Forensic Psychologist

Job Description

Forensic psychologists are specially trained to apply the principles of psychology to the criminal justice system in some capacity. They are most often researchers or consultants, some of which help develop public policy. A limited few work in criminal profiling, in which a forensic psychologist helps law enforcement get inside the mind of an unknown criminal by developing a profile based on their criminal behavior. For high-profile trials, a forensic psychologist might assist attorneys with the jury selection by interviewing and evaluating potential jurors and determining if anything about them or their views would negatively affect the court’s ability to hold a fair trial. For instance, a woman who is a member of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) might not be the most impartial juror for an intoxication vehicular manslaughter case. A forensic psychologist may also be called upon to conduct a psychological evaluation of a defendant to determine if he or she was insane or suffering from a mental condition at the time a crime occurred.

Educational Requirements

As with other careers in psychology, you won’t get far pursuing a career in forensic psychology at the undergraduate level, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. A master’s or doctoral degree is necessary for nearly all psychology careers, and forensic science is no exception. Also, many forensic psychology careers will require that you be licensed in your state of practice, and in most cases, you cannot practice independently without a doctoral degree, according to the Bureau. Students can start out by earning a bachelor’s degree in a major such as criminal justice to get a solid foundation in the court system and then concentrate in forensic psychology at the graduate level. However, some graduate programs in psychology only accept candidates who have earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology. At the undergraduate level, you should make sure you excel in courses such as criminal law, abnormal & social psychology, research methods & statistics and criminology, as competition for entry into graduate programs can be fierce.

Career Outlook and Salary

The U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics does not include projected job growth specifically for forensic psychologists, but it does include 10-year job growth projections for psychologists overall. Employment of psychologists is projected to grow 9 percent, or as fast as the average of all other occupations tracked by the government, between 2008 and 2018, the Bureau maintains. Those with doctoral degrees will have the best job prospects, according to the Bureau. Forensic psychologists with 1-4 years of experience earn between $40,350 and $68,602 each year, according to online compensation site Payscale.com. However, those with 10-19 years of experience in the field can earn more than $100,000 each year.