MSc Forensic and Investigative Psychology
- Entry year:
- 2025/26
- Start date:
- September
- Study mode:
- Full-time
- Course duration:
- 1 year
- Campus:
- City
About this course
This masters degree has a strong emphasis on psychological investigation and exploring offending behaviour.
Course highlights:
- BPS Accredited. Designed to meet the Stage 1 training requirement for accreditation by the British Psychological Society (BPS) to become a Chartered Psychologist
- Join an established and respected School of Psychology, with a thriving research culture
- Learn through lectures, seminars and research projects
This masters degree strikes a balance between Forensic and Investigative Psychology topics and skills to widen career options for graduates. The primary goal of forensic and investigative psychology as a discipline is to contribute to the understanding of why individuals engage in criminal behaviour and how they can be managed and rehabilitated back into society.
The teaching team have expertise across a wide range of forensic and investigative topics, both in research and practice. These topics relate to offenders and victims (with the recognition that many offenders have also experienced victimisation/adversity).
Our course provides the opportunity for you to work closely with your peers and teaching staff, and have sufficient support to progress successfully through your degree.
Course modules
Discover the building blocks of your programme
You will undertake six modules during your degree, which are all core - this means all students on the course study them.
Further guidance on modules
Modules are designated core or optional in accordance with professional body requirements, as applicable, and LJMU’s Academic Framework Regulations. Whilst you are required to study core modules, optional modules provide you with an element of choice. Their availability may vary and will be subject to meeting minimum student numbers.
Where changes to modules are necessary these will be communicated as appropriate.
Core modules
Your Learning Experience
An insight into teaching on your course
Study hours
Each module has a different number of contact hours and learning hours attached to it. For example, a module may have 40 delivered hours and 260 hours of self-directed study. We recommend around 35 hours of student learning per week.
Standard teaching hours are between 9am to 6pm, and vary across semesters. Formal teaching occurs in Semester 1 (September to December) and Semester 2 (January to May), although you are required to attend university to meet with your dissertation supervisor and to attend presentation days and other relevant session, until your final thesis submission date at the end of August.
Teaching methods
The course provides a range of learning approaches in the form of lectures, seminars, and workshops.
Lectures and directed independent reading are used to introduce core knowledge. These are supplemented by seminar and workshop activities in which you can explore ideas in more depth and contribute to, and benefit from, peer learning.
How learning is monitored on your programme
To cater for the wide-ranging content of our courses and the varied learning preferences of our students, we offer a range of assessment methods on each programme.
Assessment methods on this course include:
- essay assignments
- practical reports
- reflection portfolios
- a research proposal and dissertation
- literature reviews
- oral presentations
- research posters
Course tutors
Dr Victoria Blinkhorn
Co Programme Leader
I really enjoy sharing my knowledge and research with students who are passionate about pursuing a career within the field of Forensic or Investigative Psychology. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing them succeed.
I really enjoy sharing my knowledge and research with students who are passionate about pursuing a career within the field of Forensic or Investigative Psychology. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing them succeed.
Dr Victoria Blinkhorn is a Chartered Psychologist, Research Consultant for the NHS and Probation Service, and has worked in academia for the past 10 years. Her research interests concern how mental illnesses, personality disorders, and general personality traits help to explain offending behaviour in adults. Dr Kirsty Alderson, Co Programme Leader: Kirsty's career began in the Prison Service, where she was involved in the delivery of drug treatment and sex offender interventions as well as conducting forensic risk assessment and attending Parole Board Hearings. She is a Chartered and Registered Forensic Psychologist, and a BPS stage 2 supervisor.
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Lecturer/Senior Lecturer -
Lecturer
Career paths
Further your career prospects
LJMU has an excellent employability record with 96% (HESA 2018) of our postgraduates in work or further study six months after graduation. Our applied learning techniques and strong industry connections ensure our students are fully prepared for the workplace on graduation and understand how to apply their knowledge in a real world context.
We work closely with the careers and employability team to provide you with experiences to increase your employability, for example, visiting speakers from forensic, mental health, and other relevant organisations, mock interviews targeted to specific posts/jobs, CV support. We also ensure that across the modules, we highlight the skills you are learning, enabling you to promote these skills in future interviews.
Tuition fees and funding
- Full-time per year:
- £9,840
Fees
The fees quoted above cover registration, tuition, supervision, assessment and examinations as well as library membership and student IT support with access to printed, multimedia and digital resources including programme-appropriate software and on campus wifi.
Financial Support
There are many ways to fund postgraduate study for home and international students. From loans to International Scholarships and subject-specific funding, you’ll find all of the information you need on our specialist postgraduate funding pages. The University offers a range of financial support for students. You'll find all the information you need on our specialist financial support pages including details of the Student Support Fund and other activities to support with the cost of living.
Additional Costs
In addition to fees, students should also keep in mind the cost of:
- Accommodation
- Travel costs and field trips unless paid for by LJMU
- Stationery, IT equipment, professional body membership and graduation gown hire
Entry requirements
You will need:
Qualification requirements
How to apply
Securing your place at LJMU
To apply for this programme, you are required to complete an LJMU online application form. You will need to provide details of previous qualifications and a personal statement outlining why you wish to study this programme.
An interview is required as part of the selection process.
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The University reserves the right to withdraw or make alterations to a course and facilities if necessary; this may be because such changes are deemed to be beneficial to students, are minor in nature and unlikely to impact negatively upon students or become necessary due to circumstances beyond the control of the University. Where this does happen, the University operates a policy of consultation, advice and support to all enrolled students affected by the proposed change to their course or module.