Program Presentation
The Master in Criminal Psychology. Specialization in Forensic Psychology trains experts in criminal behavior so that they can perform psychological expert reports. In criminal proceedings, the Court need to know the information the forensic experts can provide with regard to the procedural capacity of the defendant and/or accountability. Also, with regard to victims and witnesses, it may be necessary to assess the credibility of their testimony.
The Criminal Psychology is a scientific discipline whose main object was studying the criminal behavior. From its beginnings as a science, at the end of the 19th Century, Criminal Psychology has worked closely with the Law to contribute with its knowledge to the Courts of Justice.
In the field of Criminal Psychology, Forensic Psychology is responsible for providing the needed psychological knowledge for the courts to make decisions about the defendants’ accountability, their procedural capabilities, the credibility of the testimony of victims and witnesses, among others.
The training provided by this master's degree allows you to obtain a university degree with a professional approach. The master's degree aims at providing a much connected training with the professional context. The study plan responds to this intention with the didactic approach of the subjects, and with the teaching staff and tutors in charge, who have a consolidated experience in the judicial field.
Career opportunities are those specific to the professional who works in the Justice field, making expert reports on a proposal from a party or by judicial appointment, advising jurists, working in teams for attention to victims, in Forensic Medicine Institutes or in Technical Teams of Penitentiary Institutions.
Students who successfully complete this Master's Degree will be qualified to:
- Put into practice the applied, advanced and specialized knowledge in a body of concepts, procedures, techniques and attitudes that allow to work in legal and forensic psychology.
- Address the various problems that may arise in the field of Forensic and Legal Psychology, being able to take the necessary autonomy to make decisions alone by using the scientific and professional resources necessary for this purpose.
- Understand and analyze the complexity of the imputability in criminal cases.
- Distinguish between the concepts of psychic injury and sequelae, and be able to properly assess victims of crime.
- Check the legal consequences in the field of the imputability of different psychopathological disorders.
- Apply strategies and techniques that allow you to perform an appropriate intervention in the field of Criminal Justice.
- Manage the documentary sources that can be used as theoretical support-applied within the scope of the judicial assessments or psychological counseling.
- Intervene in the assessment of inmates in prisons and develop the different techniques of prison treatment.
Who is the programme for?
The Master in Criminal Psychology. Specialization in Forensic Psychology trains the student in the professional sector of Forensic Science and provides a rigorous and comprehensive training as for the student to be able to develop assessment, counseling and intervention tasks.
The Master's Degree is aimed at graduates in Psychology, Medicine, Law, Criminology, or other similar qualifications.
Diploma
The successful completion of the Program will allow the student to obtain the degree of MASTER IN CRIMINAL PSYCHOLOGY. SPECIALIZATION IN FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY, issued by the University where he or she has registered.
Program Structure
The credit structure of the Master in Criminal Psychology Specialization in Forensic Psychology program is shown in the following table. It should be noted that the duration is merely indicative, as the methodology followed integrates the knowledge and skills to be acquired in each part through integrative exercises of knowledge acquisition and internalization of project practices:
| CREDITSa | |
|---|---|
| Block 1: Criminology | 24 |
| Block 2: Criminal Psychology | 22 |
| Block 3: Forensic Psychology | 25 |
| Block 4: Internship | 6 |
| Block 5: Final Project | 13 |
| TOTAL | 90 |
a. The equivalence in credits may vary according to the university where he/she has enrolled. One (1) ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) credit is equivalent to 10 + 15 hours. If the student is enrolled in a university that does not belong to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), the relation between credits - hours may vary.
Duration
The Master in Criminal Psychology Specialization in Forensic Psychology has 90 credits.
The duration of the Master in Criminal Psychology Specialization in Forensic Psychology varies between 12 and 24 months, depending on the student's dedication. In this period of time, the student must have successfully passed all the evaluated activities and approved the Final Project.
