Best Forensic Psychology Masters Programs in Virginia

The Program in Law and Forensic Psychology at Simon Fraser University offers experimental or clinical students unique research and applied experiences in the growing field of law and psychology. Students in both the Experimental Psychology and Law Stream and the Clinical-Forensic Stream enter the graduate training program in the psychology department through the normal procedures for the experimental and clinical training programs, respectively. In addition to the basic department requirements, students will enhance their experimental or clinical training by completing the requirements of the Clinical-Forensic or the Psychology and Law concentration, respectively. Students will be able to tailor the resources available through their respective concentrations to suit their intellectual and practical needs on an individual basis.

Although related in scope, course work, and other requirements, the concentrations of the two streams are quite different. Students in the Experimental Psychology and Law Stream will develop research and applied policy skills in law and forensic psychology. By contrast, the Clinical-Forensic Stream prepares those in clinical psychology with research and clinical skills unique to the forensic arena. Due to the overlap of the two areas, students in both streams will take many of the same courses and will develop similar research skills; however, students in the Clinical-Forensic Stream will further develop their clinical training to include forensic training and practice experience.

Marymount University’s master’s degree in forensic & legal psychology is a 39-credit program that can be completed in 18 to 24 months.

• Students gain knowledge in law enforcement, criminal investigation, and defense, public policy, matters involving miscarriages of justice, and national security. 
• The program also includes courtroom observations, site visits, speaker seminar series, and valuable internships that help students gain practical and professional experience.
• Students can also pursue the program with a concentration in Intelligence Studies. It is a 5-course track that helps students acquire skills in the intelligence community.
• Students can learn more by participating in the ethics component of each course in the curriculum.
• The program curriculum also includes experimental training areas like memory and identification, investigative interviewing, deception detection, false confessions, and juries.
• Some of the career roles of graduates of this program include Correctional case managers, Crime analysts, Intelligence analysts, Law enforcement agents, analysts, officers, Mitigation specialists, and Parole and probation officers.
• The program also comes with Study abroad opportunities in London and The Netherlands.