Online Bachelor’s in Forensic Psychology Degree Programs
Forensic psychology is a specialized area of psychology that involves the application of behavioral science theories and methods to understanding crime and violence, police investigations and legal proceedings, and the function of the criminal justice and correctional systems. While licensed forensic psychologists are required to hold a doctoral degree in psychology, the academic study of forensic psychology can begin at the undergraduate level in Bachelor’s in Forensic Psychology degree programs, some of which are offered online. These programs, which provide coursework in social and behavioral psychology, criminal law, policing, and the criminal justice system, can serve as preparation for graduate studies in forensic psychology and for work in law enforcement, corrections facilities, social services programs, legal assistance, and other areas of criminal justice.
What Is a Bachelor’s Degree in Forensic Psychology?
Bachelor’s in Forensic Psychology degrees are undergraduate degrees conferred by a college or university with a designated major in forensic psychology or a major in psychology with a concentration in forensic psychology. In order to earn a bachelor’s degree, students complete the equivalent of eight semesters or four academic years of college-level coursework, including general education requirements and courses within a their major. General education coursework may account for up to half of the credits required for the conferral of a bachelor’s degree and typically includes classes in arts and humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and physical and natural sciences, as well as mathematics and English composition. A Bachelor’s in Forensic Psychology program provides students with the opportunity to complete general education requirements while taking foundational psychology courses and classes that cover topics in criminal justice that are relevant to the practice of forensic psychology.
Online Bachelor’s in Forensic Psychology Programs
As an alternative to traditional, campus-based undergraduate programs with a forensic psychology major, some schools provide students with the option of earning a bachelor’s degree in forensic psychology through online instruction. This gives students who would prefer not to relocate or commute to a college or university a convenient and more flexible means to completing a bachelor’s degree program. Using distance-learning technologies and learning management systems (LMSs) that stream lectures and deliver coursework to students through secure Internet connections, these programs deliver all or most of their instruction online. Students in an online program complete the same types of general education and forensic psychology classes as students in a campus-based program, but they are able to do so remotely without having to regularly attend on-campus, in-person classes.
How OnlineEducation.com Classifies Online Bachelor’s in Forensic Psychology Programs
OnlineEducation.com researches online bachelor’s programs and identifies programs that offer a bachelor’s degree in forensic psychology based on a program’s curriculum. Online Bachelor’s in Psychology programs that have a designated concentration in Forensic Psychology, for example, are classified as online Bachelor’s in Forensic Psychology programs. In addition, each program must be offered by a regionally accredited, non-profit college or university, and it must offer all or most of its coursework online. Programs that require students to attend more than two campus-based sessions per year are currently not included on the site.
What Students Learn in Online Bachelor’s in Forensic Psychology Programs
Forensic psychology is by definition a multi-disciplinary field that incorporates instruction in foundational theories and principles of general psychology with classes that introduce students to the workings of the legal and criminal justice systems. Students in an online Bachelor’s in Forensic Psychology program take a number of core introductory and intermediate psychology courses while learning to apply the tools of psychology and behavioral research to the study of crime, policing, incarceration, the court system, and the societal effects of crime and violence. Classes in statistics and social science research methodologies are typically required as part of a forensic psychology major, as are courses in criminal law and ethics.
In addition, students in an online bachelor’s program with a forensic psychology major must complete general education coursework required by the program, which typically includes courses in English composition, college-level mathematics, U.S. and/or world history, and physical or natural sciences such as biology, chemistry, geology, or physics.
Online Bachelor’s in Forensic Psychology Program Courses
Specific curricular requirements for a bachelor’s degree in forensic psychology vary by program, as do course names and descriptions. However, students in these programs can typically expect to take the types of courses detailed in the table below as part of their undergraduate major.
