Course overview

The deadline for applications is Wednesday 23 January 2013. Early applications are strongly encouraged as competition for places is high. In some circumstances applications may still be considered following the deadline date, but you should contact the Acting Course Leader dee.anand@port.ac.uk prior to making a late application. If you have been shortlisted you will be invited to attend an interview in February. The interview will take place over the course of a day and will include a tour of the department and facilities, an opportunity to meet staff and current students over lunch, as well as the interview itself.

Forensic psychology is an expanding field. Opportunities to work in this area have increased in line with the development of the scientific base for this subject. As a branch of applied psychology, it draws on many facets of its parent discipline such as clinical, occupational, social and cognitive psychology. It also interfaces with other disciplines such as criminology and law in order to address issues of often major concern to the justice system, organisations, individuals and society.

The proven versatility of forensic psychologists is one of the reasons for the growth in their employment - employers within or linked to the criminal justice system appreciate the fact that forensic psychologists can be useful in many different ways. Practitioners work in prisons, probation, policing, social work, health services, the courts, academia and private practice.

A BPS accredited course

Accredited by the BPS, our Master’s degree is recognised as providing an important step towards eventual chartered status as a forensic psychologist. It aims to provide you with a systematic knowledge and understanding of forensic psychology, in accordance with the academic requirements of the Division of Forensic Psychology (DFP), the British Psychological Society (BPS) for accredited courses and eventual progression to autonomous practice.

Why study forensic psychology at Portsmouth?

Portsmouth is a unique place to study forensic psychology. We house the International Centre for Research in Forensic Psychology (ICRFP), which comprises the largest group of forensic psychology researchers in the UK and are internationally renowned for our work on:

• offending behaviour
• detecting deception
• investigative interviewing
• courtroom psychology
• false/recovered memories
• custodial environments and other operational contexts

We publish widely, regularly hold conferences and also have excellent connections with a variety of custodial establishments including adult male and women's prisons, young offenders' institutions and secure hospitals, enabling us to provide a varied and interesting curriculum and range of opportunities. We have received a British Psychological Society (BPS) commendation for preparing people for professional practice.

Our course leader, Dr Adrian Needs, is a Chartered and Health Professions Council Registered Forensic Psychologist with 14 years' experience of working in the Prison Service. He chaired the original BPS panel that formulated the accreditation criteria for forensic Master's courses in the UK and has been described as the architect of the system for supervised practice that completes postgraduate qualification in this field.

Members of the Department have been involved in the evaluation of several major innovations in the treatment of offenders; others have provided specialised training to police services across the globe. The course also draws upon its own network of visiting speakers from external organisations.

Coming to Portsmouth will therefore furnish you with a very strong foundation in both professional practice and research skills, in a friendly and supportive environment. We also have a British Psychological Society commendation for our student support.

Course content

Currently, full-time students attend on two days per week and are expected to study around 40 hours a week. Those studying part time can opt to attend one day per week (this day remaining the same for the two years) and are expected to devote to the course around 20 hours per week.

The course is structured to reflect developments and priorities in the field of forensic psychology and is kept under constant review to keep it up-to-date. Current units are as follows:

Theory into Practice: Foundations of Professional Competence in Forensic Psychology: This unit provides a foundation for working as a scientist-practitioner. From an early introduction to concepts of reflective practice, personal development and core skills relevant to completing the course, it moves to encouraging an awareness of factors involved in criminal behaviour and their implications. The focus is on the application and development of skills in analysis and less on the learning of facts and theories.

In the second part of the unit, the focus moves to tasks and challenges that forensic psychologists encounter in applied settings. Some, such as the design and evaluation of training for other personnel or consultancy skills, are of major relevance to Stage 2 of the system for progression to chartered status that usually follows the course. Others such as countering manipulation, stress and managing aggression can be crucial to survival as well as effectiveness as a practitioner.

Assessment and Interventions with Offenders: This unit is concerned with providing an understanding of the theoretical and empirical underpinnings, contents and methods of current and widely-used approaches to assessment (including risk assessment) and interventions with offenders. These approaches are linked and provide a framework for the organisation and evaluation of information, particularly in relation to efficient, useful and accurate formulation and what works in the delivery of interventions. It will build upon knowledge of factors related to criminal behaviour with a focus on effective approaches and context-related factors in the understanding and management of offenders in a variety of settings.

