The dual-degree program collaboration between John Jay College and the CUNY School of Law supports a combined mission of "Law in the service of human and psychological needs, fiercely advocating for justice," which encapsulates the theme of the joint-degree program. The two programs are each international leaders in their field, and the synergy is expected to result in graduation of highly trained and specialized attorneys/psychologists who can make significant contributions to the fields of law, forensic psychology, and public policy.
The program design facilitates graduation with both degrees in four years instead of the five years it would typically take if the programs were pursued independently.
Degree Requirements
The dual degree will require a combined total of 130 credits, including 42 credits for the completion of the Forensic Psychology M.A. program at John Jay College, and 88 credits for the completion of the J.D. program at CUNY Law School. However, 12 CUNY Law School credits related to Forensic Psychology and Law will be credited towards both the J.D. and the M.A. programs. Likewise, 12 credits from the M.A. program in Forensic Psychology, involving forensic and legal issues, will also be credited to the CUNY Law School J.D. program. Consequently, due to the 24 transfer credits applied in the dual-degree program, the actual number of credits taken will be 106, resulting in graduation for full-time students in four years instead of five.
Forensic Psychology M.A. Requirements (30 credits)
Required Courses
| PSY 700 | Mental Health Professionals, Social Science and the Law | 3 |
| PSY 715 | Research Design and Methods | 3 |
| PSY 745 | Psychopathology | 3 |
| PSY 769 | Intermediate Statistics in the Social Sciences | 3 |
Select Two Psychological Testing Courses:
| PSY 734 | Criminal Psychological Assessment | 3 |
| PSY 751 | Intellectual and Cognitive Assessment | 3 |
| PSY 752 | Projective Personality Assessment | 3 |
| PSY 753 | Objective Personality Assessment | 3 |
| PSY 779 | Brain and Behavior | 3 |
*
PSY 745 is a prerequisite for all testing courses.
Select one course:
| PSY 760 | Counseling and Psychotherapy Methods | 3 |
| PSY 761 | Clinical Interviewing and Assessment | 3 |
Select one course:
| PSY 731 | Human Growth and Development | 3 |
| PSY 741 | Theories of Personality and Counseling | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 24 |
Supervised Externship or Thesis Prospectus
Select one option:
| PSY 780 | Fieldwork in Counseling I | 3 |
| or | |
| PSY 791 | Prospectus Seminar | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 3 |
Forensic Elective
Select one course:
| PSY 746 | Empirical Profiling Methods | 3 |
| PSY 727 | Eyewitness Identification | 3 |
| PSY 726 | Mental Health Issues in Policing | 3 |
| PSY 752 | Projective Personality Assessment | 3 |
| PSY 718 | Social Science Evidence in Court | 3 |
| PSY 720 | Social Psychology and the Legal System | 3 |
| or | |
| Any additional course offered by the Forensic Psychology MA program. | |
| Total Credit Hours: | 3 |
CUNY Law School J.D. Requirements
The following program requirements are based on the current requirements of the CUNY Law School J.D. program, which are subject to change. In the event that CUNY Law School changes its J.D. program requirements, the requirements of the dual-degree degree program would be modified accordingly.
Please visit http://www.law.cuny.edu for more information about the CUNY Law School curriculum.
First Year Courses
| Civil Procedure |
3 |
| Contracts I |
3 |
| Contracts II |
3 |
| Criminal Law |
3 |
| Law and Family Relations |
2 |
| Lawyering Seminar I |
4 |
| Lawyering Seminar II |
4 |
| Legal Research |
2 |
| Liberty, Equality, and Due Process |
3 |
| Torts |
3 |
Second and Third Year Courses
| Public Institutions (Administrative Law) |
3 |
| Constitutional Structures |
3 |
| Evidence |
4 |
| Property |
4 |
| Lawyering Seminar III |
4 |
| Professional Responsibility |
2 |
| Core Doctrine/Applied Legal Analysis (ALA) |
5 |
Clinic or Practicum
| Equality and Justice |
12 |
| Health Law |
12 |
| Family Law |
12 |
| Community Economic Development |
12 |
| Criminal Defenders |
12 |
| Mediation |
12 |
| Human Rights and Gender Justice I and II |
16 |
| Immigration and Non-Citizens’ Rights I and II |
16 |
Bar Elective J.D. Courses
Students must choose additional elective law school courses in administrative law, externship and clinic settings, constitutional law, criminal law, history, philosophy, sociology and theory of law, international law, professional skills, public interest law, and tort law.
Course offerings vary somewhat from semester to semester. The full list of course offerings is available online through the CUNYfirst course registration system.
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Credit hours vary based on electives chosen |