Forensic Psychology Concentration

Catalog Year: 2023-2024

Banner Code: LA-BA-PSYC-FPSY

Students study behavior as it relates to health and well-being, child and adolescent development, education, social situations, the workplace, and the use of technology. Due to Mason’s proximity to Washington, D.C. the department is especially active in research that informs public policy and national defense. Students who graduate from this program go on to work in a wide range of fields and positions, including human resources, data analysis, user interface design, and social media and marketing.

The Bachelor of Arts in Psychology focuses on liberal arts and general education courses, including a foreign language requirement, within the psychology field.

Honors in the Major

Highly-qualified students may apply to graduate with honors in the major. To be eligible for admission, psychology majors must have completed at least 50 credits and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25 and a minimum GPA of 3.40 in psychology courses.

If accepted, students must take a sequence of three courses, which culminates in the successful completion and presentation of an independent honors thesis.

To graduate with honors, students must earn a minimum GPA of 3.50 in their honors courses and maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25 and a minimum GPA of 3.40 in psychology courses.

Degree Requirements

Total credits: minimum 120

Students should be aware of the specific policies associated with this program, located on the Admissions & Policies tab.

Courses required for a concentration may simultaneously satisfy other degree requirements. 

Students who have limited technology skills are encouraged to take IT 104 Introduction to Computing (Mason Core).

Core Courses in the Major

Basic Courses in Psychology

Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.00 in these courses with a minimum grade of 1.67 (C-) in each one. Courses taken to fulfill these requirements may simultaneously satisfy a concentration.

¹

Students are strongly encouraged to complete PSYC 300 Statistics in Psychology and PSYC 301 Research Methods in Psychology by their junior year. PSYC 300 Statistics in Psychology is a prerequisite to several courses, and a background in research methods facilitates understanding empirical research discussed in all psychology courses.

²

It is strongly recommended that students fulfill the Mason Core natural science requirement by completing BIOL 103 Introductory Biology II-Survey of Cell and Molecular Biology (Mason Core) and BIOL 107 Intro Biology II Lecture (Mason Core)/BIOL 106 Introductory Biology I Laboratory (Mason Core) because these courses are prerequisites to the requirement of PSYC 372 Biopsychology or PSYC 375 Brain and Sensory Processes and PSYC 376 Brain and Behavior.

³

Only students who receive transfer credit for PSYC 372 Biopsychology may use it in place of PSYC 375 Brain and Sensory Processes as the prerequisite for PSYC 376 Brain and Behavior. Students taking PSYC 372 Biopsychology at Mason may not use it in place of PSYC 375 Brain and Sensory Processes.

⁴

PSYC 427 Community Engagement for Social Change (Mason Core) and PSYC 430 Clinical Practicum in Psychology may count for both the Professional Development and the Applied Psychology requirements.

Applied Psychology Courses or Optional Concentration

Alternatively, students may earn a concentration in forensic psychology to satisfy this requirement.

Applied Psychology

¹

PSYC 427 may count for both the Applied Psychology and the Professional Development requirements.

Concentration Meeting Applied Psychology Requirement

Concentration in Forensic Psychology (FPSY)

Students pursuing the BA with concentration in forensic psychology take 15 credits. Students must earn a minimum GPA of 2.00 in all coursework applied to the concentration.

Students who successfully complete the Psychology Department Honors Program (PSYC 490 Psychology Honors I, PSYC 491 Psychology Honors II, and PSYC 492 RS: Psychology Honors III) with an honors thesis/project focused on forensic psychology may, with approval of their thesis committees and the associate chair for undergraduate studies, substitute their honors work for one course in the concentration.

¹

Only with Undergraduate Associate Chair approval.

Electives in the Major

Students complete the 37 required credits with electives in psychology (PSYC) with the following restrictions.

• A maximum of 6 credits of PSYC 327 Psychology in the Community and PSYC 328 Psychology in the Community Laboratory may be applied to required psychology credits.
• A maximum of 6 credits of PSYC 260 Basic Research Methods in Psychology, PSYC 350 Directed Reading and Research in Psychology, and PSYC 460 Independent Study in Psychology may be applied to required psychology credits.
• No more than 9 credits of PSYC 327 Psychology in the Community, PSYC 328 Psychology in the Community Laboratory, PSYC 260 Basic Research Methods in Psychology, PSYC 350 Directed Reading and Research in Psychology, and PSYC 460 Independent Study in Psychology can be taken without written permission of the department chair.
• No more than 6 credits of D may be applied toward this requirement.

PSYC 465 Pioneering Ideas in Psychology is strongly recommended for all students who plan to attend graduate school in psychology.

Writing-Intensive Requirement

The university requires all students to complete at least one course designated "writing intensive" in their majors at the 300 level or above. Students majoring in psychology may fulfill this requirement by successfully completing PSYC 301 Research Methods in Psychology, PSYC 304 Principles of Learning, or PSYC 309 Sensation, Perception, and Information Processing. Students who receive transfer credit for a research methods course must take PSYC 304 Principles of Learning or PSYC 309 Sensation, Perception, and Information Processing unless the transfer course has been approved as writing intensive.

Additional Electives

Any remaining credits may be completed with elective courses to bring the degree total to 120.

Upper Level Requirement

Students seeking a bachelor’s degree must apply at least 45 credits of upper-level courses (numbered 300 or above) toward graduation requirements.

College Level Requirements for the BA Degree

In addition to the Mason Core program, students pursuing a BA degree must complete the coursework below. Except where expressly prohibited, a course used to fulfill a college level requirement may also be used simultaneously to satisfy other requirements (Mason Core requirements or requirements for the major).

Philosophy or Religious Studies

¹

Note that the following courses may not be used to fulfill this requirement:

• PHIL 323 Classical Western Political Theory 
• PHIL 324 Modern Western Political Theory 
• PHIL 327 Contemporary Western Political Theory 
• PHIL 393 Humanities College to Career 
• PHIL 460 Senior Seminar in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics

Additionally, PHIL 253, RELI 235,  RELI 333, and RELI 339 cannot be used to fulfill both the philosophy/religious studies requirement and the Mason Core literature requirement.

Social and Behavioral Sciences

¹

The two courses used to fulfill the combined college and Mason Core requirements must be from different disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. 

²

HIST 100 and HIST 125 may not be used to fulfill this requirement.

Foreign Language

¹

Students who are already proficient in a second language may be eligible for a waiver of this requirement. Additional information on waivers can be found at the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.

Non-Western Culture

Select 3 credits of an approved course in the study of a non-Western culture (additional to the Mason Core requirement in global understanding)

¹

A course used to fulfill the Mason Core global understanding requirement may not be simultaneously used to satisfy this college-level requirement. A course used to fulfill this requirement may be used simultaneously to fulfill any other requirements (Mason Core requirements, college-level requirements, or requirements for the major). Additional information on waivers can be found at the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.

Mason Core

Some Mason Core requirements may already be fulfilled by the major requirements listed above. Students are strongly encouraged to consult their advisors to ensure they fulfill all remaining Mason Core requirements.

Students who have completed the following credentials are eligible for a waiver of the Foundation and Exploration (lower level) requirement categories. The Integration category (upper level) is not waived under this policy. See Admissions for more information. 

• VCCS Uniform Certificate of General Studies
• VCCS or Richard Bland Associate of Science (A.S.), Associate of Arts (A.A.), Associate of Arts and Sciences (A.A.&S.), or Associate of Fine Arts (A.F.A.)

¹

Most programs include the writing-intensive course designated for the major as part of the major requirements; this course is therefore not counted towards the total required for Mason Core.

²

Minimum 3 credits required.