Forensic Psychology and Mental Health MSc

Course overview

The on-campus full-time course starts in September, the online part-time course starts in January.

The course is designed to meet the requirements for stage 1 towards becoming a Chartered Forensic Psychologist (for students who also have the required Graduate Basis for Chartership). It is designed to provide you with a thorough grounding in the theory, themes, issues and practical skills we consider to be central to forensic psychology and forensic mental health settings. Please see the Accreditation section for further information.

• It covers diverse topics such as the theoretical basis of forensic psychology across a range of settings, through all stages of the criminal justice process. However, there is a specific focus on mental health and offending.
• The aim of the course is, upon successful completion, for you to have gained an understanding of the influence mental health can have on how people think, feel and act, as well as the opportunity to consider how our criminal justice system can respond to people committing crime, and those being victimised.
• Our teaching and learning is designed to encourage your participation and deepen your understanding of specific subjects. For example, by debating and discussing topics such as the effectiveness of prison in reducing reoffending behaviour and the ethics associated with risk assessment.

What you'll study

The content and assessment strategies are the same on the full-time campus-based and part-time online versions of the course. On the full-time version, all eight modules are studied in one year, whereas four per year are studied on the part-time online version.

Five core modules are shared with Forensic Psychology MSc. However, there are three specialised pathway modules which differentiate the courses. It is important to read both course webpages and compare the specific topic areas covered to pick the most appropriate course to apply for.

We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.

How you'll learn

Our teaching and learning strategy is designed to encourage your participation and deepen your understanding of specific subjects, for example, by debating and discussing contemporary topics, such as the role of mental health in offending behaviour, and the ethics associated with incarceration. Alongside this curriculum, your course will also provide you with an opportunity to develop what we consider to be a range of globally relevant practice-based transferable skills, including effective communication and dissemination, criticality, reflection, synthesis, and evaluation of ethical issues. The module design covers these essential elements of skills development whichever mode of study suits you best.

Study on campus – September start

On the full-time, on-campus version of the course, teaching and learning follows the traditional campus-based model of delivery, including face to face lectures and the expectation of full attendance during term-time.

The contact hours may be made up of a combination of face-to-face teaching, individual and group tutorials, online classes and tutorials and independent study and learning. If you are someone who wants to immerse yourself in the student experience on campus, on a full-time basis and take advantage of everything Coventry has to offer, then this is the mode of delivery for you.

On-campus learning consists of ‘face-to-face’ teaching time and other campus-based activity that will normally take place two days per week over one year. This is usually up to six hours of classroom time a week, depending on the semester you are in. In addition, you will have 10 hours of one-to-one supervision across the year, to support you with your empirical project and guide your studies. You will have access to recorded content, have directed reading and be required to engage in independent study. You will be studying for 60 credits per semester.

Please note that each module credit requires 10 hours of study, thus a 20-credit module requires 200 hours of study. This includes campus-based teaching and independent study. Self-directed study includes completing the recommended reading that accompanies your lectures and working on coursework assignments. This is a full-time course that requires full engagement for success. We recommend anyone with significant commitments outside the university to consider studying the part-time online course.

Explore our campus

Study 100% online – January start

All teaching and learning materials are provided online, in a semesterised and structured format, over a two-year period. Our current staff have experience in delivering high quality online provision and understand how online learning is substantially different when compared with face-to-face courses (staff may be subject to change).

Online content and library access is provided, and there is the opportunity to be part of a learning community in order to discuss topics online with course tutors, as well as access resources, including online journals and ebooks, through the library. Students are encouraged to engage with each other in online forums and share formative learning opportunities together to enhance the experience.

In addition, you will be allocated a dissertation supervisor, who will be your first point of contact in the course team. You will be allocated 10 hours of dissertation supervision over the two years, to help you navigate your independent research project.

Please note that each module credit requires 10 hours of study, thus a 20-credit module requires 200 hours of study including engaging with online materials and independent study. You will be expected to undertake significant self-directed study of an average of approximately 17 hours each week. However, this will vary depending on the demands of individual modules with some requiring more self-directed study, some less. Self-directed study includes online engagement with the learning materials, recommended reading that accompanies your learning, and working on coursework assignments. There is no requirement for students studying this course to attend campus. This is a part-time course that runs over a period of two years. We recommend this option for anyone with significant commitments outside the university. Request further information about part-time study.

Part-time students study the following modules in year one: Ethics and Research Methods in Forensic Psychology; Risk Assessment and Management in Forensic Settings; Leading and Creating Organisational Health and Wellbeing; and Mental Health Disorders in Client Groups. In year two the following modules are studied: Forensic Clinical Assessment and Case Formulation; Professional Practice in Forensic Mental Health; The Legal Process; and Dissertation Module.

How online learning works

As an innovative and enterprising institution, the university may seek to utilise emerging technologies within the student experience. For all courses (whether on-campus, blended, or distance learning), the university may deliver certain contact hours and assessments via online technologies and methods.

Since COVID-19, we have delivered our courses in a variety of forms, in line with public authority guidance, decisions, or orders and we will continue to adapt our delivery as appropriate. Whether on campus or online, our key priority is staff and student safety.

Assessment

During the course you will study a range of mandatory modules that carry between 10 and 40 credits each, and then complete a 40-credit dissertation. You will be assessed using approaches such as case studies, risk assessment report, video log, reflective practice, literature review and empirical reports. Some of the assessments have elements linked to real world tasks. We aim to provide guidance on how to tackle each assessment during the course.

For an MSc award, you are required to complete 180 credits, including the 40-credit dissertation. i.e. you must pass all modules on the Forensic Psychology and Mental Health MSc to achieve this qualification. As the course is accredited (subject to approval – see Accreditation section for further information) graduates must achieve the necessary 50% pass mark for all modules contributing to achieve a BPS-accredited MSc degree (BPS Standards for the Accreditation of the Masters’ Programme in Forensic Psychology and Crime MSc, October 2017). Any subsequent attempts are capped at 40%. Graduates who do not meet this requirement will exit with a non-accredited award Forensic Psychology and Mental Health Studies MSc. To achieve the necessary number of credits for all non-accredited awards, graduates must achieve the necessary Coventry University 40% pass mark for all modules contributing to the award.

The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards achieving the intended learning outcomes.

Facilities

As part of the School of Psychological, Social and Behavioural Sciences, the on-campus course will take place at our Coventry University main campus⁴.