How to Become a Criminal Psychologist

Criminal psychologists study the behaviors, motives, and intentions of criminals from the point of view of mental health.

Criminal psychologists often work alongside the police to help them understand why an individual may have committed a certain crime.

 If you’d like to become a criminal psychologist, you need to earn a doctoral degree in psychology, and then earn a criminal psychology license.

1

Finish your bachelor’s degree. A BA or BS is required for admission to any doctoral program. If you’re already studying Psychology as an undergraduate, you may have a leg up on the competition. While not all doctoral programs in Psychology strictly require a BA in Psychology for admission, it may help your chances.[2]

If you are not majoring in Psychology, consider earning a minor in Psychology or Criminal Justice.

2

Take the General and Psychology GRE exams. Nearly all Criminal Psychology doctoral programs require applicants to take these two GRE exams, which will be offered at different testing centers on different days. The GRE exams will test your critical thinking and writing skills, and your general proficiency in undergrad-level psychology.[3]

3

Send your GRE scores to the universities you’re applying to. The university admissions departments will expect to receive these scores electronically, and may not consider your application until the scores are in-hand. Through the ETS website, you can select specific schools to send the scores to.

If you know which schools you’ll apply to before you take the GRE(s), you can have your scores sent to Ph.D. program admissions departments immediately after you finish the tests.

4

Apply to doctoral programs in Criminal Psychology. Look for Ph.D. or Psy.D. programs that offer a degree in Clinical Psychology and allow a specialization in Forensic or Criminal Psychology. Alternately, Ph.D. or Psy. D. programs may offer a specialization in Clinical Forensic Psychology.[4]

U.S. universities that offer a Ph.D. or Psy.D. in Criminal or Forensic Psychology include Harvard, Stanford, Notre Dame, and the University of Pennsylvania.

The Ph.D. (doctor of philosophy) focuses on theory and research. The Psy.D. (doctor of psychology) focuses on practice and experience.

5

Find a criminal psychology internship opportunity. An internship is an integral part of most Ph.D. or Psy.D. programs in criminal psychology. Finding a good internship program can take time, but your Department and faculty advisor will help you. Finding an internship is competitive, but it will provide important knowledge and experience for your eventual certification as a criminal psychologist.[6]

Your internship may be with a practicing clinical psychologist, with a police department, or in a prison or juvenile detention facility

6

Pursue a post-doctorate fellowship in criminal psychology. While a post-doc is not required for most criminal psychology jobs, it will increase your chances of being hired. Criminal psychology is a competitive field, and a post-doc will give you a leg up over other candidates with a Ph.D.[8]

You may also be able to find a post-doc in forensic psychology. While the fields are not the same, they substantially overlap.