar to those offered in most graduate programs in psychology, particularly those with a clinical focus.  They include Research Design & Methods, Psychopathology, Advanced Psychology of Personality, Key Concepts in Psychotherapy, Developmental Psychology, etc. as concept courses, and Clinical Interviewing, two courses on Personality Assessment, and a course in Psychological Evaluation & Testing, etc. as skills courses.

 The second thrust includes specifically Forensic Psychology courses, e.g:  Psychology and the Law, Social Psychology of the Legal System, Psychology of Criminal Behavior, Psychology of the Victim, Treatment and Rehabilitation of the Offender, Psychology of Terrorism, and Psychological Profiles of the Homicidal Offender.
 
 

 Students must be graduates of an accredited 4-year college.  The minimum undergraduate G.P.A. is 3.0.  Students must have completed at least 12 undergraduate credits in psychology.  While undergraduate courses in Statistics and Experimental Psychology are required in addition to those credits, a student may be accepted as a conditional matriculant while completing the latter courses at John Jay College.  G.R.E.'s are required for applicants, and most students who are accepted have a combined score of at least 1000 on the Verbal and Mathematical GREs, combined.
 
 

 The students are men and women from a wide variety of backgrounds.  There are usually several students from distant states and foreign countries who have been attracted by our unique program.

Students fall into three main groups:

1) About 60% are recent and not-so-recent college graduates mostly with undergraduate psychology majors, who want to find jobs as forensic psychologists after receiving their Master's degrees.  They do not usually have work experience in criminal justice, nor do they know precisely what kind of work they want to do.

2) About 15% are in-service professionals in police, corrections, probation, parole, court or other criminal justice agencies.  There are usually several Federal employees in this group from the FBI, Naval Intelligence Service, U.S. Customs, Secret Service, or Federal Probation.  These in-service professionals matriculate at John Jay College as a way of advancing their careers within their particular agency.

3) The other 25% are students who are set on going on to either doctoral programs or law school.  They are in the Master's Program for two reasons:

a) to enhance their chances of being admitted to highly selective programs where the odds are often close to twenty-five qualified applicants for every available place in the entering class.  This includes doctoral programs in clinical, counseling, physiological, health, developmental, and environmental psychology as well as law schools, etc.  They know that they will not be able to transfer most of their credits, but they are willing to take this loss in order to present a good academic record of graduate level courses and a clear focus on the growing specialized area of Forensic Psychology.

b)   they are genuinely fascinated by the many socially significant questions implicit in Forensic Psychology and hope to gain a legitimate expertise in this field before going on to obtain an additional academic credential.
 
 

 The faculty is a highly qualified group of teachers:  Three professors have both law degrees and Ph.D.'s in Psychology, others are certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology as Clinical or Forensic Psychologists.  Several have extensive experience as clinicians in forensic units of hospitals, or in family court, or in working as consultants with police departments.  Their interests include psychological screening of criminal justice applicants; jury research; insanity defense evaluations; court decisions on child custody; hostage negotiations; informed consent on patients; group dynamics and cults; "incorrigible" children; women and crime; the psychology and treatment of juvenile offenders; brainwashing; the psychology of violence; forensic use of hypnosis, etc.  Most have published significant articles or books on these and other topics.

(See also:  Department Faculty Directory.)
(See also: Forensic Psychology Doctoral Program:  Forensic Psychology Faculty.)
 

 Most graduates obtain master's level psychology jobs in agencies and institutions such as prisons, juvenile facilities, social service agencies, police departments, child care agencies, probation, parole, family court, addiction services,  hospitals, and community mental health centers.  Some students get jobs as forensic researchers doing studies and evaluations of at-risk populations.  A few graduates have been accepted in federal law enforcement agencies after earning a Master's Degree in Forensic Psychology.

 As in most careers, graduates often must endure a rigorous job application search before finding suitable employment.  Although almost all graduates find exciting opportunities in the field of forensic psychology, a job search can be expected to take at least about three months.
 
 

 Doctoral applicants with a master's level specialization in Forensic Psychology have a relatively unique area of interest and special skills which are attractive to doctoral programs.  However, such a specialization is only one factor that doctoral programs are looking for, and there are no guarantees.  Master's level courses are generally not transferable to doctoral programs, although that depends on the individual program.  Our graduates are currently in doctoral psychology programs in 15 major universities.
 
 

 There are some state and federal grants and loans which are available at John Jay College, as well as at most universities.  Work Study Programs are also available for financially qualified applicants.  A few additional scholarships are awarded at the beginning of each semester.  For further information, contact the office of Student Financial Services, at 212-237-8151.

 Application forms and catalogs may be obtained on the John Jay College homepage; or from the Admissions Office, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, 445 West 59th Street, New York, NY  10019.  Applications may be requested by telephone at (212) 237-8863.

 For additional information about the Master's Program in Forensic Psychology, please contact:

Maintained by:  Keith A. Markus
Created:  2/14/2002
Updated: 1/26/2005