Path for forensic psychology?
Hi, I'm looking to do forensic psychology, however from what i've read online, you need to do a general psychology bachelors and then a masters in forensic psychology. Hopefully someone could tell me if this is wrong or right?
I have done psychology for 2 years at GCSE, I have just completed my AS psychology exam and have begun the A2 course, I really would rather not do a degree in psychology, just as a general psychology bit of everything, I have seen a few undergraduate courses in Forensic psychology or and interesting one in Forensic psychology and Criminology. Would I be able to do this and then a post graduate in forensics or do I have to do just a normal psychology degree first?
Any help is greatly appreciated as well as recommendations for any unis etc,
Thanks!
I have done psychology for 2 years at GCSE, I have just completed my AS psychology exam and have begun the A2 course, I really would rather not do a degree in psychology, just as a general psychology bit of everything, I have seen a few undergraduate courses in Forensic psychology or and interesting one in Forensic psychology and Criminology. Would I be able to do this and then a post graduate in forensics or do I have to do just a normal psychology degree first?
Any help is greatly appreciated as well as recommendations for any unis etc,
Thanks!
Original post by sallysmith_
Hi, I'm looking to do forensic psychology, however from what i've read online, you need to do a general psychology bachelors and then a masters in forensic psychology. Hopefully someone could tell me if this is wrong or right?
I have done psychology for 2 years at GCSE, I have just completed my AS psychology exam and have begun the A2 course, I really would rather not do a degree in psychology, just as a general psychology bit of everything, I have seen a few undergraduate courses in Forensic psychology or and interesting one in Forensic psychology and Criminology. Would I be able to do this and then a post graduate in forensics or do I have to do just a normal psychology degree first?
Any help is greatly appreciated as well as recommendations for any unis etc,
Thanks!
I have done psychology for 2 years at GCSE, I have just completed my AS psychology exam and have begun the A2 course, I really would rather not do a degree in psychology, just as a general psychology bit of everything, I have seen a few undergraduate courses in Forensic psychology or and interesting one in Forensic psychology and Criminology. Would I be able to do this and then a post graduate in forensics or do I have to do just a normal psychology degree first?
Any help is greatly appreciated as well as recommendations for any unis etc,
Thanks!
HI. Most Forensic psychology courses will include a whole lot of general psychology too, as its required by the BPS to have an accredited degree. Equally, if you do a mixed honours course in crim/psych, then you'd have to make sure its BPS accredited. The main difference if you do forensic psychology at uni is that you'll have a certain number of modules in forensic psychology you can take (http://www.port.ac.uk/courses/psychology/bsc-hons-forensic-psychology/#structure).
Its worth noting that criminology isn't necessarily related to forensic psychology either, it has a lot of philosophy (e.g. theories of punishment) sociology (e.g. why do more poor men commit crimes) and politics (e.g. how has political attitudes to offenders influenced prison reform)
Original post by sallysmith_
Hi, I'm looking to do forensic psychology, however from what i've read online, you need to do a general psychology bachelors and then a masters in forensic psychology. Hopefully someone could tell me if this is wrong or right?
I have done psychology for 2 years at GCSE, I have just completed my AS psychology exam and have begun the A2 course, I really would rather not do a degree in psychology, just as a general psychology bit of everything, I have seen a few undergraduate courses in Forensic psychology or and interesting one in Forensic psychology and Criminology. Would I be able to do this and then a post graduate in forensics or do I have to do just a normal psychology degree first?
Any help is greatly appreciated as well as recommendations for any unis etc,
Thanks!
I have done psychology for 2 years at GCSE, I have just completed my AS psychology exam and have begun the A2 course, I really would rather not do a degree in psychology, just as a general psychology bit of everything, I have seen a few undergraduate courses in Forensic psychology or and interesting one in Forensic psychology and Criminology. Would I be able to do this and then a post graduate in forensics or do I have to do just a normal psychology degree first?
Any help is greatly appreciated as well as recommendations for any unis etc,
Thanks!
You can just do forensic psychology as a degree but to be honest I don't think its advisable. The chances are that you won't actually go into forensic psychology as a career because there are very few jobs in it and it's pretty damn horrible if you do work in it.
Psychology is very transferable to other career paths but while forensic psychology will be mostly straight (non criminal/victim related) to be bps accredited, it looks too specific on a CV because employers from other sectors don't know what your course included and they'll assume your degree is entirely irrelevant.
I did my degree in psychology and criminal behaviour and I'm glad I did because I got to learn about criminal psychology without closing doors and now I'm going into something totally different but the employers see my degree as relevant.
Criminology isn't the same as criminal psychology. It's more like sociology and in my opinion is very dull. It's also a pain in the bum to do psych and criminology together because you have to switch between 2 different referencing styles because criminology doesn't fall under the psych banner.
I recommend doing psychology and criminal behaviour if you want to do the forensic route. If money is likely to be an issue then you might be interested to know that at my uni (bedfordshire but nobody really seems to care) if you get a 2:1 then your masters is half price, if you get a 1st then it's free but it's incredibly difficult to get a 1st in psychology.
Forensic psych is a good job, and all the forensic psychologists I've worked with seem really happy with their career choice. But it is very niche meaning competition is rife and that there are very few jobs available at the other end.
You'll need a doctorate to becomes a forensic psychologist and there are some new doctorate courses that are longer, but dual train you in forensic and clinical psychology.
You're basically in for a long slog even if things to perfectly. A standard psych BSc may be less fun as it's more general but is the more advisable choice as it is the most well recognized, gold standard degree to begin your career in psychology.
It's always worth keeping in mind that a general degree may open your eyes to areas you didn't previously consider and may end up enjoying far more than forensics.
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You'll need a doctorate to becomes a forensic psychologist and there are some new doctorate courses that are longer, but dual train you in forensic and clinical psychology.
You're basically in for a long slog even if things to perfectly. A standard psych BSc may be less fun as it's more general but is the more advisable choice as it is the most well recognized, gold standard degree to begin your career in psychology.
It's always worth keeping in mind that a general degree may open your eyes to areas you didn't previously consider and may end up enjoying far more than forensics.
Posted from TSR Mobile
Thank you all for your replies all very helpful. I defo think I will be looking into just a general psychology course first. And I really wasn't aware that it was difficult to get a job in forensics everything I've read about it, and it's a lot, makes it sound so available!
Original post by sallysmith_
Thank you all for your replies all very helpful. I defo think I will be looking into just a general psychology course first. And I really wasn't aware that it was difficult to get a job in forensics everything I've read about it, and it's a lot, makes it sound so available!
If your reading from university pages, its worth remembering that the people who run forensic psychology degrees (and other degrees in general) are trying to market to you and may entice people to get onto their course and may misrepresent the chances of actually becoming a forensic psychologist. Generally a bad sign when a university is spending money on marketing (apart from admissions events and things like that). You see this a lot with masters courses more than at undergraduate.
Original post by littleone271
You can just do forensic psychology as a degree but to be honest I don't think its advisable. The chances are that you won't actually go into forensic psychology as a career because there are very few jobs in it and it's pretty damn horrible if you do work in it.
I agree. I would almost always recommend a general over a specialized version of a degree.
My uni offers both Forensic Psych and "straight" Psych, and I would recommend the latter. If you are particularly in forensic psychology, you should explore universities which offer both, as you may be able to choose some options in that area in the 3rd year for example.
You should definitely not do a Forensic Psych degree thinking you are going to do that as a career. Also true of psychology to a large extent!
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