Course summary
Overview If you want to apply what you learned through your undergraduate psychology studies to the field of offender behaviour, then this Master's in Forensic Psychology will give you the knowledge and skills to work in the criminal justice system, or train to become a qualified forensic psychologist. The course brings together the disciplines of clinical, social and cognitive psychology, with criminology and law. You'll address the major issues concerning the justice system in relation to individuals, organisations and society, and when you successfully complete your studies, you'll be able to apply your knowledge in a range of contexts from criminal investigations, to welfare, wellbeing and rehabilitation. Accredited by the British Psychological Society, the course represents the first of 2 stages of training required to become a Chartered and Registered Forensic Psychologist. Psychology at the University of Portsmouth is ranked 5th of all post-1992 universities for research quality as part of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021. Eligibility This course accepts UK, EU, and international students. Application deadline The application deadline for this course is 28 February of the year it begins. If the course isn't filled by the deadline, late applications will be considered. However, it's best to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. Course highlights
- Learn from the largest group of actively researching forensic psychology academics in the UK
- Use our specialist facilities for interview observation including eye-tracking and digital analysis
- Study themes including professional competence, assessment and interventions with offenders, and investigative psychology and the legal process
- Complete a research project on a topic of your choice, applying your research and data analysis skills to produce a piece of work to a publishable standard
- Fulfill stage 1 of 2 stages of training required to become a Chartered and Registered Forensic Psychologist
- Trainee Forensic Psychologist
- Research Officer
- Assistant Psychologist
- Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner
- Probation Practitioner
- Wellbeing and Recovery Practioner
- Interventions Facilitator
- Resettlement Facilitator
- Police Staff
- Mental Health Consultant
- Support Worker
- Ministry of Justice
- NHS
- Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service
- Seetec
- STR Group
- Youth Justice Services
- Motive 8
- Full-time students will attend the University on Tuesdays and Thursdays
- We recommend that you allocate 37 hours per week to your postgraduate degree (including independent study), equivalent to a full-time job
- Part-time students will attend on either a Tuesday or a Thursday, which will then be fixed for the 2 years
- We recommend that you allocate 18 hours per week to your postgraduate degree (including independent study), equivalent to a part-time job
Modules
Full-time: All modules on this MSc Forensic Psychology Master's are core. Core:
- Applied Psychological Research Methods (30 credits)
- Assessment and Interventions with Offenders (30 credits)
- Empirical Research Project for Forensic Psychology (60 credits)
- Investigative Psychology and the Legal Process (30 credits)
- Theory Into Practice: Foundations of Professional Competence in Forensic Psyc (30 credits)
- Applied Psychological Research Methods (30 credits)
- Assessment and Interventions with Offenders (30 credits)
- Investigative Psychology and the Legal Process (30 credits)
- Theory Into Practice: Foundations of Professional Competence in Forensic Psyc (30 credits)
- Empirical Research Project for Forensic Psychology (60 credits)
- Applied Psychological Research Methods (30 credits)
- Assessment and Interventions with Offenders (30 credits)
- Investigative Psychology and the Legal Process (30 credits)
- Theory Into Practice: Foundations of Professional Competence in Forensic Psyc (30 credits)
Assessment method
Assessments have a practical focus and will require you to position yourself as a professional to produce outcomes, including:
- a court report from the perspective of an expert witness
- an organisational briefing report from the perspective of an external consultant
- a case study from the perspective of a practitioner psychologist
- essays
- oral presentations
Professional bodies
Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.
- British Psychological Society
Entry requirements
A 2:1 honours degree in Psychology or a Pass in an MSc Psychology conversion course. In either case, the course must be recognised by the British Psychology Society as conferring Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC). Consideration will also be given to applicants with a 2:2 degree where the applicant can demonstrate, through their account of their relevant education and experience in their personal statement, commitment to and awareness of diversity and inclusion (eg. caring responsibilities, disability, exclusion/unconscious bias). Applicants are expected to have some relevant experience at the time of application. This can be one or more of three kinds. First is paid employment directly within or related to the criminal justice system (e.g. Assistant Psychologist in the Prison Service/Forensic Mental Health Setting, a role in probation/the police, Youth Offending Team or similar). Second is paid work in a setting where you have used “transferable skills” (e.g. interpersonal skills/problem-solving) with relevant populations such as the homeless, individuals with learning disabilities, those with mental health/substance related problems. The third is voluntary work with relevant agencies that again work with populations relevant to the criminal justice system (e.g. Victim Support, NACRO, Circles, SOVA, Motiv8, ‘Appropriate Adult’ services).
English language requirements
| Test | Grade | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.5 with no component score below 6.0. | |
| Cambridge English Advanced | Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) taken after January 2015. An overall score of 176 with no component score less than 169. | |
| Cambridge English Proficiency | Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) taken after January 2015. An overall score of 176 with no component score less than 169. | |
| TOEFL (iBT) | 91 with a minimum of 20 in Reading, 19 in Listening, 21 in Speaking and 20 in Writing. | |
| PTE Academic | An overall score of 61 with a minimum of 54 in each skill. |
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
| EU | £3470 | Year 1 |
| England | £3470 | Year 1 |
| Northern Ireland | £3470 | Year 1 |
| Scotland | £3470 | Year 1 |
| Wales | £3470 | Year 1 |
| Channel Islands | £3470 | Year 1 |
| Republic of Ireland | £3470 | Year 1 |
| International | £6400 | Year 1 |
Additional fee information
Students who are resident in EU countries: please note that the net fee is inclusive of the Transition Scholarship.
Fees are accurate at the time of publishing and are subject to change at any time without notice.
Fees may also go up in later years, in line with inflation.
Provider information
University of Portsmouth
University House
Winston Churchill Avenue
Portsmouth
PO1 2UP