Forensic Psychology Degree Online BA in Criminal Psychology Concentration

The short answer? The university that's best for a forensic psychology degree is the one that’s best for you.

How to narrow it down? First consider 3 factors: cost, the time it takes to complete and convenience. Make sure the school is accredited. Then start drilling down into the extras.

Time, cost and convenience are just 3 reasons to keep SNHU’s online forensic psychology degree in your consideration set. The school’s tuition rates are among the nation’s most affordable. And because the program is online, you can squeeze in coursework around your schedule – a big plus for a successful work/life balance.

Rooted in the university's on campus program, our accredited online forensic degree comes with other key benefits, including:

• Faculty with real-world expertise
• Constant support from an online writing center and tutors for subjects like statistics
• Experiential learning and internship opportunities

Shaunta Irvin Roberson '18 '21G chose SNHU for its affordability and support.

"Not every college had the option of transferring in credits, affordable cost, high-quality professors, accreditations and rockstar advisors to help you reach your goals," she said.

For Tara Parker '21, it was a second shot at success. Nervous after being out of school for so long, she was pleasantly surprised by her experience.

"The writing center was great at providing feedback on my papers," Parker said. "And the career center is helping me get my resume put together and assisted when I took work-experience credits."

You'll also have the opportunity to connect with other psychology majors in the online SNHU Psychology Club – just another way you can start to move your career forward.

Bachelor's degrees open doors – and few open as many as a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.

“It's a very broad-based degree,” said Barbara Lesniak, SNHU’s executive director of social sciences.

A bachelor's in forensic psychology prepares you for entry-level positions in law enforcement and criminal justice, such as:

• Juvenile offender counselor
• Probation officer
• Jury consultant

With more training and qualifications, you could become a police officer.

Your forensic psychology courses will also help you check off the first step toward becoming a licensed clinical psychologist. While this concentration does not lead to licensure or certification, it will prepare you to pursue a master's in forensic psychology – the next step to earning your doctorate and becoming licensed as a psychologist.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “forensic psychologists use psychological principles in the legal and criminal justice system to help judges, attorneys and other legal specialists understand the psychological aspects of a particular case. They often testify in court as expert witnesses. They typically specialize in family, civil or criminal casework.”¹

Learn more about different psychology career paths.

Many students opt to enter the workforce right after completing their forensic psychology bachelor’s degree. Others go on to pursue a master's degree online or on campus.

Keep in mind, you’ll have to pursue additional education beyond a bachelor's degree to practice as a psychologist. Advanced degrees often focus on strengthening your research skills, according to Dr. Nickolas Dominello, senior associate dean for SNHU's undergraduate psychology program.

In most states, practicing psychology or using the title “psychologist” requires licensure. In all states and the District of Columbia, psychologists who practice independently must be licensed where they work.

The American Board of Forensic Psychology defines forensic psychology as “the application of the science and profession of psychology to questions and issues relating to law and the legal system.”² Those who specialize in the field often work in the court or prison system, in criminal justice, as a victim advocate and in many other roles.

Dr. Bernadette Boozer-Madison, who teaches forensic psychology online at SNHU, says it’s common for students to confuse forensic psychology with criminal justice.

“In most cases, they are drawn to forensic psychology because of how it is depicted on television in shows like ‘Law & Order,’ ‘CSI’ and ‘Criminal Minds,’” said Boozer-Madison. “Forensic psychology is a very exciting field, but it also hinges on and relies on the inter-workings of the judicial system and law enforcement.”

Our forensic psychology degree actually includes a criminal psychology course. Designed to provide insights about crime from a psychological perspective, the course focuses on how various systems influence criminal offenders. Put another way, criminal psychology is about the motives and influences behind antisocial acts.

SNHU adjunct faculty member Kathy Edwards helps put a finer point on the field.

“Forensic psychology has been called ‘the intersection of law and psychology,’” she said. “It's a field in which psychologists apply their psychosocial knowledge to civil and criminal law.”

A forensic psychology education can take many forms, depending on your needs. To earn your bachelor’s degree, you can plan to commit to around 4 years of coursework. If you've already studied at another university, SNHU will accept up to 90 transfer credits, which can greatly shorten the time it takes to earn your degree.

With previously earned transfer credits, Kimberly Custodio '18 '21G was able to finish her bachelor's degree in less than 2 years, allowing her to promptly move on to her master's.

"Completing both programs happened a lot faster than I was expecting," said Custodio.

Your program will feature a mix of high-level science, liberal arts, communication, social science, and arts and humanities courses as well as a final capstone course.

Although psychologists typically need a doctoral degree in psychology, a master’s degree may be sufficient for school and industrial-organizational positions, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.¹ Psychologists in clinical practice need a license.

When working under the supervision of a doctoral psychologist, master’s degree graduates can also work as psychological assistants in clinical, counseling or research settings.

Yes, it is. Psychology is commonly recognized as a social science and is included on the National Science Foundation's roster of recognized STEM disciplines.

"Psychology's status as a science is grounded in the use of the scientific method," said Nickolas H. Dominello, PhD, senior associate dean for SNHU's undergraduate psychology program. Psychologists base their professional practice in knowledge obtained through verifiable evidence of human behavior and mental processes. They design psychological studies in much the same way as studies in other scientific fields.

Learning to design these studies and interpret the findings is a significant part of psychology education. Undergraduate students learn to develop a research question and select a data collection method. At the same time, they have the opportunity to design and refine a hypothetical research investigation.

Why do some people think of psychology as a "soft science"? Dominello offers an explanation: “I feel that in part it’s the fact that psychological science findings often lead to more questions and avenues of future research,” he said. “This contrasts with some of the more traditional sciences that only search for concrete, definitive answers.”

Research methods are either quantitative or qualitative. Quantitative research generates numerical data that can be analyzed. Qualitative research relies on questionnaires, interviews, observations and the like.

“Psychology as a science embraces this broader exploratory perspective in order to better understand human phenomena. When merged, qualitative data can breathe life into quantitative data,” Dominello said.