Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology (MA)

The Forensic Psychology program will train students in an emergent area at the intersection between law and psychology as it relates to applying psychological principles to legal issues in judicial, administrative, and educational systems.  There is a clear and growing need for professionals with this training and perspective.  In addition to compelling statistics regarding the prevalence of mental illness in the United States, a 1998 study published by the Bureau of Justice reported that there were over a quarter of a million incarcerated mentally ill adults nationwide, with less than one-third receiving any mental health services.  The M.A. program in Forensic Psychology will train our students to meet this growing need.

The M.A. Program in Forensic Psychology prepares its graduates to function as professional mental health counselors. Designed to be completed in two years of full-time study, the program conforms to the current educational requirements for Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) licensure in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The curriculum consists of 60 semester credits and a minimum of 960 hours of field work distributed over two consecutive semesters of practicum-level field work and two consecutive semesters of internship. Consistent with MSPP tradition, a hallmark feature of the program is the integration of classroom work with supervised field experience. Students are assigned to clinical field placements from their very first semester and participate in year-long, small-group seminars that are linked to their clinical practica and provide them with a forum for integrating their field experiences with their classroom work and addressing issues pertinent to their development as mental health professionals.

Graduates of the program will be awarded a Master’s of Arts (M.A.) in Forensic Psychology.

Updated 4/28/08