2023-2024 Graduate Bulletin

Forensic Psychology and Law, MA/JD (CUNY)

Program Coordinator: Professor Kendra Doychak

(kdoychak@jjay.cuny.edu)

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 700Mental Health Professionals, Social Science and the Law

3

PSY 715Research Design and Methods

3

PSY 745Psychopathology

3

PSY 769Intermediate Statistics in the Social Sciences

3

Select Two Psychological Testing Courses:

PSY 734Criminal Psychological Assessment

3

PSY 751Intellectual and Cognitive Assessment

3

PSY 752Projective Personality Assessment

3

PSY 753Objective Personality Assessment

3

PSY 779Brain and Behavior

3

*PSY 745 is a prerequisite for all testing courses.

Select one course:

PSY 760Counseling and Psychotherapy Methods

3

PSY 761Clinical Interviewing and Assessment

3

Select one course:

PSY 731Human Growth and Development

3

PSY 741Theories of Personality and Counseling

3

Total Credit Hours:24

Supervised Externship or Thesis Prospectus

Select one option:

PSY 780Fieldwork in Counseling I

3

or

PSY 791Prospectus Seminar

3

Total Credit Hours:3

Forensic Elective

Select one course:
PSY 746Empirical Profiling Methods

3

PSY 727Eyewitness Identification

3

PSY 726Mental Health Issues in Policing

3

PSY 752Projective Personality Assessment

3

PSY 718Social Science Evidence in Court

3

PSY 720Social Psychology and the Legal System

3

or

Any additional course offered by the Forensic Psychology MA program.

Total Credit Hours:3
 TOTAL CREDIT HOURS: 30

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
 Contracts I
 Contracts II
 Criminal Law
 Law and Family Relations
 Lawyering Seminar I
 Lawyering Seminar II
 Legal Research
 Liberty, Equality, and Due Process
 Torts

Total Credit Hours:30

Second and Third Year Courses

 Public Institutions (Administrative Law)
 Constitutional Structures
 Evidence
 Property
 Lawyering Seminar III
 Professional Responsibility
 Core Doctrine/Applied Legal Analysis (ALA)
Total Credit Hours:25

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
Total Credit Hours:12-16

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.

    Credit hours vary based on electives chosen

TOTAL CREDIT HOURS: 76+