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Forensic and Legal Psychology

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Forensic and Legal Psychology/Counseling with Clinical Mental Health Specialization (M.A./M.A.)

Forensic and Legal Psychology (M.A.)

This master's degree program provides graduates with the skills and knowledge they need to provide effective, high-quality services in a variety of forensic and legal settings. These include probation and parole, victim assistance, mitigation and sentencing advocacy, law enforcement, intelligence, trial consultation, policy, advocacy, and research. To accomplish this goal, the program balances traditional psychological knowledge and skills with a specialized understanding of the legal system.

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to

research and write critically about issues in forensic and legal psychology;
develop and deliver effective oral presentations on topics in forensic and legal psychology;
argue the strengths and weaknesses of policy issues relevant to the field of forensic and legal psychology;
propose and evaluate solutions to major problems in the legal system; and
identify strategies to appropriately address ethical dilemmas in the field.

Admission Requirements: In addition to universitywide requirements for graduate admission, the following are required:

a bachelor’s degree and satisfactory GPA (an undergraduate major in psychology is preferred, however candidates from other fields will be considered)
satisfactory scores on the GRE (including the Analytical Writing score), as determined by the department
two letters of recommendation, using the official recommendation form provided by the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services, that speak directly to the applicant’s academic and interpersonal skills
a personal statement, maximum 500 words, describing the applicant’s background and motivation for entering the field of study, as well as the applicant’s rationale for applying to Marymount’s forensic and legal psychology program.

Intelligence Studies Concentration Admission Requirements: Forensic and legal psychology students, who are interested in completing the intelligence studies concentration, must meet the following requirements (after at least one semester in the program):

declare their intent to complete the concentration by the spring semester of their first year in the program
complete a minimum of 9 FLP credits (including FLP 570)
complete FLP 570 with a B or higher
have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or department chair approval
once these criteria are met, students will meet with their academic advisor to complete a Change of Program form in order to formally enter the intelligence studies concentration.

Application Deadlines: Students are admitted for the fall semester only. Completed applications must be received by February 17. Applications received after February 17 will be considered for a future academic year.

Internship Prerequisite: In order to be admitted to an internship, students must have completed the internship application process, which includes a review of academic progress; prerequisite coursework; and appropriate paperwork. Students must also submit the required application fee and gain the permission of the faculty. See the Forensic and Legal Psychology Student Handbook for additional details.

Research Requirement: All graduate students are required to log a minimum of 20 hours of research assistance under the guidance of one or more members of the forensic and legal psychology faculty. See the Forensic and Legal Psychology Student Handbook for details.

Transfer Policies: Students in the program requesting course substitutions or course transfer from other institutions will be required to submit paperwork for review by the forensic and legal psychology faculty.

Academic Probation: Students may only be on non-consecutive probation once during their graduate studies. If a student's cumulative GPA falls below 3.0 for a second consecutive time, the student will be dismissed. Students who wish to appeal their dismissal should refer to the Academic Dismissal section of this catalog for the proper procedure.

Degree Requirements – Forensic and Legal Psychology

39 credits

FLP 501 Bases of Psychopathology

FLP 502 Research Methods*

FLP 511 Legal and Investigative Psychology

FLP 512 Issues in the American Legal System

FLP 527 Psychology, Public Policy and Law

FLP 531 Psychology of Criminal Behavior

FLP 540 Forensic Assessment

FLP 599 Internship: Forensic and Legal Psychology

Five (5) courses from the following: CE 508 Crisis Intervention; CE 509 Substance Abuse Assessment and Intervention; CE 517 Neuropsychological Issues, Treatments, and Assessments; , FLP 503 Statistics, FLP 515 The Death Penalty and its Mitigation, FLP 520 Wrongful Convictions: Case Analysis, FLP 526 Field Experience in Criminal Court, FLP 533 Psychology of Sexual Violence and Exploitation, FLP 536 Victims of Interpersonal Violence, FLP 552 Psychology of Law Enforcement, FLP 555, Individual Profiling: International and Political, FLP 556 Group and Country Profiling: International and Political, FLP 559 Behavioral Criminology, FLP 560 Psychology of Childhood and Adolescence, FLP 563 Psychology and Treatment of the Juvenile Offender, FLP 566 Child Victimization, FLP 567 Juvenile Justice, FLP 570 The Intelligence Community: Theory, Process and Challenges, FLP 571 Intelligence Analysis I, FLP 572 Intelligence Analysis II, FLP 573 Counterintelligence, FLP 574 Contemporary Terrorism and the U.S. Response, FLP 598 Project: Forensic and Legal Psychology