Empirical Research Project for Forensic Psychology: This unit allows you to undertake a complete piece of empirical research in an area of forensic psychology that you find particularly interesting. It provides an opportunity to develop and integrate a range of skills and areas of knowledge including creative formulations, problem-solving, ethics, handling interpersonal demands, use of IT and analytical techniques, and writing to a publishable standard.

Investigative Psychology and the Leagl Process: This unit focuses on the contribution made by psychology in the context of forensic investigations and the role of psychologists in criminal and civil law proceedings. It is concerned with the application of psychological research and theory in an effort to critique (and improve) practice in criminal and civil justice systems as an applied context for testing the validity and efficacy of psychological theories and innovative practice derived from these theories. Topics cover relevant procedural information to ensure you appreciate investigative, judicial and custodial processes, and the role of psychologists within these frameworks. Theory and research relevant to applied cognitive and social psychology are presented to inform an understanding of eyewitness recall and recognition memory (and memory errors), effective protocols for testing/probing witness memory, detecting deception and juror decision making. Theory and research relevant to offender profiling is also addressed.

Research Methods and Data Analysis: This unit is designed to provide a familiarity with psychological research methods and data analysis commensurate with understanding and conducting research at the postgraduate and professional level. Specific methodologies and issues of relevance to specific research areas are addressed within a perspective that emphasises creative problem-solving.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching involves a mixture of lectures, seminars and workshops. The course is assessed by a wide range of coursework assignments including assessment and briefing reports, presentations and the giving of expert testimony.

You will also be assigned a personal tutor and a dissertation supervisor, who will support you throughout the course.

The Department is also supported by five administrative staff and four technicians. Our non-academic staff have also been praised by students for their friendliness and helpfulness.

Career prospects

Accredited by the BPS, our Master’s degree is recognised as providing an important step towards eventual chartered status as a forensic psychologist. Chartered status normally involves successful completion of three components:

• an initial degree that confers the British Psychological Society Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC)
• an accredited MSc Forensic Psychology
• a minimum of two years full-time supervised practice in an employment setting (normally following the MSc)

The work of forensic psychologists is varied. Depending on where practitioners work, it can range from criminal investigations to organisational change, from work with offenders to work with staff who work with offenders, and from matters of civil justice such as child access to operational emergencies such as hostage incidents.

Work roles we prepare you for include:

• the provision of assessments, analysis, advice and recommendations
• carrying out and oversight of interventions
• conducting training
• giving of expert testimony
• the development of new procedures, research and evaluation

Facilities and features

The Department of Psychology is situated in King Henry Building, which is part of the Faculty of Science. King Henry Building is adjacent to the city’s Guildhall Square in the heart of the main Guildhall Campus and close to one of the main railway stations.

The Department includes a range of purpose-built facilities including practical and project rooms, a student computing suite and several specialised laboratories.

Our accommodation contains excellent research and teaching laboratories, including:

• Forensic Interviewing Suite
• Observation Suite
• Psychophysiology Laboratory
• Human Movement Laboratory
• Digital Analysis and Video Editing Suite
• Psychology of Applied Cognition Laboratory
• Eye-tracking Laboratories

You will also have access to the University Library, which is located in Ravelin Park, a short walk from King Henry Building. It opens from 8am to midnight, seven days a week in term-time (with reduced hours during vacations). Thousands of volumes of printed material are supplemented by multimedia and electronic resources. Ebooks and online journals also provide 24-hour support. All this ensures an extensive collection of psychology books, journals and abstracts, and staff can post you photocopied journal articles. 

The library also has an electronic bibliography for psychology called PsycInfo, which can be accessed via the internet from your home. It is an invaluable tool for searching for literature on any topic.

You will also have SCONUL access, a cooperative venture between higher education libraries that makes it easier for students to use academic libraries nearer to their home or work.

Our web-based virtual learning environment also supports independent learning and provides a forum for discussion with fellow students and staff. It is available via any computer that has access to the internet and no additional software or changes are required.

The Department is also supported by five administrative staff and four technicians. Our non-academic staff have also been praised by students for their friendliness and helpfulness.

Entry requirements

The entry requirements for MSc Forensic Psychology are shown above, for more detailed information please contact:

Department: Psychology
Tel: +44 (0)23 9284 5550
Email: sci-pgrad@port.ac.uk