Forensic Psychology Practice Doctorate ForenPsyD

You'll acquire the essential knowledge and skills needed to expertly analyse offending behaviour and its impact on victims. Learn how to manage, assess, and create effective treatment strategies for both victims and offenders. You'll be on your way to work as an expert providing consultancy, crafting professional reports and delivering impactful training. By the end of the course, you'll be equipped with cutting-edge skills in practice, research, and evaluation that will set you apart in the field!

Course structure

The course is structured in a way that it integrates formal academic teaching with supervised forensic practice across three years (full-time) or four years (part-time). You will undertake a total of three 120-day forensic practice placements across the course. For full-time trainees, these are sourced and arranged by the course’s placement team. For part-time trainees, this will be your place of work (subject to confirmation by course staff that the placement setting will meet the requirements stipulated by the BPS for Stage 2 supervised practice). A typical week during Year 1 and 2 will be 3 days in placement, 1 day of formal teaching, and 1 study day.

*Please note that the course structure may be subject to minor changes from September 2026

The course was successfully re-accredited by the British Psychological Society in May 2024 and was particularly commended for its service user involvement. The visiting team noted that “[the] programme displays levels of co-production and deep integration that are exceptional” The course is unique in that it integrates both practice and academic teaching throughout the duration. Applying theory to practice is a key focus on the course. We emphasise an evidence-based approach to forensic practice, fully integrating issues of diversity, equality, and inclusion. A number of placement providers offer bursaries or funding in some form. Please do feel free to get in touch with the Placement Coordinators at application stage to discuss.

• A long and distinguished history – our course was the first doctorate in forensic psychology to be established in the UK
• HCPC registered practitioner psychologists - benefit from having a number of the staff team who continue to practice and from the input of many visiting lecturers who are experts in their field
• Long-Standing Relationships - Trainees on our course are held in high regard and over the years the course has developed many long-standing relationships with practitioners in the field, and we have a range of different placements on offer across the country
• Success Post Graduation - Almost all of our trainees are offered paid positions by placement providers within their final year
• High level of Trainee Support - which is consistently evidenced by trainee feedback and external stakeholders. The course has a dedicated placement team, consisting of HCPC practitioner forensic psychologists who broker appropriate placements and provide a high level of monitoring and support throughout the duration of each trainee placement

Our Forensic Psychology Doctorate has a long and distinguished history and was the first doctorate in forensic psychology to be established in the UK. The course benefits from having a number of HCPC registered practitioner psychologists on the staff team (who continue to practice), and from the input of many visiting lecturers who are experts in their field.

• A Range of Delivery Methods – used in line with the particular topic (e.g. didactic style, workshop-style exercises, discussion/debate exercises, practical tasks etc.) The course supports the continued pedagogical development of your knowledge, understanding, and skills and places an emphasis on theory-practice links.
• Extra Curricular Workshops – there is an extra-curricular day’s workshop each year, run in collaboration with the Law School, where a Barrister from local chambers comes in to teach about cross-examination and trainees and law students together get to witness cross-examination of an expert psychologist in action, as well as try their hand at cross-examining if they wish.
• University-Based Teaching – this takes place via formal lectures, seminars and small-group discussions. The course benefits from the fact that the majority of weekly teaching is delivered by visiting lecturers, many of whom are world-leading experts in their field, and the majority of whom bring a practice-based focus to the teaching, strengthening theory-practice links.
• Support from Academic Supervisor – you will be assigned an academic supervisor on the course, who will support and guide you through the process of undertaking a doctoral-level research project that has real-world relevance.
• Practice-Based Learning – you’ll engage in this whilst on placements, under the supervision of qualified psychologists.

Current and recent research spans areas such as rehabilitation and desistance, victimisation and safeguarding, policing and investigation, and workforce wellbeing. Example topics include eye-witness testimony and applied memory research, child sexual abuse and non-offending guardians, adverse childhood experiences, prison officer wellbeing, gang-related desistance, undercover policing, prison hostage negotiation, the use of AI in relation to child abuse, and support for both women and transgender individuals in the criminal justice system.

Many trainee projects and literature reviews go on to be published in peer-reviewed journals, contributing directly to the forensic evidence base.

You can explore our current and former trainee publications here: Student Publications

The course is open only to psychology graduates who are registered with the BPS and who have the Graduate Basis for Chartership (GBC status). Candidates will also need to have some prior experience of working in a forensic setting.

Equal opportunities

We are very conscious of being situated in an area of rich ethnic and cultural diversity, and the course particularly welcomes applications from people from ethnic minority groups. We take measures to ensure that no applicant is discriminated against on the grounds of age, social class, disability, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or religion.

