College ideas for Forensic Psychology/Criminology major

Daughter is interested in this. Thought I would get some ideas.

My D is interested in similar things. She finally decided to apply to BSW programs because it would allow her to pursue her interests while possibly making herself more marketable and flexible in terms of an eventual career. This idea developed after we started investigating what jobs would be available with the forensic psychology/criminology major.

OP, do you mean specific colleges for this major? Or majors to focus on this type of interest?

S1 is a forensic psychologist. He went to a small LAC and then got a Psy.D. in psychology. It was a very long haul, but he now works as a forensic psychologist for a state government and assesses and evaluates adolescents who have – ummmm – misbehaved. His evaluations are sent to the court to assist with the sentencing. He enjoys it very much.

I believe that the university of new haven has strong programs in this area.

John Jay in New York has a Forensic Psychology BA/MA program, although I think you would want to be pretty sure this is what you want to do before focusing so narrowly at the undergraduate level. My S is also very interested in forensic psychology, and he is following the path that @VeryHappy describes, starting with a strong basic psychology program at a small LAC and then he’ll decide what to do next. I could see him just as easily veering off into sports psychology.

D21 is also interested in this. Being a Forensic Psychologist would require a Phd, so we’ve been focusing on finding affordable undergrad psych programs to conserve money for grad school. WVU and VCU have interesting programs.

D is in a clinical psychology PhD program and is focusing on forensic psychology. She did two years of research and interned with a clincal forensic psychologist while an undergrad and then worked an additional two years as a research assistant (different school) before applying to PhD programs. Her experience was that research, recommendations, publications, and fit with a prospective mentor were the most important factors in acceptance to clinical psychology PhD programs (GPA and GRE scores needed to be good but weren’t the determining factors). All this to say that in choosing an undergraduate institution, students contemplating grad school want to look at doing undergraduate study where they can do research and develop close relationships with professors. Those things are possible at almost any school but may be more accessible in a LAC. @NJWrestlingmom, saving money is always a good thing, but most PhD programs are funded. Your D wouldn’t have a lavish lifestyle, and you might find her still on your family cell phone plan or needing your help with a plane ticket home at the holidays, but unlike students in unfunded masters or PsyD programs, she should be largely self-supporting as a PhD student.

Where does this young person envision working? Has she done any informational interviewing of people who hold jobs like what she aspires to? Sometimes that can be quite illuminating.

Not sure ? of the major involved. However dd roommate is taking victimology at Boston College this year. The class is taught by the woman scientist who is being heralded on the Netflix show “Mindhunters”. Credited with being the scientist paired with the agents who invented the concept of FBI profiling now used world wide.

@privatebanker too cool! I just started binging that show yesterday!!

Colleges…

What kind of stats does your DD have, and budget?
What do you and your DD think that this offers in the way of employment? A realistic idea of what options are available is terribly important. (as per HI moms question). Just a web search is a good start.

As soon as I finish Criminal Minds, I’m going to have to move on to MindHunters. More lost sleep from nightmares I guess!

There is a heavy emphasis on this and similar majors where my D goes - Tiffin University in OH – many of her friends have done internships in DC for the FBI etc.

I am a forensic psychologist. If your DC wants to go into this profession, she should be prepared for a lot of post-graduate study. For undergraduate study she should focus on finding a college where she will thrive and do well. A solid liberal arts background, a major in psychology or sociology are helpful. More important are good researching skills (information seeking), the ability to read and make connections/inferences and conclusions from all sorts of data, familiarity with statistics and basic research principles will put her in good stead for pursuing graduate studies. There really is no need for her to pursue an undergraduate degree in forensic psychology. Send me a PM if you have any questions.

WVU, UTenn for physical forensics.

Saw this thread looking for feedback on UMD’s Criminology & Criminal Justice major. My daughter is interested in forensic psychology and completed a high school capstone on the topic. I understand it is a Limited Enrollment Program and wondering if there are folks on this thread who can share their thoughts.