What degree do I need to become a criminal psychologist?
Deciding to become a criminal psychologist is a career that requires a large amount of time to obtain but the benefits along with the pay make the long wait worth it in the end. The field itself is not as exciting as they make the career appear on television but it can be interesting. Though there is quite a bit of work to do to be qualified to become a criminal psychologist, the field is one that will be needed and at the beginning of the career one may have to start small but someday you could work as a FBI agent.
One of the first steps to becoming a criminal psychologist is the education. The first thing is to get a bachelors degree in psychology. While you are earning the degree in psychology it is recommended that you take any forensic classes if they are offered by the school. If no forensic classes are offered the next recommended type would be any biology classes. After getting a bachelors degree the next part would be going to a graduate school to obtain either a masters or doctoral degree. This degree can either be in criminology or in any area of psychology.
After getting the degrees come getting some experience. One of the best ways to get the experience needed is to do it through a field work program. These types of programs are offered to students that have finished their doctoral degrees in psychology. Another way is to help get experience is to help out a criminal psychologist for some time to learn from someone who has been out in the field.
The last thing that would need to happen is to obtain certification through the American Board of Forensic Psychology. It might be discouraging to go though the amount of work needed to become a criminal psychologist, but with jobs for people in the field showing up all the time it is well worth it.
I take it that this is the same thing as a Forensic Psychologist? If you haven’t already done so, you would need to take: Criminology, many Psychology classes which would include Abnormal Psychology, Criminal Psychology, Social Psychology, and Motivational Psychology (helps you to understand the motivation behind why people chose to act and think in certain ways) as well as Criminal Justice Courses. You could major in a specific area: Child Abuse/Neglect, Juvenile, Sexual Predators, or Criminal Profiling. A Bachelor’s of Science program would be more useful than a Bachelor’s of the Arts.
