Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

Psychology or Forensic Psychology at uni?

I'm eventually wanting to be a Forensic Psychologist but I am unsure on what the best route for this would be; to take Forensic Psych undergraduate and then take it again as a masters or apply for a Psych degree then forensic at masters.

Any ideas?

Reply 1

DrSocSciences

Original post by jaspeng

Ok, given that forensic work involves the application of scientific methodology to the legal process, I'd have thought that the ability to do some basic research would be quite important.

It took less than 30 seconds to find the following:
https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/forensic-psychologist

Reply 2

Juichiro

Same degree. Only difference tends to be that your modules are already pre-selected for you. Whatever you do, given your goal, you still need to do a masters.

Reply 3

_Sinnie_

My advice is to be very careful with Forensic Psychology.

To qualify you need stage 2, which is supervised practice. Traditionally this was obtained through trainee posts in the NHS and HMP - the MSc would grant you stage 1. With the budget cuts, these posts have been slashed to near oblivion (I haven't checked with the prison service in a long time, so they may be more common now). The ones I have seen were 6 month/1 year posts, which aren't enough for your stage 2 and there would be no guarantee of a trainee post afterwards.

The new route is via a doctorate. Nottingham and Birmingham have one (perhaps Cardiff now, too). Nottingham will make you re-do the MSc year, even if you already have it - so it's a fantastic waste of a year, a lot of time and money (they changed this just in time for me finishing my own MSc).

Personally I find the Psychology delivered in the prison service to be formulaic, cookie cutter and I chose not to go down that route. This is purely my personal opinion, you may love it.

Forensic Psychology in the NHS is a tough gig, Clinical is by far and away the preferred specialty - even in forensic services.

There is always private work, of course.

I'm saying all this because I became quite disillusioned with the forensic route, but only after I did my MSc, got an assistant psych post and found out it all for myself. Universities make their money by getting you to pay for courses they tell you will get you the career you want.

If you do want to become a Forensic Psychologist - do the standard BSc and then see what the qualification routes look like in 3 years time. You could do an MSc and then find all the doctorates make you re-do it and you'll be as annoyed as I was!