Forensic and Legal Psychology (M.A)

Marymount is the first Washington, DC, area university to offer the Master of Arts in Forensic and Legal 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 (Including the NCAVC), NCIS, ATF, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. MU integrates the resources of such agencies through site visits, courtroom observations, field research, internships, and distinguished speakers.

The discipline of forensic and legal psychology is concerned with the application of psychological knowledge to the legal system. Marymount’s Forensic and Legal Psychology program is interdisciplinary and combines study in criminal justice, law, 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 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 and legal psychology.

Intelligence Studies Concentration

Once enrolled in the MA program, students may apply for and, if selected, complete a concentration in Intelligence Studies, which provides the knowledge and skills necessary to be competitive in the Intelligence Community and the private-sector companies that support it.

Marymount’s program provides the following opportunities:

• Study abroad – Learn about such psycholegal and intelligence-related issues as crimmigration, sex trafficking, child victimization, and counter-terrorism in various countries (e.g., Israel/Palestine, The Netherlands, Sweden).
• 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.