Forensic Psychology and Mental Health MSc

Course overview

The on-campus full-time course starts in September, the online part-time course starts in January.

The course is designed to meet the requirements for stage 1 towards becoming a Chartered Forensic Psychologist (for students who also have the required Graduate Basis for Chartership). It is designed to provide you with a thorough grounding in the theory, themes, issues and practical skills we consider to be central to forensic psychology and forensic mental health settings. Please see the Accreditation section for further information.

• It covers diverse topics such as the theoretical basis of forensic psychology across a range of settings, through all stages of the criminal justice process. However, there is a specific focus on mental health and offending.
• The aim of the course is, upon successful completion, for you to have gained an understanding of the influence mental health can have on how people think, feel and act, as well as the opportunity to consider how our criminal justice system can respond to people committing crime, and those being victimised.
• Our teaching and learning is designed to encourage your participation and deepen your understanding of specific subjects. For example, by debating and discussing topics such as the effectiveness of prison in reducing reoffending behaviour and the ethics associated with risk assessment.

Why you should study this course

In 2017, the National Audit Office estimated that 10% of the prison population in England was receiving treatment for a mental health problem. Further, that 37% of people in prison had reported mental health problems to HM Inspector of Prisons. In this course, you will have the opportunity to study the types of mental health disorders commonly found in prisons and be taught how to assess and work with individuals in forensic settings, including understanding appropriate treatment programmes and the psychological challenges that can be faced by staff working in the Prison Service.

• Our current staff have many years of combined, varied professional psychological experience, either as British Psychological Society Chartered/Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) Registered Members themselves, and/or as active researchers (staff may be subject to change).
• The campus-based course is delivered full-time over one year, starting in September. The online course is studied part-time over two years, starting in January. The 100% online part-time course, delivered over two years, is a flexible option for those with work and/or family commitments. As the course is delivered solely online, with assessment deadlines made available at the start of the course, you have more control around your weekly study timetable. Many of our online students work or have other commitments they need to juggle. For others, online delivery better suits their preferred ways of learning in terms of pace, ability to go back to learning resources, and flexibility.
• There is also a sister course, Forensic Psychology MSc, which is also available campus-based or online. Five core mandatory modules will be delivered alongside students on this course. Additionally, three mandatory pathway modules are then delivered separately to students on the Forensic Psychology and Mental Health MSc to specialise the content and differentiate them from the Forensic Psychology MSc course. It is therefore important to read all course webpages related to the different pathways and compare the specific topic areas covered, to ensure you apply for the most appropriate course for you.
• You will have the opportunity to gain a CMI Level 7 Certificate in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice, upon successful completion of the relevant module.

Careers and opportunities

Developed with a focus on your future employability, the highly practical nature of the course is intended to help you develop many of the core skills we consider to be necessary for effective practice.

On successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge and critical understanding of how psychology can be applied to a range of criminal justice, legal, and forensic settings and client groups (including forensic mental health settings)
• Demonstrate competence in applying psychological knowledge and skills (e.g., critical evaluation) to practice-based scenarios in forensic psychology in mental health settings
• Demonstrate reflective and critical understanding of themselves as future practitioners in forensic mental health settings
• Demonstrate and consolidate a range of transferable and professional skills that are applicable to a range of forensic practice settings with a particular focus in forensic mental health
• Demonstrate a critical understanding of psychological research paradigms, research methods, ethical procedures, data analyses, psychological literature evidence and theory
• Critically evaluate the principles for leading and developing people and a culture of organisational health and wellbeing.

According to the British Psychological Society, the largest single employer of forensic psychologists in the UK is the HM Prison Service. Psychologists can also be employed in rehabilitation units, secure hospitals, social services, university research and in private consultancy.

There are two stages to becoming a practising Forensic Psychologist and Chartered Member of the BPS, requiring a combination of professional education and practice. In the first instance, you need the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC), followed by an accredited master’s in forensic psychology, such as this course (subject to approval – see Accreditation section for further information).

The second stage requires a minimum of two years of supervised practice and successful completion of Stage 2 of the BPS Qualification in Forensic Psychology before you are eligible to register with the HCPC and use the title of ‘Forensic Psychologist’.

You may also be interested in other relevant roles across the criminal justice system such as crime scene analyst; trainee forensic psychologist; trainee clinical psychologist; behavioural investigative advisor; lecturer in forensic psychology; Home Office, local government or police researcher; police officer; youth offending team worker; or probation officer.