Forensic Psychology - your questions answered! video transcript

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My name is Dr Dean Fido I'm a lecturer in Forensic Psychology. So we offer a three-year programme where students learn about the underpinnings of how individuals might be predisposed to become criminals in the future and also the experiences of the victims of those crimes. So there are two main reasons that students should study on this course the first is our excellent and diverse research team with international applied knowledge and the second is that we frame our assessments in a way where students are getting real-life expertise and experience which can be beneficial for when they leave university.

So this course is for people with an interest in the human mind in terms of how people learn and behave specifically applying that knowledge to a forensic and criminal setting and going further to see how that can bring about positive change potentially through interventions. After you've successfully completed your degree in forensic psychology your opportunities are vast and range from both academic and applied settings. Typically our students would go into work in the prison and probation services however we would always encourage our students to go on to do a masters in forensic and criminal psychology where with that qualification you can then go on to be a practising forensic psychologist within those settings.

We have a diverse teaching team all of whom have their own individual expertise ranging from those with field experience in psychopathy to those with interest in sexual offending. Within our programme, we put a great importance on students access to one-to-one support as such each student on our programme will get their own personal tutor.

On our course, the students will be learning about the four core areas of psychology, cognitive, biological, social and developmental explanations and they'll be applying that information into a criminal realm how individuals experience crime and what might predispose individuals to becoming criminals in the future.

We encourage our students to take up volunteering opportunities throughout their degree because it gives them the chance to apply that taught knowledge to a real-world setting. This has even led some of our students to gaining employment after their degree. In addition to their theoretical knowledge, students will develop interpersonal skills, knowledge of research methods and other transferable skills which will benefit them in both academic and applied settings.

We have a variety of facilities here at the University of Derby these include a custody suite, eye tracking and facial recognition software and also observational interview rooms. These benefit our students by giving them applied practical knowledge which they can take into the real world regardless of what career path they ultimately go down.

What makes Derby great is that our course is accredited by the British Psychological Society we have a whole wealth of support by stage 2 forensic psychologist and also we have a suite of key facilities to help encourage our students' research.

Forensic Psychology - your questions answered! video

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