| Course Title | Course Description |
|---|---|
| Introduction to Psychology | An overview and introduction to accepted theories of psychology, as well as how these theories are formulated, tested, and applied in practice. |
| Statistics and Social Science Research Methods | Data collection, analysis, and interpretation using statistical methods and evidence-based assessments in the social and behavioral sciences. |
| Social Psychology | An examination of group dynamics and other social factors that impact behavior and psychological development. |
| Memory, Cognition, and Thought Processes | An exploration of the mental processes by which information is stored, synthesized, augmented, altered, retrieved, and forgotten. |
| Abnormal Psychology | Psychopathologies and their symptoms, consequences, and treatment based on the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. |
| Introduction to Forensic Psychology | Defining the field of forensic psychology and the role played by mental health professionals in the legal and criminal justice systems, with a focus on contemporary topics such as the insanity defense, serial killers, sex offenders, and the etiology of aggression. |
| Criminal and Correctional Psychology | The basic principles of correctional psychology, including the role of psychologists in correctional facilities, theories of criminal psychology, and the impact of incarceration on mental and behavioral health. |
| Criminal Law and Procedure | An overview of federal and state criminal statues, the criminal justice process, and the prosecution and defense of criminal offenders. |
| Criminology | The evidence-based study of criminal behavior, its causes, its social impact, and methods for controlling and preventing crime. |
| Sociology of Crime and Violence | An exploration of the sociological causes and effects of crime and violence, the impact of social policy on crime remediation, and the use of social psychology to better understand criminal behavior. |
| Police Psychology | The application of psychological principles to the work of police and policing, including an exploration of psychological profiling and the psychologist’s role in assisting police officers and their families. |
Online Bachelor’s in Forensic Psychology Program Admissions
The baseline eligibility requirement for admission to online Bachelor’s in Forensic Psychology programs is a high school diploma or the equivalent. Additional requirements vary by program but may include the submission of one or more of the following: SAT or ACT test scores; a written personal goals statement and/or answer to an essay question or questions; and two or three letters of recommendation. Some programs may prefer or require candidates to have a minimum high school grade point average of 3.0 or higher, and some may have minimum ACT or SAT score requirements.
While many online bachelor’s programs accept students with little or no college credits, others are specifically designed for students who have already completed an associate degree program or who have significant college credits to transfer towards their bachelor’s degree. These programs are often referred to or called bachelor’s degree completion programs, however, not all colleges and universities clearly label their degree programs as such. Therefore, potential applicants to online Bachelor’s in Forensic Psychology programs should research admissions requirements and policies carefully prior to submitting applications in order to determine their eligibility.
Online Bachelor’s in Forensic Psychology Program Formats
There are several key differences in online bachelor’s degree programs that can be important consideration for potential applicants. Specifically, potential applicants may want to consider three aspects of an online program’s formatting that may impact the relative convenience and flexibility of the program. For example, there are two primary modes of online instruction that programs may utilize: synchronous instruction and asynchronous instruction. Online programs may also offer various enrollment options in order to accommodate full-time and/or part-time students. Finally, some online bachelor’s programs require students to attend a limited number of on-campus sessions, while other programs are 100% online and do not require campus visits. Each of these factors is considered separately below.
Synchronous vs. Asynchronous Instruction: The primary difference between synchronous instruction and asynchronous instruction concerns when students are able to view online lectures and other instructional activities. Synchronous instruction takes place in real-time, which means that students must be logged on to a program’s LMS at scheduled times for streamed lectures and virtual classroom sessions. Asynchronous instruction allows students to access pre-recorded lectures and other coursework at their convenience and does not have a real-time component.
Students in a program that utilizes synchronous instruction should be prepared to adjust their schedule to accommodate class meetings. Students in a program that does not utilize synchronous instruction have the added flexibility of being able to view lectures when their schedule allows. However, asynchronous instruction provides less structure than synchronous instruction and typically requires more self-discipline and self-motivation to keep up with course materials and complete assignments by set due dates.
Full-Time vs. Part-Time Enrollment: Full-time enrollment in a traditional bachelor’s degree program typically means take between three and five courses per 15-week semester for a total of eight semesters or four academic years. Part-time enrollment, while not strictly defined, amounts to taking fewer courses per semester, thereby extending the time it takes to complete a bachelor’s degree program. Many online bachelor’s programs have flexible enrollment, allowing students to choose the number of courses they take per semester.
In addition, some programs utilize alternatives to the traditional semester system, offering courses four or five times per year during shorter, six- or eight-week terms. Students in a program with eight-week terms may be able to take just one or two courses per term and still graduate in four or five years. It is important to note that some types of financial aid may require students to be enrolled full-time. Potential applicants to online Bachelor’s in Forensic Psychology programs should be aware that enrollment options vary by program and should contact a financial aid administrator if there are concerns that their aid may be contingent upon full-time enrollment.
Campus Visits: While online students are typically invited to visit campuses of schools offering online bachelor’s programs and are often encouraged to attend graduation, most online bachelor’s programs do not require campus visits. However, some programs have a limited number of campus-based requirements. These campus residencies can be a useful component of an online program. They may be used for student orientations, workshops, seminars, and other instructional activities that give students an opportunity to meet face-to-face with instructors and interact with other students. However, campus visits require travel and students may be responsible for room and boarding expenses while attending campus-based sessions.
Students who would prefer to attend a limited number of campus sessions as part of an online Bachelor’s in Forensic Psychology program should look for programs that include campus visits. Students who would prefer not to be required to attend on-campus sessions should examine program requirements carefully to identify programs that can be completed fully online.