Marymount University has been a leader in preparing individuals to be part of one of the most sought-after career fields today – forensic psychology.
Marymount was the first Washington, DC, area university to offer the Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology. And you can capitalize on the University’s alliances and proximity to key agencies important to study in this field – organizations such as the FBI, NCIS, the Supreme Court, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice. MU integrates the resources of such agencies through site visits, courtroom observations, field research, internships, and distinguished speakers.
The discipline of forensic psychology is concerned with the application of psychological knowledge to the juvenile, civil, and criminal justice systems. Marymount’s Forensic Psychology program is interdisciplinary and combines study in sociology, criminal justice, and public policy, in addition to the many subfields of psychology. It addresses questions of value, such as how best to achieve fairness and justice in the American adversarial legal system, as well as empirical issues such as the origins of criminal behavior, problems with eyewitness testimony, evaluation of threats against public figures, personalities of political leaders, the origins of terrorism, evaluation and treatment of offenders and their victims, and the effectiveness of trial consultation. Each course incorporates an ethics component to encourage you to grapple with the extremely complicated issues involved in a career in forensic psychology.
Marymount’s program provides a gateway of opportunity. You can
- study abroad. In collaboration with the Forensic Psychology program at London Metropolitan University, a course is offered during alternating summers for select Marymount students.
- participate in ongoing research through an agreement with the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit
- earn a second degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and begin the supervised experience necessary for licensure as a licensed professional counselor (LPC).
- land an internship or job with a regionally or nationally recognized agency or continue further study.