Comments on: I Am Thinking Of A Career That Is A Mix Btween Psychology And Forensics. Help?

By: DH

DH — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 01:14:09 +0000

Forensic psychologist – Those are the folks that can tell you everything about a serial killer before the killer is caught.
Ex: 50ish white male, lives alone, hates women……….

By: jimmyiii

jimmyiii — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:52:14 +0000

I think that mix you talk about is similar to the TV series, Law and Order, with the psychologically-oriented detective played by the Italian actor with the twitchy face (Vincent Delicioso?). You’d have to take a lot of Psych. plus English literature (read “Crime and Punishment” by Dosteovsky). Also forensics involves chemistry and medicine, anatomy, etc. You cant possibly take all of this and still have time to earn a living, so it’s going to be a compromise. A psychiatrist is required to be an M.D., so that involves becoming a doctor before you are a psychiatrist as a specialty. Perhaps you should lower your sights a little bit, because you seem unfamiliar with ALL of this. Hmmmmmm.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:00:37 +0000

I would major in psychology or a related human services major as an undergraduate. Then you can either get a doctoral degree in psychology and specialize in forensics after you graduate. Alternatively, you can become a psychiatrist, which involves going to medical school and you can do similar work.
To work with people with mental disorders, you can choose to get a doctoral degree in psychology or go to med school and become a psychiatrist. You also have the option of getting a master’s degree in counseling or social work to work with people with mental disorders or in a forensic setting (correctional facility, etc.).

By: WendyD19

WendyD19 — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:08:14 +0000

Forensic psychology is definitely the term. One thing a forensic psychologist might do is determine if a defendent was clinically sane and able to stand trial, like Dr. Olivette on Law & Order.
My daughter is majoring in clinical psychology at Tufts in Boston and plans on getting yer PsyD which is a PhD in psychology. Are you thinking of the BAU in the FBI? There are many good schools with Psych majors.

By: rosepeta

rosepeta — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 07:17:56 +0000

I have a degree in Psychology with minors in Criminal Justice and Forensics. I plan on getting a Masters in Forensic Psychology (or Criminal Justice) and a Doctorate in Forensic Psychology.
In undergrad- you want to have a Psychology major for sure, so that you can get in the research/experimentation/statistics stuff down, as well as your major abnormal psychology disorders and personality disorders.
It’s helpful to add in Criminal Justice and Forensics, because it gives you information on the Criminal Justice system, as well as how to process crime scenes, etc.
Loyola University New Orleans was my undergrad college and it is awesome! They actually now have some Forensic Psychology classes.
For a masters, John Jay College of Criminal Justice is the best in the world.
Psychiatry is completely different though, you would have to go to medical school and probably would want to add a biology major in undergrad. You should decide whether you want to do Law Psychology/Forensic Psychology or Psychiatry as soon as possible.