We are actively addressing issues of race and diversity in the curriculum and in all aspects of the course. We do not currently use equal opportunities data during the selection process, however, we are actively considering how best to include contextual admissions values in our selection procedures, and although we don’t yet have a formal position on this, we will update this webpage with any developments.

Please note that if you have given your consent, we may use equal opportunities data collected by the University during selection to inform future selection strategies.

For all applicants full and part-time:

• A good Honours degree (2:1 or above) in Psychology that confers the GBC (Graduate Basis for Chartership) with the BPS (British Psychological Society).
• You must have relevant forensic experience, ideally as an assistant psychologist. Although we do not stipulate the type or amount of relevant experience, ideally, applicants need to demonstrate that they have been applying psychological principles in a forensic setting, preferably under the supervision of a psychologist.
• You must complete an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check (previously the Criminal Records Bureau check) before attending any placement. This course is exempt from the ‘Rehabilitation of Offenders Act’ and no convictions are considered ‘spent’, which means they must be declared.NB: Qualifications must be completed and the required experience gained at the point of application.

Part-time only:

You must be working in a relevant forensic setting and be given the title ‘Trainee Forensic Psychologist’ in your place of work. You must also have access to weekly supervision by a qualified forensic psychologist in your workplace. Your employer must be willing to: allow you to attend University for teaching (every Thursday during term time + periods of block teach); to have time to work on your thesis elements (typically one day a week): as well as opportunities to rotate within the service and work with different client groups, in order to fulfil the requisite breadth of experience.

English language requirements

If you are an international student, you will need to demonstrate you have a suitable level of English proficiency, usually through the form of an IELTS or equivalent qualification or a Presessional English course.

For this course we require IELTS 7.0 with no less than 6.5 in any band, which is equivalent to:

• TOEFL: 95 overall with no less than 22 in any component
• Pearson Test of English (PTE): Academic 76 with no less than 67 in all four skills
• Cambridge English: C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency - minimum overall score of 185, with no less than 176 in any component
• LanguageCert ESOL SELT (UKVI): C1 'Expert' with no less than 25 in each skill

English presessional programmes

If you have a conditional offer for Birmingham where English is a requirement, you can take a Presessional English course as an alternative to retaking IELTS or a similar qualification. We offer on-campus courses all year round starting from September including additional online courses in the summer term.  Teaching takes place in small classes with no more than 18 students to maximise class participation.

We charge an annual tuition fee. Fees for 2026 entry are above.

The fees quoted are for one year only. For those studying courses that are longer than one year, tuition fees will also be payable in subsequent years of your programme.

Paying your tuition fees

Tuition fees can either be paid in full or by instalments. You can check whether you are eligible for UK or international fees with our admissions team.

Learn more about postgraduate tuition fees and funding.

A limited number of scholarships and studentships may be available to outstanding applicants. For further information, please explore our scholarships and funding database.

Approximately 30 short-listed candidates are invited to interview. Home applicants will attend the University of Birmingham for half a day (morning or afternoon) and overseas applicants will be interviewed virtually. This includes a half-hour interview, and written exercises designed to assess competence in research and writing. Experts by experience and course staff are involved in the interview process. After the final interview date, offers are made to the most suitable candidates subject to satisfactory DBS disclosure and Health and Immunisation checks. Please note: the offer process at the University of Birmingham has several steps, and the final formal offer will be made by the University of Birmingham Admissions Team. Approximately 10 candidates are ultimately accepted on to the course. 

The course continues to hold a high reputation and Birmingham is regarded as one of the leading Universities in the UK. At the end of the course you will be eligible to apply for chartered status with the BPS and to register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a Forensic Psychologist. You will also hold the title of ‘Doctor’. The course will equip you to work for employers such as the NHS, HMPPS, third sector, and private organisations, as a Registered Forensic Psychologist.

Careers Network

At Birmingham, we prepare our researchers to make an impact across every sector of society. Our PhD graduates are global change-makers: advancing knowledge, shaping policy, leading industries, and educating future generations.

You'll benefit from dedicated careers support tailored to your unique paths. Our expert team of Careers Advisers, including a dedicated postgraduate research adviser, offer one-to-one guidance to help researchers navigate career decisions both within and beyond academia.

Whatever you plan to do after your degree, the Careers Network offers a range of events and support services including networking opportunities, career coaching, one to one guidance, careers fairs and links with leading graduate recruiters.

We also offer subject specific careers consultants and a dedicated careers website for international students.

Our bustling campus with its beautiful grounds, friendly community and excellent facilities will quickly make you feel at home. We offer you a huge variety of accommodation options in the UK’s second city, exciting activities to get involved in outside your studies, as well as all the support and advice you need.