Forensic Psychology was the 267th most popular major in the 2020-2021 school year. Colleges in the United States reported awarding 2,290 degrees in this year alone. This is a difference of 192 over the prior year, a growth of 8.4%.
This year's Best Forensic Psychology Schools ranking compares 35 of them to identify the best overall programs in the country. Explore this or one of our many other custom forensic psychology rankings further below.
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents has been highlighted as one of the most essential skills for careers related to forensic psychology. Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times and using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems are all required skills for careers related to this major.
New students will need to have completed high school or a GED program and each school will have their own minimum GPA and SAT/ACT test requirements. Once you obtain your degree, additional forensic psychology certifications required to pursue a career in this field.
There are many different forensic psychology degree levels. You can get anything from a in forensic psychology to the highest forensic psychology degree, a . Different forensic psychology degrees vary in how long they take.
Degree | Credit Requirements | Typical Program Length |
---|---|---|
Associate Degree | 60-70 credits | 2 years |
Bachelor’s Degree | 120 credits | 4 years |
Master’s Degree | 50-70 credits | 1-3 years |
Doctorate | Program required coursework including thesis or dissertation | At least 4 years |
A bachelor's degree is the most common level of education achieved by those in careers related to forensic psychology, with approximately 49.6% of workers getting one. People currently working in careers related to forensic psychology tend obtained the following education levels.
Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
---|---|
Bachelor’s Degree | 49.3% |
Post-Doctoral Training | 24.6% |
Master’s Degree | 10.7% |
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 5.4% |
Post-Secondary Certificate | 2.7% |
About 88.5% of workers in careers related to forensic psychology obtain at least bachelor's degrees. View the chart below to get an idea of what degree level most of those in forensic psychology careers have.
The education level required is different depending on the forensic psychology career you are seeking.
Want a job when you graduate with your forensic psychology degree? Forensic Psychology careers are expected to grow 8.1% between 2016 and 2026.
The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to forensic psychology.
Occupation Name | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
---|---|---|
Managers | 1,071,700 | 8.0% |
Psychologists | 19,200 | 10.3% |
As you might expect, salaries for forensic psychology graduates vary depending on the level of education that was acquired.
Salaries for forensic psychology graduates can vary widely by the occupation you choose as well. The following table shows the top highest paying careers forensic psychology grads often go into.
Occupation Name | Median Average Salary |
---|---|
Managers | $115,590 |
Psychologists | $95,610 |
With over 88 different forensic psychology degree programs to choose from, finding the best fit for you can be a challenge. Fortunately you have come to the right place. We have analyzed all of these schools to come up with hundreds of unbiased forensic psychology school rankings to help you with this.
One of 16 majors within the Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology area of study, Forensic Psychology has other similar majors worth exploring.
Related Major | Annual Graduates |
---|---|
Counseling Psychology | 9,463 |
Applied Behavior Analysis | 5,497 |
Clinical Psychology | 5,125 |
School Psychology | 3,230 |
Industrial & Organizational Psychology | 2,386 |