Best master’s degrees in criminal psychology

Concordia University is a private Lutheran university in St. Paul Minnesota. Its Forensic Behavioral Health degree, which is offered entirely online, lies at the junction of criminal justice and criminal psychology. The program leverages evidence-based science and intervention strategies to help you make a difference in your community. The program was developed together with the American Institute for the Advancement of Forensic Studies. MA students will cover subjects like family violence, PTSD, trauma, ethics, risk assessment, serving disadvantaged populations, and psychopathology. Graduates go on to become probation officers, domestic violence counselors, juvenile justice specialists, and more.

John Jay is a public college located in New York City that focuses on criminal justice. The MA in Forensic Psychology equips students to serve and understand both offenders and victims as they navigate the civil and criminal justice systems. Courses focus on psychopathology, psychological development, research methods, and therapeutic techniques. The program’s curriculum gives learners a deeper understanding of criminal psychology by teaching how social identities, like race, class, gender, etc. interact with psychopathology.

Students of the MA program apply their knowledge of criminal psychology to jobs in prisons, juvenile facilities, family court, community mental health centers, and much more.

Cal State LA is a public university in Los Angeles, California. The MS in Forensic Psychology program is designed for students who wish to study branches of psychology relevant to the criminal justice system. The program involves close interaction with staff, and it culminates in a 9-month practicum where students get firsthand experience in the field.

Typical criminal psychology courses could include abnormal psychology, theories of criminal justice, principles of research, human memory, statistics, and social psychology. Students also write a thesis.

UND is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Its online MA program combines advanced criminal psychological concepts with analytical and statistical skills, focusing on the relationship between law and psychology. Students will learn how to assist lawyers in trial preparation, use the right tools for psychological evaluations of criminals, and help courts with forensic issues.

Graduates have gone on to work in criminal courts, addiction service centers, juvenile facilities, state forensic units, hospitals, and more.

ASU is a public research university located in the Phoenix metro area. The online Master of Science in Forensic Psychology is intended for psychology grads who want to advance their career by gaining more in-depth knowledge of the intersection of criminal justice and mental health.

Students learn about psychopathology, correctional psychology, research methods, criminal psychology, and the criminal justice system. Typical graduates of this program could go on to become forensic science technicians or criminal investigators.

The online MS in Forensic Psychology is a stepping stone to the forensic psychology doctorate, which is needed to become a forensic psychologist.

Grand Canyon University is a private, for-profit Christian college based in Phoenix, Arizona. Its flexible and convenient MS in Psychology program offers both online and evening options. Using data-based research and theory, students examine why people think and behave the way they do, giving them a deeper knowledge of criminal psychology.

The MS in Psychology program has a Forensic Psychology Emphasis, which covers the principles of criminal psychology, behavioral science, and how society responds to crime.

SNHU is a private university based in New Hampshire that offers an online MS in Forensic Psychology. The program teaches students about the intersection of psychology with the law. Some courses include theories of personality, courtroom psychology, ethics, and forensic psychology.

The tuition at SNHU is among the lowest in the country, and its online programs are convenient and flexible, meaning that you can start studying criminal psychology whenever you want. 

Farleigh Dickinson is a private university with several campuses in New Jersey. Its broad MA in Forensic Psychology program, which lasts just 1.5 years, prepares students for forensics jobs while also equipping them to continue their studies of criminal psychology. Notably, students participate in a 300-hour externship and can participate in forensic research. They also have the option to study abroad at FDU’s campus in England.

Classes could include psychopathology, forensic evaluation and assessment, psycho-legal analysis, statistics and research methods, and forensic interviewing techniques.

UNH is a private university in West Haven, Connecticut. Its interdisciplinary MS is offered jointly through the department of psychology and the department of criminal justice. The program is designed for people already working in the justice system – or who plan to in the future – who wish to gain a deeper understanding of the intersection of justice and law.  

Criminal psychology courses include mental health law, abnormal psychology, theories of criminal behavior, and research methods. The program culminates in a thesis or a comprehensive examination.

Cappella is a for-profit, private, online university based in Minnesota. Its online master’s degree in clinical psychology with a forensic psychology specialization equips graduates with the tools they need to understand the criminal mind using research and evidence-based practice.

Courses dive deep into the American legal system, clinical and criminal psychology, multicultural aspects of criminal justice, and techniques of forensic practice. Graduates are well positioned to pursue careers as forensic case workers, forensic researchers, and forensic analysts.

Marymount is a private Catholic University in Arlington, Virginia. Students of its MA in Forensic and Legal Psychology program examine key psychological components of criminal and juvenile justice systems and the intelligence community. The college’s location near Washington DC allows students unique opportunities for courtroom observations, seminars, and internships at federal agencies. Besides studying the connection between criminal psychology and the justice system, students can also pursue an intelligence studies concentration. There are opportunities to study abroad in the UK or the Netherlands.

