Forensic Psychology MSc

" Forensic Psychology MSc

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— Coventry University (@covcampus) September 26, 2012 OVERVIEW

The Forensic Psychology MSc will provide you with a thorough grounding in the theory, themes, issues and practical skills central to psychological research into behaviour relevant to crime and forensic settings.

The programme is accredited by the British Psychological Society as fulfilling the Stage 1 requirements towards becoming a Chartered Psychologist and obtaining Full Membership of the Division of Forensic Psychology with the British Psychological Society. Graduates of the programme who go on to successfully complete Stage 2 of the qualification in Forensic Psychology will be eligible to apply for registration with the UK Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC).

WHY CHOOSE THIS COURSE?

The course was designed to cover the BPS Division of Forensic Psychology's (DFP) core curriculum. Many experienced forensic psychology practitioners visit the course to contribute their knowledge. It will give you an opportunity to gain an understanding of how psychology works in a forensic setting.

The course has been accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) as fulfilling the Stage 1 requirements towards becoming a Chartered Psychologist and obtaining Full Membership of the Division of Forensic Psychology with the British Psychological Society. and a Forensic Psychologist registered with the UK Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC). Graduates of the programme who go on to successfully complete Stage 2 of the qualification in Forensic Psychology will be eligible to apply for registration with the UK Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC). The requirements for Stage 2 involve a period of supervised practice in a forensic setting. Please see the BPS and HCPC websites for more information.

WHAT WILL I LEARN?

You will complete the twelve modules listed below. The first five 10-credit modules cover the theoretical basis of forensic psychology across a range of settings, through all stages of the criminal justice process, i.e. from investigation to punishment and through care, and as applied to a broad range of crimes. A double (20-credit) module provides an overview of a key aspect of forensic practice, risk assessment and the associated risk management of offenders. Two further 10-credit modules are particular features of this course and explore the legal process (taught by the Coventry Law School), and practice and application in forensic psychology (involving a number of guest speakers who are practitioners in forensic settings). The latter module is delivered in a four day intensive teaching block in June that provides students with a variety of teaching delivery styles. Two modules (30 credits) cover advanced research methods including both quantitative and qualitative methods, and a further 10 credit module focusing on study skills and project planning prepares students for the final module (50 credits), which is an independent research dissertation/project.

Psychology and Criminal Behaviour (M81PY)

• What is criminal behaviour?
• measurement of crime,
• who commits crime?
• theories of crime,
• alternative theories of crime.

Psychology in the Criminal Justice System (M82PY)

• Eyewitness testimony,
• children and vulnerable witnesses/suspects,
• legal decision making,
• confessions and identification,
• recovered memory.

Treatment of Offenders and Victims (M144PY)

• Theory of criminal and civil justice responses to crime,
• what works when rehabilitating offenders?
• prison, secure units and therapeutic communities,
• restorative justice,
• responses to juvenile and female offenders,
• victim issues.

Applied Police Psychology (M141PY)

• Psychology and policing
• crime analysis,
• offender profiling,
• geographic profiling
• psychological autopsy
• hostage and crisis negotiation.

Violent and Sexual Crime (M87PY)

• Theories of violent and sexual crime,
• child sexual abuse and rape,
• domestic violence,
• homicide,
• stalking,
• terrorism.

Risk Assessment and Management of Offenders (M143PY)

• Assessment of risk and protective factors,
• forensic risk assessment approaches
• risk assessment methods and tools
• risk management strategies
• linking of risk assessment and risk management.

The English Legal Process (M48CLS)

• Introduction to the criminal justice system,
• introduction to civil justice systems,
• expert testimony and legal issues.

Practice and Application in Forensic Psychology (M86PY)

• Report writing and presentation skills,
• other practitioner skills,
• consultancy and project management,
• ethical codes of conduct,
• legal and social considerations,
• other practice based issues.

Advanced Quantitative Research Methods (M140PY)

• Review of basic research methods and SPSS,
• experimental (and quasi) designs,
• psychometric techniques, questionnaire designs and scaling,
• ANOVA, MANOVA, multiple regression, SEM and path analysis.

Advanced Qualitative Research Methods (M139PY)

• The quantitative-qualitative debate,
• thematic analysis,
• interpretive phenomenological analysis,
• discourse analysis.

Study Skills, Project Planning and Ethics (M142PY)

• Academic essay writing,
• Academic dishonesty and plagiarism,
• Referencing,
• Research design and ethics,
• Reflective practice.

Dissertation (M70PY)

• Empirical work on a forensic psychology topic,
• production of literature review and empirical research papers in format suitable for journal article publication.

HOW WILL THIS COURSE BE TAUGHT?

The course is offered on a full-time basis and students attend university two days per week for one academic year. The course begins at the end of September each year and is completed in mid-September, one year later. Students who do not choose to complete the full MSc may obtain a postgraduate Certificate in Forensic Psychology if they successfully pass the equivalent of 6 single modules (60 credits), or a Diploma in Forensic Psychology if they successfully complete the equivalent of 11 single modules (130 credits) of the course (e.g. if they do not complete the dissertation).

HOW WILL I BE ASSESSED?

Teaching and Assessment

The course employs an interactive and participative teaching approach, which incorporates the use of Coventry University’s extensive on-line learning resources. A range of assessment methods are used, including essays, practical reports, literature reviews, practice-based reports, oral presentations and examinations. Many of these assessments develop important transferable skills for forensic practice, for example in considering ethical dilemmas, a risk assessment case study and writing papers in formats suitable for publication in peer-reviewed journals.

Research Dissertation (MSc level)

The dissertation module is the test of the Master’s degree standard. The purpose of the dissertation module is to contribute substantially to the research training aim that is appropriate to a taught Master’s programme. To achieve this aim the student is required to demonstrate an understanding of the philosophy and principles of research and show competence in the design, execution and reporting of an independent empirical research project in forensic psychology. Rather than the more traditional dissertation thesis, the project will be written up as two articles, a literature review and an empirical research report, produced in a standard academic journal format.

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