If you are not majoring in Psychology, consider earning a minor in Psychology or Criminal Justice.

In order to sign up for the General and Psychology GRE tests, you’ll need to set up an account with ETS (the company that provides the tests). You can make an account and register for the exams here: https://www. ets. org/gre/subject/register/.

If you know which schools you’ll apply to before you take the GRE(s), you can have your scores sent to Ph. D. program admissions departments immediately after you finish the tests.

U. S. universities that offer a Ph. D. or Psy. D. in Criminal or Forensic Psychology include Harvard, Stanford, Notre Dame, and the University of Pennsylvania. The Ph. D. (doctor of philosophy) focuses on theory and research. The Psy. D. (doctor of psychology) focuses on practice and experience. [5] X Research source

Your internship may be with a practicing clinical psychologist, with a police department, or in a prison or juvenile detention facility. [7] X Research source

You may also be able to find a post-doc in forensic psychology. While the fields are not the same, they substantially overlap.

If your internship supervisor appreciated your work as an intern, they may hire you back for your licensing hours. Otherwise, speak with your academic advisors and professors, and ask for their help finding a position in which to complete your licensure hours. The number of hours required for licensure vary from state to state in the U. S. It’s not uncommon for a state to require 3,000 supervised hours for licensure. [10] X Research source

Certification requirements can vary by state. To determine the requirements for the state in which you plan to practice criminal psychology, consult the state’s Board of Psychology. For example, if you’re trying to contact the Minnesota Board of Psychology, visit: https://mn. gov/boards/psychology/.

To learn more about the certification process, and to apply for the certification, visit: https://www. abpp. org/i4a/pages/index. cfm?pageid=3349. While not every state requires the ABPP certification prior to practicing criminal psychology, it will make you a more competitive job applicant in the field.

If you’d like to work as a criminal psychologist in law enforcement—e. g. with the FBI—you’ll need to join a law enforcement organization, such as the local police department. As you gain ranks, you can transition into a criminal psychology role.