The online Master of Science (MS) in Forensic Psychology degree builds a solid foundation of knowledge, insight, and skill to make a difference in the criminal justice system or in relevant legal and social services careers. 

Forensic psychology graduates gain expertise regarding judicial, human behavior, administrative, and educational contexts about psychological issues to judicial, legislative, or administrative bodies, along with conducting research in connection with litigation. 

Offering concentrations in Community Criminal Issues and Sex Offender Issues, students in the Master’s in Forensic Psychology program canspecialize their degree to align with their career interests. This non-licensure program also prepares psychology students to continue their education to earn a Ph.D or Psy.D in Human and Organizational Psychology.

Note: This master’s degree in psychology does not lead to any form of licensure or certification.

What makes this Master of Science in Forensic Psychology program different?

  • 100% online format with no residency required
  • Affordable tuition
  • Touro University Worldwide is a nonprofit accredited university
  • Finish in one year*
  • No GRE required with an accelerated admissions process
  • 6 starts throughout the year with courses held in 8-week session
  • Faculty are scholar-practitioners with expertise in criminal justice, law enforcement, and psychology.

*Degree can be earned in 12 months by those who take two courses per term for six consecutive terms.

Explore the Forensic Side of Psychology with TUW’s Master’s Degree

Touro University Worldwide offers a career-advancing online Master of Science in Forensic Psychology degree for students interested in criminal psychology and careers working with the legal and social services systems. Through a flexible format, students are able to specialize in their program to pursue their academic and professional goals.

Core Requirements

27 Semester Credits

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course provides an advanced introduction to the field of forensic psychology. The focus of this course will include the major ways in which psychologists are involved in the criminal court system. Topics covered in this course includecriminal competency, civil competency,eyewitness testimony, police interrogation, offender rehabilitation, and careers in forensic psychology.

CREDITS

3

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is designed to provide with contemporary views and theories of maladaptive and criminal behavior along with victim-offender relationships. A broad conceptualization of criminal behavior, tied to biological, sociological, and psychological perspectives, is explored and evaluated within the course.

CREDITS

3

COURSE DESCRIPTION

In this course, students examine ethics and professional issues in the discipline of forensic psychology. Students analyze various moral and ethical dilemmas that arise within the psychological practice and forensic psychology as a science.

CREDITS

3

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course focuses on the intersections between the legal system and the field of forensic psychology. The psychologist’s roles and challenges within the legal system will be covered as well as discussing the legal rights of an individual as it relates to due process within the context of the justice system. Students will also review U.S. Supreme Court cases and legal statutes that influence current policies that are tied to the practice of psychology.

CREDITS

3

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course reviews the broad spectrum of psychological disorders. The focus of this course will include the etiology, prevalence and incidence, signs and symptoms, and criteria for differential diagnosis affecting children, adolescents, and adults.

CREDITS

3

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The course serves as an introduction to graduate level research in the social sciences with a specific emphasis on forensic psychology. Research methods and statistics will be integrated to provide a general overview of the ways that social scientists collect information. The research process will be examined including concepts of design, conduct and evaluation. Principles and characteristics of approaches and methodologies relevant to research in the field of forensic psychology will be fully explored. Examples of data sources and methods of statistical description and analysis will be covered with special emphasis on developing ethical, trustworthy and useful information. The course also will provide a foundation for locating and evaluating scientific, technical, business and government qualitative and quantitative information.

CREDITS

3

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The course is designed to provide a critical overview of family violence from a bio-psychosocial perspective. Topics included in the course will include the meaning, nature, and types of family violence. There is also coverage on the theories explaining inter-personal hostility, aggression and violence among family members along with the consequences of violence. Finally, there is also a discussion of family violence in a cross-cultural context.

CREDITS

3

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The course is designed to introduce students to the literature on forensic assessment and the methods utilized in this area of psychology. Topics included will be the historical context, relevant theories, techniques, tools, and procedures related to forensic assessment. Ethics in forensic evaluation and the dilemmas encountered in dealing with the diverse criminal and victim populations are emphasized throughout the course.

CREDITS

3

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The Capstone Course is the culmination of your Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology degree program. Students create a culminating assignment in the area of forensic psychology that may serve as a tool for further research or practice.

CREDITS

3

Sex Offender Issues Concentration

9 Semester Credits

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is designed to introduce students to the knowledge concerning biological and psychological aspects of human sexual functioning. Topics included will be sexual functioning, sexual variance, and sexual dysfunction. Ethical and legal issues regarding human sexuality and sexual deviance in forensic settings are also discussed in the course.