Students in the Intelligence Studies Concentration will complete the following five (5) courses, instead of five electives**:

FLP 570 The Intelligence Community: Theory, Process and Challenges

FLP 571 Intelligence Analysis I

FLP 572 Intelligence Analysis II

FLP 573 Counterintelligence

FLP 555 Individual Profiling: International and Political OR FLP 556 Group and Country Profiling: International and Political; OR FLP 574 Contemporary Terrorism and the U.S. Response OR IT 577 Human Considerations in Cybersecurity

*Students considering the forensic and legal psychology with clinical mental health counseling option (M.A./M.A.) need to be aware that, per CACREP requirements, FLP 502 is not an approved course. Instead CE 500 is required.

** Students who complete FLP 502 and FLP 503 should complete a research focused internship

*** Students in the intelligence studies concentration must complete an internship in the intelligence community or at a private sector company that supports the intelligence community.

With prior approval of faculty, graduate credit for other elective courses can be applied toward the student’s degree.

Forensic and Legal Psychology/Counseling with Clinical Mental Health Specialization (M.A./M.A.)

Marymount offers a clinical mental health counseling option for students in the forensic and legal psychology program. This is an opportunity to earn both a Master of Arts in forensic and legal psychology and a Master of Arts in clinical mental health counseling, while completing the academic requirements needed for licensure as a professional counselor (LPC). Graduates of the program are eligible to sit for the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) examination and begin the supervised experience necessary to become a licensed professional counselor.

Marymount’s clinical mental health counseling program focuses on clinical techniques applicable to specific populations, providing experiences that are transferable to the contemporary workplace. See the M.A. in clinical mental health counseling program for additional information.

Marymount’s forensic and legal psychology program prepares students to work in a variety of forensic settings through interdisciplinary coursework in psychology, counselor education, sociology, criminal justice, and public policy.

Admission Requirement: To be admitted to this program, students must first seek admission to the forensic and legal psychology program. After completion of 18 credit hours in the forensic and legal psychology program, the student may apply to be admitted to the clinical mental health counseling program. An interview is required as part of the clinical mental health counseling program admission process.

Total Program Requirements – Forensic and Legal Psychology/Counseling option with Clinical Mental Health specialization

75 credits

FLP 501 or CE 501 Bases of Psychopathology

FLP 511 Legal and Investigative Psychology

FLP 512 Issues in the American Legal System

FLP 527 Psychology , Public Policy, and Law

FLP 531 Psychology of Criminal Behavior

FLP 540 Forensic Assessment

CE 500 Research and Evaluation*

CE 502 Foundations, Ethics, and Professional Issues in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

CE 503 Advanced Human Growth and Development

CE 508 Crisis Intervention

CE 509 Substance Abuse Assessment and Intervention

CE 510 Survey of Testing and Assessment

CE 520 Theories of Counseling

CE 522C Counseling for Individuals

CE 523C Group Counseling Techniques

CE 524 Theories and Techniques of Family Counseling

CE 530C Career Development Counseling

CE 536 Advanced Counseling: Theories and Techniques

CE 551 Multicultural Counseling

CE 597C Clinical Mental Health Counseling Practicum

CE 599C Internship: Clinical Mental Health Counseling (6 credits)

Nine (9) credits of electives from CE and FLP courses. Electives must have approval from an advisor. Students should consult with their state licensing board to determine appropriate electives.

Marymount University

Forensic and Legal Psychology

Forensic and Legal Psychology (M.A.)

Forensic and Legal Psychology/Counseling with Clinical Mental Health Specialization (M.A./M.A.)