Interested in science and psychology but want to dig a little deeper? Check out the Best Online Bachelor’s in Forensic Psychology Degrees today!
Forensic psychologists are most commonly licensed psychologists who specialize in applying psychological knowledge to legal matters, both in the criminal and civil arenas. A good forensic psychologist combines a strong science background with solid investigatory skills. Critical thinking and strong writing skills are also a must, as they take many notes during evaluations and compile official reports for court trials.
What is a Forensic Psychology degree?
This bachelor’s degree trains students to analyze cases and provide expert psychological insight to those working within the court system. You’ll study both the intricacies of the law the human mind so that you can work to conduct research on criminal behavior after graduating.
A Forensic Psychology degree can train you to become an expert witness, a detective, a trial consultant, an experimental forensic psychologist, and much more.
Most undergraduate programs are between 120-180 credit hours, accounting for over 30 classes of online learning experience. Depending on the school, you might enroll as a full-time or part-time student.
How much can you earn with a Forensic Psychology degree?
Forensic psychologists often work for the government, a university, a police department, or they may choose to open a private practice. PayScale.com lists the salary range of forensic psychologists as $39,000 to over $102,000. As of August 2018, the average pay for a Forensic Psychologist is over $62,000 annually.
Of course, career length and the location in which you work are huge factors when it comes to salaries in this field. The outlook for jobs in this field is great. In fact, the demand for forensic psychologists is projected to increase 17 percent by 2026!
What is required for a Forensic Psychology degree?
Requirements will vary depending upon what type of program you’re applying to. For an undergraduate degree, you won’t need to have any prior experience in the field. All you’ll need is a high school diploma or GRE to gain acceptance.
Most programs integrate a general studies curriculum along with courses that are more tailored to forensic psychology. Several of the below programs also require a capstone project and/or internship component.
If you want a bigger foundation before diving into the forensic aspect, consider a more general online Psychology degree.
What are the best Forensic Psychology degrees?
OSR uses six data points: three school-wide and three program specific. For school-wide, OSR uses Student Satisfaction, Admission Rates, and the number of programs the school offers online. For program specific, OSR checks the Median Debt of graduates from that program, how many degrees are offered within that program’s umbrella department, and what percentage of students at that school graduated from that department.
The six statistics are displayed by each school. The sliding bar under each statistic represents how that school compares to other US institutions. “Not reported” means a school did not release that information to the US Department of Education. A more detailed description of the OSR process can be found on the methodology page.
