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Which degree(s) will I need to go into the criminal psychology/criminology field?

There are a lot of different degrees regarding this field and I’m not sure what or which colleges and degrees to look at. It would be helpful if I could get suggestions as to which colleges/universities and degrees to look further into.

college-major psychology criminal-justice degree forensic criminology criminal crime criminal-investigations criminal-psychology
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Michael’s Answer

Hi Miranda,

For Criminal Psychology/Criminology, one can major in Criminal Justice, Clinical Psychology, Counseling, Forensics or Psychology. All can lead to a career pathway in dealing with criminal behavior. There are also colleges and universities that specially offer a college degree in Criminal Psychology.

According to Best Values Schools, here is a website link for the 25 Best Criminal Psychology Degree Programs.

The Top 10 Colleges/Universities are listed below:

- California State University
- University of Houston
- John Jay College of Criminal Justice
- Oklahoma State University
- University of Louisiana
- University of North Dakota
- Arizona State University
- Albizu University
- University of California
- Montclair State University

https://www.bestvalueschools.org/criminal-psychology-degree-programs/

When reviewing colleges and universities, it is best to check the following:

- In-State vs Out of State Tuition
- Internships
- Scholarships
- Career Placement upon graduation
- Course work and offered classes
- Post-Graduate Degrees - Master and Doctoral

Scholarship applications can start to be submitted during your Junior year and will continue throughout your Senior year in high school. It is best to ask your Academic Advisor/School Counselor on the timeline process as well. Scholarship applications will have specific deadlines and requirements to meet in order to be submitted for review and consideration.

You may want to start to compile your resume/portfolio since a majority of scholarship applications will require academic grade point average (GPA), academic accomplishments, school activities (clubs, sports, etc.), community involvement (volunteer, church, etc.), academic and personal recommendations, etc. There may be essay requirements on why you are a qualified candidate to receive the scholarship, what your future goals are academically and professionally and other questions centering around who you are, your beliefs, etc.

Here are a couple of links for College Scholarships:

https://www.mometrix.com/blog/scholarships-for-college/

https://www.nchchonors.org/students/awards-scholarships/national-scholarships

Also, it will be best to check with the colleges and universities that you will be applying to. You can check with the School/Department of your desired major, the Campus Career Center and the Register's Office for additional information for college scholarships and grants and specific requirements for qualifications.

Best wishes for your education and career path in Criminal Psychology/Criminology!
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Michelle’s Answer

Hello, Miranda !

You speak of such an interesting career plan and I hope that I can be of some help with advice.

My advice would be to get a Bachelors or Masters in Psychology or Sociology. While you are in school, whichever college you choose, see if there are any courses in Research, Statistics and Administration of Justice just to have a formal course in those subjects as you will meet these topics on the job. It is a job with heavy research involved. Any college that has a psychology department and a sociology department will be able to prepare you for this. Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville is closest to you. I know Chicago is rather far, but there may be more schools to choose from there. You can always go to a community college and get an Associates degree in one of the two - psychology or sociology and than go to a University where you get your Bachelors in the other subject. I would definitely recommend going for a Bachelors degree for this field of work. It is up to you to consider how advanced you'd want to take your studies, but you will find that a Bachelors or higher will get you in the door for employment.

I would say to consider looking at schools in a major city near you. I would also recommend the degree being in Psychology and or Sociology. Criminologist work, as it appears in employment notices, does not come right out and call it a criminologist. Some of the job titles I have seen for which you would need the skills of a criminologist are : Social Service Specialist, Investigations Consultant, Criminal Investigator and many college teaching positions.

I hope that this was of some help to you as you begin thinking about your future education plans. Best wishes to you !
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Michelle’s Answer

I see the other answers have really given you a lot to look into and consider. As for how advanced you go in getting those degrees, will determine what you want to do as a career. If you want to be in private practice, or work with institutions, you will need a lot of clinical experience and in-patient/customer experience, and getting a Ph.D. will best suit you. If you want to go into law enforcement with those types of degrees, then really the FBI is your best option. They hire individuals with those degrees for special agent assignments and teaching. Having the degree (Master's or Ph.D.), and the experience - will help you get to that type of career.

Best of luck to you in your future endeavors.
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