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Forensic Psychology Graduate Education: Notes and Ideas

© Michael Decaire

I get a lot of emails questioning me in regards to forensic psychology education. It is not uncommon to be asked which school is the best, which program do I want, what do I need to do to get in, etc... In this article I will try to answer these questions. I believe that there is no 'best' school when it comes to forensic psychology. Choosing your school is a very personal decision. I like to tell those who question me to pick a school that has a faculty and research program that fits their particular interest. If you choose a school because of its reputation, but no one shares interests similar to yours, you will likely not be able to obtain your academic goals.

You must also consider other aspects important to you personally. Geographical location, financial commitment, etc., these are all things that must be taken seriously beyond the program that is being offered. If you are in the best program around but you have to drop out because you can't afford it. Then you are just wasting your (and everyone elses) time.

One of the most important choices is what type of program you wish to enter into. There is for the most part five different options you may be faced with (excluding the PhD vs. PsyD decision). The safest choice of all is to choose either a general clinical psychology or experimental psychology program. These general programs allow you to learn the primary aspects of the discipline. They will often allow you to specialize in a certain area such as forensics via your choice of placements and research areas; however you are not officially in a forensics program. Why is this safer? Well simply spoken with these degrees you can for the most part work in any area that employs clinical or experimental psychologists.

A secondary choice is to take either a clinical psychology program or an experimental psychology program that offers a 'forensics' focus. This is also a somewhat safe choice because while it continues to leave many doors open to the academic outside of forensics it has a good forensics background allowing one to be a more proficient practioner.

A third choice is the Masters in Forensic Psychology programs that have been appearining of late. These programs tend to be similar to the 'applied' psychology programs that have existed for quite a time. While they provide the most comprehensive forensics background they leave out a great deal of relevant psychological disciplines that make the degree's less competitive. A president of a large american forensic psychology association himself has questioned the attractiveness of these programs. So if you decide that this is the area you wish to select make sure you do a great deal of reasearch on it.

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