ObjectivesProvide students with a strong theoretical basis in the professional and academic understandings of criminality and mental disorder Enable students to meet and learn from the experience of practitioners within other agencies concerned with mentally disordered offenders Enhance existing practice-based skills of participants through specialist teaching related to mentally disordered offenders Provide students with an understanding of the social policy issues underpinning current service delivery to mentally disordered offenders Promote effective interagency work with mentally disordered offenders Help students to develop familiarity with a wide range of quantitative research techniques Equip students with the skills to design and implement research projects in their own fields
Entry requirementsEntry Requirements The MSc degree programme is intended for professionals with work experience (three years post-qualification) in Mental Health agencies and/or a degree in criminal justice and/or degree standard education. Non-graduates are encouraged to apply. They will be asked to submit a short piece of original work and to undergo an interview prior to acceptance on the course.
Academic titleMSc in Forensic Mental Health
Course descriptionCourse Structure
Students registering for the MSc will follow the same course in the first year as the Diploma course. On achieving a satisfactory grade, they will progress to the second MSc research year.
In the first year students will take five modules: Violence and Dangerousness; Ethics and Forensic Mental Health; Forensic Psychotherapy; Law and the Mentally Disordered Offender; and Social Policy and the Mentally Disordered Offender.
Within the modules students will be encouraged to take a rigorous academic approach to the theoretical issues related to mentally disordered offenders. In the second year, students will take two modules; Research Methods and Project Design & Implementation. During the second year you will be encouraged to develop areas of interest through critical appraisal of existing literature relating to mentally disordered offenders and to complete a substantial piece of related original work.
Methods of Teaching
During both years, teaching will be part lecture based and part student-led seminars. Through out the course you will have a Course Tutor (Year One), and a named Supervisor (Year Two). Regular meetings will be encouraged to discuss progress and for your written work to be appraised.
Assessment of the Course
Course assessment for the MSc will de drawn from Year One and Year Two. Students will not be allowed to progress to Year Two unless they have obtained at least a good pass in Year One.
The Year One assessment will be based on course assessment, case studies, essays and a written examination. Marks for which will be carried forward as 50% of the marks towards the final MSc degree. During the second year, marks will be based on course assessment, the literature review and the completed project. These will in total constitute the second 50% of the possible MSc marks.