Forensic Mental Health: Research and Practice MSc

This MSc course provides a multidisciplinary understanding of the connection between mental disorder and criminal behaviour, and the approaches for reducing violence through appropriate care and management of those at risk of offending. It encompasses approaches from forensic psychology, psychiatry, criminology and sociology as well as public health.

We offer you a distinctive psychosocial focus, a key component of current Ministry of Justice and Department of Health Policy. This approach helps you to reflect on your own experiences and practice in a way that develops your skills as a clinician, researcher or leader in the field, as well as providing a framework for safe and therapeutic work with offenders.

You’ll produce an original thesis, which can be oriented towards clinical or research knowledge. We’ll encourage you to publish and disseminate this work.

This programme is intended for students who are interested in an applied course in forensic psychology, forensic psychiatry and/or criminology but do not require Stage 1 accreditation for the British Psychological Society for the Qualification in Forensic Psychology (QFP). Those who do require accreditation should apply to the Forensic Psychology and Mental Health Pathway.

This programme is aimed at you if you want to learn more about forensic mental health but are not currently interested in training as a forensic psychologist. It will ideally suit you if you have a research interest in forensic mental health and/or an existing professional identity in criminology, nursing, psychiatry, probation or social work.