MA/JD in Forensic Psychology and Law (CUNY)

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 MA/JD Dual Degree Program capitalizes on CUNY School of Law’s nationally renowned focus on public interest law with John Jay College’s highly regarded specialization in Forensic Psychology, to develop lawyers who will be uniquely trained to advocate for the underserved, especially in areas such as family law, criminal law, international human rights, health law, poverty law and civil rights working as practitioners, in public policy, and as legal scholars.

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.

What are Possible Post-Graduate Careers?

Attorneys with a specialization in Forensic Psychology and Law may consider work with nonprofit organizations, public interest law firms, or the private sector, representing individual clients denied services or rights, or advocating for systematic change, in areas such as criminal law, health law, family law, international human rights, civil rights and poverty law.  They may also work for nonprofit corporations such as hospitals, or government agencies at the state or federal level. 

Degree Requirements

The curriculum is composed of a combined total of 130 credits, including 42 credits for the MA program in Forensic Psychology and 86 credits for the JD program at CUNY School of Law. However, 12 CUNY School of Law credits focusing will be credited towards both the MA and JD programs. Likewise, 12 credits from the John Jay College MA in Forensic Psychology program, involving forensic and legal issues, will also be credited to the CUNY School of Law JD program. Consequently, due to the 24 credits applied in the dual-degree program, the actual number of credits taken will be 104, resulting in graduation for full-time students in four years instead of five.

The 42-credit MA program in Forensic Psychology consists of 24 required credits; 15 elective credits, including 12 credits from CUNY School of Law and 3 credits of externship or thesis. The 86-credit JD from CUNY School of Law consists of 55 required credits, 12-16 credits from a legal clinic, and 12 transfer credits from the John Jay MA Forensic Psychology program, and ~9 additional law school elective credits.

Students are required to complete their first full year of law school without John Jay MA courses during that regimen; Forensic Psychology MA courses cannot be transferred and counted towards the JD unless they are begun after the student has completed the first year at CUNY Law.