Alumni have gone on to work as intelligence analysts, correctional case managers, crime mitigation specialists, parole and probation officers, and crime analysts.

Tiffin is a private university in Tiffin, Ohio. Students at this 18-month program learn about the complex intersection of criminal psychology and the justice system. The MS program covers topics like victimology, forensic psychology, counseling, substance abuse, psychology and the law, and much more. While mostly research-based, graduates also emerge with marketable skills used in law enforcement agencies. Graduates are eligible to obtain a Chemical Dependency Counselor Assistant certificate.

Graduates go on to work as addictions counselors, FBI agents, mental health professionals, police officers, victim advocates, and much more.

Cal Baptist is a private university in Riverside, California. Its MA in Forensic Psychology enables its graduates to offer psychological services within the justice system. Students acquire in-depth knowledge of the biological and psychological aspects of crime, psychopathology, and the intersection of criminal psychology and the law.

Second-year students do field work in a forensic setting, including with the FBI, victim advocacy organizations, parole officers, and crisis centers. Typical courses could include biological bases of behavior, criminal profiling, and advanced psychopathology.

Walden is a private, online, for-profit university based in Minnesota. Students at Walden’s online MS in Forensic Psychology program study the link between human behavior and the criminal mind. The program offers a variety of specializations, including victimology, family violence, cybercrime, terrorism, and sex offender behavior. Students can also design their own criminal justice program that combines research of criminal psychology with the justice system.

Graduates use their newly refined knowledge of criminal psychology to work in law enforcement, corrections, government agencies, and the court system.

The Chicago School is a network of private universities dedicated to the study of psychology. There are campuses in Illinois, Texas, California, Washington DC, and Louisiana. If offers a large number of forensic psychology degrees at the master’s level, so students can choose between online and offline options, licensure or non-licensure tracks, and various concentrations. Most degrees culminate in an MA in Forensic Psychology.

Example courses could include group processes of therapy, assessment in counseling, mental health law, and tactical psychology. Besides a degree, some concentrations culminate in a professional license or certification that could give you a competitive advantage as you seek to apply your knowledge of criminal psychology in the real world.

Nova is a private research university based in Davie, Florida. Students at NSU Florida’s MS in Forensic Psychology program learn about the intersection of law, justice, and criminal psychology. They can choose between multiple tracks, including forensic psychology in the legal system and forensic psychology for mental health workers, first responders, and disaster teams. Courses could include subjects like “methods & tools of psychological and violence risk assessment” and “best practices and policies for the mentally ill in the criminal justice system”. Its online format is designed for adult learners who are balancing their education and career.

Graduates have found rewarding careers in law, national security, law enforcement, social services, and correctional facilities.

Holy Names is a private, Catholic University located in Oakland, California. Its MA in Forensic Psychology prepares students to be agents of positive change in their communities through restorative justice. The program addresses issues related to criminal justice, criminal psychology, mental health, substance abuse, post-traumatic disorders.

Alumni have found rewarding careers as parole officers, investigative journalists, victim advocates, correctional councilors, restorative justice advocates, and crime analysts.

Purdue University Global is a public online university based in Indiana; it is part of the Purdue University system. Its MS in Psychology emphasizes practical application of psychological theories, equipping graduates with the criminal psychology expertise needed to drive change in their communities. The program’s online format is convenient and flexible.

General psychology courses could include applied statistics, advanced research methods, and foundations of professional psychology. Students who choose the forensic psychology concentration will focus on applying theory to advocacy work across the criminal justice system.

The University of Denver is a private research university in Colorado. Its graduate school of professional psychology offers a Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology (MAFP) that combines clinical psychology training with a hands-on practicum. Through the program, students learn how theories of criminal psychology apply in the criminal and civil justice systems. Alumni go on to become mental health professionals who work in clinical settings for the legal system.

A typical student’s coursework could include psychology, public policy, and advocacy; criminal evaluations; individual and group therapy; and forensic psychology. The practicum, which is required to graduate, involves doing field work or service in diverse settings. Students also have access to peer supervision courses.

Roger William University is a private university based in Bristol, Rhode Island. Its 2-year MA in Forensic Psychology program prepares students for careers in clinical, forensic, applied, or experimental legal psychology. Graduates emerge with a strong understanding of clinical assessment, psychological testing, psychopathology, criminal psychology, statistical analysis, and research skills. To graduate, students must complete a research practicum or directed research as well as a thesis.

A sample of typical classes includes psychology and the law, professional ethics, methods in psychotherapy, assessment in criminal law, and child assessment.