Psychology and Legal Systems
In today’s complex legal system, forensic psychology professionals constantly provide their expertise on issues that intersect psychology and the law. In this specialization, explore the many ways you can interact with the court system as you gain a basic understanding of expert testimony, jury selection, and eyewitness testimony. Discover how you can work with police departments or other law enforcement agencies assisting in officer selection and training, stress management, critical incident stress debriefing, hostage negotiations, and selection of special operations officers.
Completion Requirements
- 56 total quarter credit hours
- Foundation course (1 cr.)
- Core courses (30 cr.)
- Specialization courses (20 cr.)
- Capstone or Field Experience (5 cr.)
Estimated time to completion: Approximately 1.5 years, depending on individual progress and credits transferred. For a personalized estimate of your time to completion, call your enrollment adviser at 1-866-492-5336.
Curriculum
The courses are delivered in a prescribed sequence. Each quarter includes two concurrent 12-week courses.
| Course Code | Course Title | Credits |
| Quarter 1 | ||
| PSYC 6001 | Foundations for Graduate Study in Psychology | 1 |
| FPSY 6101 | Introduction to Forensic Psychology | 5 |
| Quarter 2 | ||
| FPSY 6720 | Abnormal Behavior | 5 |
| FPSY 6115 | Understanding Forensic Psychology Research | 5 |
| Quarter 3 | ||
| FPSY 6125 | Assessment in Forensic Psychology Settings | 5 |
| FPSY 6135 | Criminal Behavior | 5 |
| Quarter 4 | ||
| FPSY 6145 | Ethical Issues and Professional Responsibilities in Forensic Psychology | 5 |
| PSYC 6912 | Mental Health Law | 5 |
| Quarter 5 | ||
| FPSY 6520 | Psychology in the Courts | 5 |
| FPSY 6521 | Police Psychology | 5 |
| Quarter 6 | ||
| Elective (PSYC 6740, PSYC 6741, PSYC 6742, or PSYC 6723) | 5 | |
| Capstone Course or Field Experience | 5 |
For students interested in assessment and treatment of forensic populations and in the delivery of traditional mental health services to populations served by the legal system, Walden offers a Forensic Counseling specialization in its M.S. in Mental Health Counseling program. To learn more about this specialization and view the course descriptions, visit.
Note on licensure:
The M.S. in Forensic Psychology is not a licensure program and does not prepare an individual to become a licensed psychology professional.
