University of Kent

Introduction

There is a long tradition within the School of research in the area of criminal justice and legal psychology. Currently, several members of the School are actively involved in research and consultancy, and several PhD students are currently conducting research under their supervision.

Undergraduate students in the School have for the past 15 years or so carried out projects in local prisons, Young Offender Institutions, Regional Secure Units (RSUs), Special Hospitals and police constabularies. Relations with practising forensic psychologists in the area are very good, largely as a consequence of the collaborative work our contacts have engendered.

The MSc in Forensic Psychology programme was introduced in October 1995, and teaching on the core forensic modules on the programme is enhanced by the contributions of several honorary teaching staff, all of whom are Chartered Forensic Psychologists working in applied settings (e.g. in Special Hospitals, RSUs and prisons). Recent research projects undertaken have included:

• an evaluation of the relapse prevention module of the Prison Service Sex Offender Treatment Programme
• an investigation of the incidence of sexual and physical abuse in the backgrounds of sex offenders with learning disabilities
• an investigation into non-verbal cues to lying in police interrogations
• an examination of organisational and psychological factors related to the treatment of offenders in a Maltese prison
• a study of the incidence of ADHD indicators in a young offender population
• a comparison of socio-demographic and psychological factors related to women who do, and do not, self-harm in a Special Hospital
• a study of the incidence of PTSD indicators in the prison population of the Channel Islands

We are particularly interested in receiving applications from suitably qualified graduates who have direct experience of the application of psychological principles in custodial or other forensic settings. As a significant element of the programme involves training in advanced methodological and statistical techniques, we are unable to consider applications from candidates who do not qualify for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) with the BPS - Graduate Membership of the BPS is insufficient.

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Professional training and recognition

All professional training in Psychology in the UK takes place at postgraduate level, and the minimum training period is the equivalent of three years' full-time study and supervised experience. The minimum entry requirement for postgraduate training is the BPS Graduate Basis for Registration. Candidates with a first degree in Psychology are normally expected to have achieved Upper Second (2:1) Class Honours.

Professional training in Clinical Psychology and Occupational Psychology is well established, with the necessary academic and experiential components of training integrated into three-year full-time practitioner doctoral programmes. However, professional training in Forensic Psychology in the UK is still in its infancy, and it is unlikely that practitioner doctoral programmes will become available for some time.

The MSc in Forensic Psychology at Kent is accredited by The British Psychological Society as providing the first (academic) year of professional training for those who wish to qualify as Chartered Forensic Psychologists. Graduates from the programme are then required to gain the equivalent of a further two years' relevant experience under the supervision of a Chartered Forensic Psychologist before qualifying for Chartered status themselves. The BPS is currently finalising the criteria that must be met by trainees during their supervised practice period. You should contact the BPS directly if you have enquiries about the nature of the supervised practice element of qualification.

Please note that only students who pass all elements of the MSc in Forensic Psychology qualify for BPS accreditation.

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Entry requirements

1. Degree requirement:

a. GBC status

First and foremost, you are required to hold a Bachelor’s degree which makes you eligible for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC, formerly GBR) with the British Psychological Society. GBC is the first step towards becoming a Chartered Psychologist. Usually, you will automatically have this if you took an Honours Psychology Degree in the UK accredited by the British Psychological Society. If your UK degree was not accredited, or if you hold a degree from overseas, you can still get GBC by sitting an exam through the British Psychological Society or taking a conversion course. Information about both options may be found by visiting the British Psychological Society’s webpage at www.bps.org.uk/membership/grades

Please do not contact us to ask if your qualifications make you eligible for GBC of the British Psychological Society. This is a question that you need to answer yourself, through contacting the British Psychological Society. Also, remember that GBC is not the same as Graduate Membership of the BPS (the BPS recognise some degrees for graduate membership, but not for GBC). We are unable to process applications that do not have GBC. However, we may call an individual to interview if they are awaiting the results of their GBC examination or conversion course.

In addition to GBC status, you are required to hold a Bachelor’s degree with:

b. Adequate level of academic achievement

This is defined as a final degree classification (grade average) with at least a 2.1 or Merit in the UK system, the second highest classification after First/Distinction.

Academic results from institutions in other countries will be assessed individually according to this standard, as institutional practices and marking systems vary.

c. Statistics and research methods training in the social sciences

You must have taken a minimum of one term each in statistics and social science research methods courses (or two terms of a joint statistics and research methods course), and passed these courses, as noted on your degree.

