Minor in Forensic Psychology
If you're interested in how psychology intersects with the criminal justice and court systems, consider a minor in forensic psychology.
The forensic psychology minor is a collaboration between the Department of Psychology and the School of Criminal Justice. Students learn about the legal system and the workings of the court from both the legal and psychological perspectives. Issues covered include:
- What theories are used to explain crime?
- Will an eyewitness's testimony be believed?
- How do juries function as a group?
- How does the court evaluate competency to stand trial?
- What is the legal definition of competency and why is it important?
Other subjects students will explore include:
- evidence
- insanity defense
- criminal profiling
- personality theory
- mental health and the law
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Requirements
The minor requires 21 credit hours: three psychology course, three criminal justice courses, and one elective.
Psychology Courses
Take both of these courses:
- PSY 3331 Social Psychology
- PSY 3335 Forensic Psychology
Take one of these courses:
- PSY 3315 Abnormal Psychology
- PSY 3316 Personality Psychology
Criminal Justice Courses
Take all of these courses:
- CJ 1310 Introduction to Criminal Justice
- CJ 2360 Fundamentals of Criminal Law
- CJ 3329 Forensic Evidence
Elective Courses
Take one of these courses:
- ANTH 3380 Forensic Anthropology
- CJ 4340 Crime Theory & Victimization
- SOCI 3343 Criminology
Prerequisites
PSY 1300 or its equivalent is a prerequisite for all of the psychology courses in this minor. For non-psychology majors, 1300 will satisfy the social science requirement of the General Education Core Curriculum at Texas State.
The prerequisites for CJ 3329 and CJ 4340 will be waived for students pursuing this minor because students will be exploring many of the issues covered in those requisite courses in the psychology course work portion of the minor.