MSc Investigative Psychology
with Professional applications to forensic & legal contexts
Course Director: Donna Youngs
To apply contact: behavsci@hud.ac.uk
An intensive 1 year Masters course, developed from the original Investigative Psychology MSc, the unique, internationally-renowned course set up by Professor David Canter. Investigative Psychology (IP) is the systematic science that developed out of early ‘offender profiling’ contributions by psychologists and the F.B.I to police investigations and court cases.. Graduates of this course work in diverse legal and forensic contexts typically progressing rapidly to senior levels as Crime and Intelligence Analysts, Behavioural Investigative Advisors, Forensic Lecturers, Applied Researchers or within commercial organisations or Government agencies such as the National Policing Improvement Agency. In these important positions, graduates of this course are now advancing the application of IP to forensic and investigative practice around the world.
The course is being submitted for IA-IP accreditation, ESRC research methodology recognition and BPS forensic accreditation.
Successful applicants study:
Introducing Investigative Psychology: From Offender Profiling to the Science of IP
- The Hollywood Myth
- The Emergence of Investigative Psychology from Offender Profiling
- Foundations: Description and Classification
- The Coming of the Informed Detective
- The Age of ‘Profiling’
- The Questions Investigative Psychologists Ask
Investigative Psychology Theories and Models for Violent, Acquisitive and Sexual Crime
- A Framework for Inferences - The Radex of Criminality
- Offenders’ Personal Narratives and Drawing Profiles
- Acquisitive Crime: Robbery, Burglary, Fraud and Extortion
- Violent Crime: Murder, Stalking, Domestic Violence, Rape and other sexual offences
- Organised Crime and Terrorism
- Hostage-Taking and Kidnap
- Offender Consistency, Specialization and Linking
Offender Spatial Activity: Beyond Geographical Offender Profiling
- Propinquity: How far do offenders travel?
- Morphology: Can investigators predict the offender’s home area?
- Space and Time: Can investigators predict the next offence in a series?
- Variations in Criminality and Offender Geography
- Geographical Profiling Systems
Improving Legal Testimony and Evidence in Court and Investigations
- Challenges to Investigative Information
- Improving Testimony: Eyewitness Evidence; Psycholinguistics of Questioned Documents
- Suspect Interviewing
- Detecting Deception and Determining Veracity: Detecting Lies to False Allegations and Confessions
- Investigative Decision making
Professional Issues and Applications
- General Professional and Ethical issue
- Relating to Forensic Medical Sciences (pathology, toxicology)
- Relating to Forensic Physical Sciences
- Legal Processes and Expert Evidence
- Behavioural Investigative Advice and Crime Analysis
Clinical Forensic Psychology(15) Credits
- The Psychology of Criminal Behaviour
- Psychopathology and Personality Disorder
- Approaches to ‘treatment’ and rehabilitation of Offenders
- Assessing Risk
- Helping Victims
Methodologies for Investigative Psychology – Tactics for Studying Criminal Action(15) Credits
- Sources for Information
- Content Analysis of Qualitative Data
- Interviewing
- Questionnaire Design
- Introduction to Psychometrics
Methodologies for Investigative Psychology – Strategies for Studying Criminal Action(15) Credits
- Strategies for Investigative Psychology
- Inferential Statistics Review and The Facet Approach
- Multidimensional Scaling (1) – SSA
- Multidimensional Scaling (2) – MSA and POSA
- Introducing Parametric Multivariate Statistics
Dissertation (60 Credits)
- An empirical piece of work or a structured review of a focused topic that draws on and makes a contribution to Investigative Psychology. No more than 35,000 words, submitted at least three weeks before the start of the following academic year (i.e. in early September of the academic year of the course).
International students are especially welcomed and frequently become pioneers of IP practice in their home countries.
Further study: The course is highly advantageous for applicants to the IRCIP Investigative Psychology Doctoral Program (to discuss PhD opportunities please email d.youngs@hud.ac.uk).
To apply for MSc Investigative Psychology Contact: behavsci@hud.ac.uk
Course outline subject to modification.
