Legal vs forensic

So I’m majoring in forensic psychology but there aren’t many grad school programs in Florida in forensic psych. Can I go to grad school in legal psych? My goal is to be a corections psychologist.

This is really important, any responses appreciated!

Hi – I don’t know much about forensic psych in Florida but there’s a program in NYC at John Jay College – a college focused on criminal justice.
http://www.jjay.cuny.edu/forensic-psychology-major-resources

Or this psychology and law program –
https://www.jjay.cuny.edu/psychology-law-program-0

The short answer is yes.

The long answer is that there isn’t really such a subfield as “legal psych.” There are some programs where you can study psychology’s relationship with law, with criminality, and/or with criminal justice, but it’s usually within other subfields - clinical, social, developmental, etc.

If you want to be a corrections psychologist - by which I am assuming you mean you want to be a psychologist who counsels inmates and works with them to maintain their mental health - then you need to get a PhD in counseling or clinical psychology at an APA-accredited program. Those are the kinds of programs that lead to licensure as a practicing psychologist (the kind that does talk therapy) in the United States.

You can find a list of APA-accredited programs here: https://www.apa.org/ed/accreditation/programs/index.aspx

Most criminal profilers are clinical psychologists as well, who have specialized in forensics through a PhD program or through postdoctoral training.

The University of Virginia has a clinical psych program and is also known for psychology and law. They have a community psychology subfield with the faculty to match to delve more deeply into those connections.

The University of Nebraska at Lincoln also has a psychology and law program, but I don’t think it is a clinical program with APA-accreditation. So that would leave you to do research or teaching. https://psychology.unl.edu/psylaw/

Im from new york but I go to college in florida. John Jay is great though but unfortunately not an option right now.

Thanks so much for the response. Legal psychology is a subfeild at a college I was interested in. Florida international university. Thanks for the help, I guess clinical is the way to go!

Currently, you’re in undergrad, so leaving the state may not be an option for you for graduate school - maybe because of in-state fees, maybe family requirements, whatever. However, that may not be the case in graduate school. Most good PhD programs are fully funded - meaning that they cover your tuition, fees, and health insurance, and also pay you a stipend that covers your living expenses (it’s usually between $25K and $35K a year, depending on the program). That gives you a lot more freedom to move around and go where you want.

And that’s important, because as you may have observed, the best graduate program for you may not be located in your home state. It may be across the country, or a few states away, or whatever. You should select your graduate program by whether it’s best suited for your career goals and research interests, not whether or not it’s located in Florida. (Of course, if you have family obligations - like children or caring for a sick relative - that may constrain your choices. But assuming you are a typical traditional-aged college student with none of those obligations, this point stands.)

So you might want to look beyond just FIU when doing your search in the future. Based on other posts, I’m guessing that you are a senior in high school? If so, you have PLENTY of time to figure this all out later.