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Introduction to the MA/JD in Forensic Psychology & Law Program

The Forensic Psychology MA/JD Program offers qualified students the opportunity to earn both a Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology and a Juris Doctor in Law, which may be completed in as little as four years. John Jay College has partnered with two exceptional law schools to offer two MA/JD Dual Degree Programs in Forensic Psychology and Law.

Program Overview

The program design facilitates graduation with both degrees in four years instead of the five years it would typically take if the programs were pursued independently. Attorneys with a specialization in Forensic Psychology and Law may consider work with nonprofit organizations, public interest law firms, or the private sector, representing individual clients denied services or rights, or advocating for systematic change, in areas such as criminal law, juvenile law, health law, family law, international human rights, civil rights, and poverty law.

Dual Program with CUNY School of Law

The dual-degree program collaboration between John Jay College and the CUNY School of Law supports a combined mission of "Law in the service of human and psychological needs, fiercely advocating for justice," which encapsulates the theme of the joint-degree program. The two programs are each international leaders in their field, and the synergy is expected to result in graduation of highly trained and specialized attorneys/psychologists who can make significant contributions to the fields of law, forensic psychology, and public policy.

Degree Requirements

The curriculum is composed of a combined total of 130 credits, including 42 credits for the MA program in Forensic Psychology and 86 credits for the JD program at CUNY School of Law. However, 12 CUNY School of Law credits focusing on forensic and legal issues will be credited towards both the MA and JD programs. Likewise, 12 credits from the John Jay College MA in Forensic Psychology program, involving forensic and legal issues, will also be credited to the CUNY School of Law JD program. Consequently, due to the 24 credits applied in the dual-degree program, the actual number of credits taken will be 104, resulting in graduation for full-time students in four years instead of five.

Dual Program with New York Law School

The MA/JD Dual Degree Program with New York Law School capitalizes on John Jay College’s highly recognized specialization in Forensic Psychology and on New York Law School’s nationally renowned expertise in mental disability law to develop lawyers who will be uniquely trained to advocate for the mentally disabled, as practitioners, policy makers, and legal scholars.

Degree Requirements

The curriculum is composed of a combined total of 128 credits, including 42 credits for the MA program in Forensic Psychology and 86 credits for the JD program in Law. However, 12 New York Law School credits focusing on mental disability law will be credited towards both the MA and JD programs. Likewise, 12 credits from the John Jay College MA in Forensic Psychology program will also be credited to the New York Law School JD program. Consequently, due to the 24 credits applied in the dual-degree program, the actual number of credits taken will be 104, resulting in graduation for full-time students in four years, instead of five years if the two programs were completed separately.

Required MA Courses

• PSY 700: Mental Health Professionals, Social Science and the Law
• PSY 715: Research Design and Methods
• PSY 745: Psychopathology
• PSY 769: Intermediate Statistics in the Social Sciences
• PSY 731: Human Growth and Development OR PSY 741: Theories of Personality and Counseling
• PSY 760: Counseling and Psychotherapy Methods OR PSY 761: Clinician Interviewing and Assessment
• Two Psychological Testing Courses (choose from PSY 734: Criminal Psychological Assessment, PSY 751: Intellectual and Cognitive Assessment, PSY 752: Projective Personality Assessment, PSY 753: Objective Personality Assessment, and PSY 779: Brain and Behavior)
• Supervised Externship or Thesis Prospectus

MA Electives

For CUNY Law:

• One Forensic Psychology elective course at John Jay
• 12 transfer credits from CUNY School of Law, for example:
  • Administrative Law (3 cr.)
  • Advanced Evidence: Forensic Evidence & Experts (2 cr.)
  • Constitutional Structures (3 cr.)
  • Criminal Law (3 cr.)
  • Disability Law (2 cr.)
  • Evidence in the Public Interest (4 cr.)
  • Law & Family Relations (2 cr.)
  • N.Y. Domestic Law (3 cr.)
  • Gender, Psychology & the Law (2 cr.)
  • Race & the Law (3 cr.)
  • Representing Individuals with Mental Disabilities (2/3 cr.)
  • Sexuality & the Law (2 cr.)

For NYLS:

Mental Health and Disability Law Electives

• Transfer four courses (12 credits) from New York Law School; maximum of one per semester.
  • CRI 507: Survey of Mental Disability Law
  • CRI 260: Mental Disability and Criminal Law
  • CRI 508: Sex Offenders
  • UCI 125: Therapeutic Jurisprudence
• Select one course (3 credits) offered through John Jay College MA program in Forensic Psychology
  • PSY 701: Criminal Behavior
  • PSY 705: Victimology
  • PSY 714: Alcoholism and Substance Abuse
  • PSY 716: Assessment and Counseling of the Juvenile Offender
  • PSY 718: Social Science Evidence in Court
  • PYS 720: Social Psychology and the Legal System
  • PSY 726: Mental Health Issues in Policing
  • PSY 727: Eyewitness Identification
  • PSY 742: Family Violence and Disputes
  • PSY 746: Empirical Profiling Methods

JD Program

For CUNY Law:

86 credits including 12 transfer credits from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

• MA courses credited to both the JD and MA curriculum (4 of the following 5 courses):
  • Clinical Interviewing & Assessment (761)
  • Intermediate Statistics in the Social Sciences (769)
  • Mental Health Professionals, Social Science, and the Law (PSY 700)
  • Psychopathology (745)
  • Research Design & Methods (715)

For NYLS:

86 credits including 12 transfer credits from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. New York Law School will accept specific John Jay College MA courses up to 12 credits toward the JD, including PSY 700, PSY 734, PSY 754.

• JD Courses
  • Advanced Legal Methods
  • Civil Procedure
  • Constitutional Law I
  • Constitutional Law II
  • Contracts
  • Corporations
  • Criminal Law
  • Evidence
  • Foundations for the Study of Law
  • Foundations for the Pursuit of Professionalism
  • Legal Practice I
  • Legal Practice II
  • Professional Responsibility
  • Legislation and Regulation
  • Property
  • Torts