Psychology courses

About Forensic Psychology - Doctorate (d. Foren. Psy.) in Cardiff Metropolitan University

Course Overview

The Doctorate in Forensic Psychology is approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). Upon completion, the programme provides students with eligibility to apply to the register to practice as Forensic Psychologists in the UK.

The intake for Top-Up Doctorate takes place in January, April and September each year. The Top-Up Doctorate is designed for qualified Forensic Psychologists who would like to undertake a research project on an aspect of specialism. 

​For applicants seeking to train and qualify as a Forensic Psychologist please see our Post Graduate Diploma in Practitioner Forensic Psychology. ​

​Course Content​​

Flexibility is the essence of our approach to student learning. The Doctorate Programme facilitates students entering and exiting at different places within the Programme depending on the individual needs of the student.  Thus, the full Doctorate programme comprises:

• 120 credits of a BPS accredited MSc in Forensic Psychology
• Postgraduate Diploma in Practitioner Forensic Psychology
• 'Top-Up' doctorate, which is the higher level research component.

The Top-Up Doctorate will be available to registered practitioners who are seeking to formalise their research and clinical skills in an area of specialism. Applicants completing the Top-Up Doctorate will submit a research thesis reporting a significantly large piece of research.

Applicants who are interested in completing a full Doctorate Programme may apply initially for the MSc or PG Diploma, depending on their own individual needs and career progression.  Applicants who complete a PG Diploma and 'Top-Up' Doctorate can be awarded the Doctorate in Forensic Psychology.

Learning & Teaching​

The Top Up Doctorate comprises a thesis. This will be an independent research study.  Each student will be assigned a supervision team who will be responsible for supporting and supervising the student during their research.  It is anticipated that many students on the Top Up component may be based some distant from Cardiff and in those cases the supervision team will support meetings through Skype or video conferencing.  However, where additional training requires students to attend the university, it is expected that the student will factor this into their time commitments.

Employability & Careers​

A Doctorate in Forensic Psychology enables graduates to gain Registered Practitioner status with the Health Care Professionals Council (HCPC)​.

Academic qualification equivalents

• Postsecondary diploma or a degree or 2–3 year diploma (media-related is desired)

English language requirements (one of the below):

• IELTS      :      6.0 overall* with no sub score lower than 5.5
• PTE         :      Overall - 52, Reading - 51, Speaking - 51,Listening - 51,Writing - 51

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