CREDITS

3

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The course is designed to introduce students to contemporary issues related to sexual offenders. Topics included will be typology of sex offenses, psychological theories behind sexual offending, the legal policies on sex offending, victims of sex crimes, and treatment of sexual offenders.

CREDITS

3

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The course is designed to provide an overview on the nature and experiences of crime victims. Topics included in the course will be the history of victimology, theories and factors explaining victimization along with consequences of victimization. There will also be coverage of victimization in the context of child abuse, elder abuse, hate crimes, human trafficking and terrorism.

CREDITS

3

Community Criminal Issues Concentration

9 Semester Credits

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is designed to examine juvenile delinquency and the juvenile justice system in the United States. Students will review to the bio-psychosocial theories that help understand the development of juvenile delinquency within the context of individuals, families and communities. This course will focus adolescent brain development, poverty, child maltreatment, substance abuse, disproportionate minority contact (DMC), peer relationships, the school to prison pipeline, evidence-based interventions to help reduce juvenile delinquency.

CREDITS

3

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The course is designed to provide an overview of the historical and contemporary context for street and institutional gangs. Topics included in the course will be the definition of gangs, typology of gangs, and the cross-cultural context of gang membership. In addition, the students will analyze law enforcement responses, intervention strategies, prevention strategies, and public policy issues towards gangs.

CREDITS

3

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course will provide an overview of the personal and social problems created by illegal use psychotropic substances. This course will focus upon classification, description and history of psychotropic drugs along with the biological components of drug addiction, extent of drug use and its relationship to criminal behaviors.

CREDITS

3

Credit Hours

36

Class Type

100% online, 8-week courses

Transfer Credits

Transfer in up to 9 credits

Accreditation

WSCUC

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Tuition Information

TUW’s tuition is $500 per semester credit. A range of tuition assistance programs are available to prospective students to help reduce the out-of-pocket expenses associated with continued education, including scholarships and students loans.

Many employers offer tuition assistance programs, so make sure to check to find out if additional financial support is available to you. TUW tuition assistance counselors are available to determine your eligibility for financial aid and other tuition assistance programs.

The online MS in Forensic Psychology degree explores how mental and behavioral health interacts with the legal and criminal justice system, highlighting the application of theory in various contemporary settings.

More specifically, the graduate curriculum addresses psychopathology and criminal behaviors, professional ethics, the intersections between law and psychology, family violence, and psychological assessment.

Students complete 12 courses, 36 credits, to earn the Masters in Forensic Psychology. Nine required courses and three elective courses are selected from one of two concentrations currently offered.

Students seeking to enter TUW’s MS in Forensic Psychology program must meet one of the following criteria to be considered for admission:

  • Have earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution with a minimum overall GPA of 2.5.
  • Transfer student from another college/university’s graduate program in good academic standing (minimum GPA of 2.75).

Students who meet one of the above criteria will be required to complete the following steps in order to be admitted and enrolled:

  1. Submit an application.
  2. As a non-profit organization committed to serving the underserved, Touro University Worldwide has waived the $60 application fee for all prospective students.
  3. Submit official transcripts from all institutions attended. Transcripts must come directly from the issuing institutions. Students who completed college coursework outside the United States must have their transcripts translated and evaluated. (See International Admissions for additional information.) Students are required to complete step 3 by the end of their first term of enrollment.

TUW offers two concentrations, allowing professionals to target their course of study to meet their specific career goals.

Community Criminal Issues

Students who choose the concentration in Community Criminal Issues hone their criminal psychology skills in areas that affect communities and social behavior including juvenile delinquency, substance abuse and associated criminal behavior, and gangs and crime.

Sex Offender Issues

Students who choose the Sex Offender Issues concentration refine their forensic psychology skills by surveying topics such as human sexuality, sexual deviance and offenders, and victimology.

The MS in Forensic Psychology program benefits our graduates who may serve as correctional psychologists, counselors, expert witnesses, law enforcement consultants, and research advisors to attorneys illuminating the role of psychology in corresponding legal cases.

As consultants, forensic psychologists may serve a role in explaining the practical implications of relevant research, examination findings, and the opinions of other psycho-legal experts.

The Master of Science in Forensic Psychology program augments the Touro University Worldwide mission by providing adult learners and career professionals with a solid academic foundation to enhance their practical and academic skills that contribute to expertise in forensic psychological issues relative to judicial, legislative, or administrative systems crucial to the underserved and society at large.