Masters in forensic psychology
By Julie-Anne O'Hagan
The Sydney Morning Herald
Wednesday August 21, 2002

Overview: Forensic psychology is the application of psychological knowledge to the legal aspects of the criminal justice system.
There is an increasing demand from legal, investigative, corrective, policy and consulting agencies across Australia to obtain psychological expertise in the understanding and management of forensic issues. Forensic psychologists work in prisons, courts, police, probation and parole, child protection, juvenile justice, insurance, victims' services, consumer protection, mediation, private practice, public policy, university teaching and research, and legislative reviews.

The UNSW law faculty training and participation in the program is a unique feature. As well as course work and research, students complete three major placements over two years, each lasting 30-35 days. Placements are available in research, policy and practice settings such as the NSW Law Reform Commission, Long Bay Correctional Centre, Parramatta Family Court, children's courts and with private practitioners. This gives students first-hand training and experience working with lawyers, jurists and social scientists on ways to incorporate empirical findings in the law. Students also have access to a newly equipped forensic laboratory, with state-of-the-art equipment for conducting research and training on eyewitness memory, jury decision-making, focus group work and mediation or negotiations to resolve conflict.

Accreditation: The course is accredited as fifth and sixth years of study leading to full membership of the Australian Psychological Society and to its College of Forensic Psychologists, and registration as a psychologist in New South Wales.
When: The course is available full-time and part-time. Many employers release students from work to attend classes two days a week. There are about 15 places available each year.
Where: The course is taught at the Kensington campus of the UNSW.
Duration: The course involves a two-year full-time commitment (longer for part-time students).
Prerequisites: Applicants should have an honours degree in psychology (Honours Class 2 Division 1) and must be eligible for conditional registration as psychologists in NSW.
Cost: Most students are eligible for HECS scholarships and the Postgraduate Education Loans Scheme applies. Students earning more than $60,000 a year pay annual fees of $11,280.
Books and equipment: Students should budget about $400-$500 a year for books. Some texts are available in the library. Students are encouraged to compile professional reference libraries.
Who is it for? The course is designed for people who want to apply scientific methods to social issues and social justice. Students tend to have strong people skills, an inclination towards analysis, and a desire to understand how things work and improve on them.
Success rate: Statistics indicate all graduates are employed. Forensic psychologists are in short supply, so prospects for employment are excellent, and will improve as employers become better acquainted with the skills graduates bring to the workplace in less traditional forensic areas such as research and legal policy settings.
Industry demand is very strong in traditional forensic settings such as corrective services, both in Australia and New Zealand. Many students receive employment offers before they graduate.

What graduates say:
Julius Cordell, 24, forensic psychologist, NSW Police, Sydney. Graduated 2000.
"After [completing an] honours degree specialising in forensic neuropsychological assessment, I moved to Sydney, because UNSW has such a good reputation.
"One of the outstanding features of the course was that we were taught by the schools of psychology and law, enabling us to have an interdisciplinary approach to developing our skills.
"My portfolio includes critical incident stress debriefing and management, operational fitness assessments, psychological assessments for people who use firearms, psychological research into policing, provision for tailored psychological services for specialist operations and regions, and profiling."

Suzanne Briscoe, 26, senior research officer, NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, Sydney. Graduated last year.
"I chose UNSW because it is one of the few Australian Psychological Society-accredited forensic psychology masters programs and because of its reputation in postgraduate psychology programs.
"The law subjects, taught by legal academics, were the best parts of the program. The topics were tailored to forensic psychology and small classes meant there was time for discussion. And because the program is still relatively new, the course content evolved to incorporate the needs of students.
"The forensic psychology program provides a real alternative to traditional areas of psychology [and] the professional placements put you in contact with professionals already working in the field who provide a useful network of contacts for your career."

What an employer says:
Rachael Haggett, therapeutic manager, Violence Prevention Program, Metropolitan Special Programs Centre, Long Bay Correctional Complex.
"The Violence Prevention Program is an intensive group-based treatment program for male offenders who have a history of violent behaviour. We employ UNSW graduates because they have worked with the program on a clinical placement scheme, which gives us an opportunity to assess their suitability and to supervise them as they develop clinical skills.
"The graduates are motivated and seek to gain experience in groups and individual therapy sessions that form the basis of the program.
"The course gives the students an excellent theoretical grounding in forensic psychology, including skills in report writing and the development of treatment plans based on testing and clinical data. The placement develops practice skills that we need in a treatment program.
"The personality of the graduate is also very important in terms of working with men who at times have very challenging behaviour."