Forensic Psychology (Taught)

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

Careers and opportunities
Forensic psychologists usually start by doing a minimum of 2 years full-time supervised practice in an employment setting.

Graduates of this course have gone onto roles such as:

• 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

Graduates of this course have gone on to work for companies such as:

• Ministry of Justice

• NHS

• Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service

• Seetec

• STR Group

• Youth Justice Services

• Motive 8

Career outcomes shown are sourced from the latest available graduate outcome surveys. The data shows career outcomes at 15 months after graduation.

Career planning
During your course, you'll have expert career support from your tutors and from our Careers and Employability Centre, which you can access for 5 years after you graduate.

Course structure
Face-to-face teaching takes place from September to May. Full-time students – and part-time students in your final year of study – will submit your research project in September.

Full-time

• 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

• 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

Course Modules

The University of Portsmouth is passionate about creating career-focused modules that do more than support your studies, they empower your academic journey and prepare you for what comes next.

We design modules that have:

• Clear themes and skills development as you progress through each year

• Assessments that feel meaningful, often based on real-world tasks rather than isolated exams

• Career-enhancing opportunities such as placements, live projects, enterprise and volunteering

For a full list of the modules you will study on this course, please visit the link to the course page.

https://www.port.ac.uk/study/courses/postgraduate-taught/msc-forensic-psychology#modules

Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

• British Psychological Society