Objectives
General Objective
- The mission of the Master in Criminal Psychology Specialization in Forensic Psychology. Specialization in Forensic Psychology is to train the student to work in the field of Legal and Forensic Psychology. To this end, the student will take subjects related to the legal and forensic psychology, criminal psychology, criminology, psychological disorders and accountability, assessment techniques in legal and forensic psychology and neuropsychology, and psychological expertise in the field of criminal law.
Specific Objectives
- Acquiring applied, advanced and specialized knowledge in a conceptual, procedural, technical and attitudinal body enabling students to function in the field of legal and forensic psychology.
- Acquiring the needed skills to tackle the various problems that may arise in the field of Forensic and Legal Psychology, being able to assume autonomy to make decisions by making use of the scientific and professional resources necessary for this purpose.
- Being able to understand and analyze the complexity of the imputability in criminal cases.
- Distinguishing between the concepts of psychic injury and sequelae, and be able to properly assess victims of crime.
- Checking the legal consequences in the field of the imputability of different psychopathological disorders.
- Mastering strategies and techniques to develop an appropriate intervention in the field of Criminal Justice.
Career Opportunities
The professionals who successfully complete the Master in Criminal Psychology Specialization in Forensic Psychology, Specialization in Forensic psychology of FUNIBER will be able to exercise in the following institutions and areas:
- Judicial expert in forensic psychology.
- Penitentiary institutions.
- Public Administration.
- Psychosocial court teams.
- Forensic medicine institutes.
- Attention to the victims.
Study Plan
The Master in Criminal Psychology Specialization in Forensic Psychology, Specialization in Forensic Psychology consists of three areas which make a total of 15 subjects, in addition to the internship and the final project.
The corresponding subjects are shown in the following tables:
- BLOCK 1: CRIMINOLOGY
| CRIMINOLOGY | |
|---|---|
| # | SUBJECTS |
| 1 | General Criminology |
| 2 | Special Criminology |
| 3 | Criminal Structure |
| 4 | Legal Medicine |
| 5 | Drug addiction |
- BLOCK 2: CRIMINAL PSYCHOLOGY
| CRIMINAL PSYCHOLOGY | |
|---|---|
| # | SUBJECTS |
| 1 | Criminal Psychology |
| 2 | Criminal Personality |
| 3 | Juvenile Delinquency |
| 4 | Psychology of Terrorism |
| 5 | Sects |
- BLOCK 3: FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY
| FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY | |
|---|---|
| # | SUBJECTS |
| 1 | Criminal Psychological Assessment |
| 2 | Forensic Psychopathology |
| 3 | Criminal Behavior Treatment |
| 4 | Legal Psychology |
| 5 | Family Violence |
- BLOCK 4: INTERNSHIP
| INTERNSHIP | |
|---|---|
| # | SUBJECTS |
| 1 | Supervised Face-to-face Internship |
- BLOCK 5: SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH METHODS AND MASTER’S DEGREE FINAL PROJECT
| SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH METHODS AND MASTER’S DEGREE FINAL PROJECT | |
|---|---|
| # | SUBJECTS |
| 1 | Scientific Research Methodology |
| 2 | Final Project |
Note: The contents of the academic program may be subject to slight modifications, depending on the updates or the improvements made.
Management
Academic Administration
- B.D. Luis Jiménez Romero. Managing director of the Escuela de Criminología de Cataluña since 1995. From 1980 to 1992 he served as a civil servant of the Spanish State specialized in safety, explosive ordnance disposal and criminal investigation. Since 1994, he is a freelance forensic psychologist with experience in developing expert reports on accountability, credibility of the witness, procedural capacity, civilian capabilities, assessment of victims, etc. He holds a Higher Diploma in Criminology and Private Research, Universidad Europea Miguel de Cervantes and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, National Distance University Education.
FUNIBER Training Scholarships
The Iberoamerican University Foundation (FUNIBER) allocates periodically an extraordinary economic item for FUNIBER Training Scholarships.
To apply, please fill out the information request form that appears in the web of FUNIBER or contact directly the Foundation’s headquarters in your country that will inform you if you need to provide some additional information.
Once the documentation is received, the Evaluation Committee will determine your application's eligibility for the FUNIBER Training Scholarship.