Our Masters’ courses involve a rigorous one-year statistics sequence which you must normally pass in order to receive a degree. The teaching assumes that you are familiar with the following topics before arriving:

1. Means and standard deviations
2. Distributions, hypothesis testing and statistical significance
3. t-tests
4. Correlation coefficients
5. Variables and measurement

Evidence required:

An authorized copy (not a photocopy) of the university transcript, sent directly from the issuing institution to the Information, Recruitment and Admissions Office, The Registry,
University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NZ. Tel: +44 (0)1227 827272/824040, Email: recruitment@kent.ac.uk, Web: www.kent.ac.uk/aps/information-recruitment-admissions.
The transcript is part of the general University postgraduate admission procedures.

2. English language

For students whose degree is from a non-English-speaking institution, you must meet at least one of the following University English language test requirements for postgraduate study:

• 6.5 in the International English Language Test (IELTS) with a minimum of 6.0 in each of the reading and writing categories
• 600 in the paper-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
• 250 in the computer-based TOEFL and a TWE of 4.0
• 90 in the internet-based TOEFL (TOEFL iBT) with a minimum of 20 in writing and reading
• 'C' in the Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English
• 'B' in the Cambridge Advanced Certificate in English.

Evidence required:

An authorized copy (not a photocopy) of the test certificate sent to the Information, Recruitment and Admissions Office, The Registry, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NZ. Tel: +44 (0)1227 827272/824040, Email: recruitment@kent.ac.uk, Web: www.kent.ac.uk/aps/information-recruitment-admissions. These test results are part of the general University postgraduate admission procedures.

3. Forensic-related work experience

We do not reject applicants outright who have been unable to obtain forensic-related work experience. However, evidence of forensic-related work experience will be taken into account when considering prospective students’ applications. Thus, we will strongly favour those who have obtained work or research experience within a forensic setting. Examples of acceptable experience include working voluntarily (or in some cases paid) for victim support, the police, the prison service, the NHS, or forensic-relevant charities.

Evidence required:

A referee letter from the organisation where you obtained your work or forensic research experience (see below).

4. References

Two reference letters are required: usually one from an academic referee at your degree granting institution who is able to assess your suitability for postgraduate study and one from the organisation where you obtained your work or forensic research experience. If you do not have any forensic-related work experience then we will require two academic referees from your degree granting institution. Academic reference writers should describe their impression of the applicant’s academic achievements, preparedness and motivation for postgraduate study in the chosen field, and personal qualities relevant to postgraduate study. Referees should give specific examples of things the applicant has done, where possible, that illustrate the reasons for their judgment of the applicant.

References should take the form of letters on official headed paper of the institution, sent directly by the reference writer to the Recruitment and Admissions Office, The Registry, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NZ.

5. The interview process

If the above admissions criteria have been met, you may be called for interview by one of the Forensic Psychology Staff in order to assess your suitability for the MSc Forensic Programme. We do not admit anyone onto the MSc in Forensic Psychology Programme without interviewing them first. However, being called for interview is no guarantee that you will be accepted onto the programme. For prospective students within the UK, we ask you to visit the University so that you can see our facilities and meet with Forensic Psychology staff. For overseas students called for interview, we will conduct a telephone interview in place of a face to face interview. During this interview we will be interested in your knowledge of forensic psychology, reasons for studying forensic psychology, research experience, and forensic-relevant work experience.

See also the University's general entry requirements.

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Aims

The MSc in Forensic Psychology has the following aims:

1. to provide an academic training for Psychology graduates in the application of psychology to issues in criminology and in the criminal justice system;
2. to provide research training in the areas of criminological, legal and forensic psychology;
3. to satisfy the academic component of professional training in forensic psychology.

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Programme structure

The MSc programme is composed of 6 compulsory modules:

	Kent credits	ECTS credits
1. Advanced Statistics and Methodology	40	20
2. Psychology of Criminal Conduct	20	10
3. Psychology of Law and Justice	20	10
4. Assessment and Treatment of Offenders in Forensic Settings	20	10
5. Forensic Cognition: Theory, Research and Practice	20	10
6. Research Project in Forensic Psychology	60	30

[Programme Specification]

See this year's timetable (PDF)

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Further information

For additional information please email T.A.Gannon@kent.ac.uk.

For informal enquiries please phone +44 (0)1227 827709 or Email psypgadmissions@kent.ac.uk.

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How to apply

Please see the application deadlines above.

You can apply either online or by post. For further details see the University's application Web page.

Please make sure that you have fulfilled the entry requirements as detailed under the tab above.

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