BA in Forensic Psychology

What is a Forensic Psychology Degree?

The Forensic Psychology BA program at Florida Tech is designed for students who want to learn how psychological theory and research are used in the criminal justice system and related fields. Students gain a comprehensive understanding of human behavior, including criminality, as well as important skills in data analysis, writing, and research.

Whether you want to become a law enforcement officer, a leader in the field of criminal justice, or a crime scene analyst, a forensic psychology degree from Florida Tech develops a strong background in psychology with experience in criminology and statistics.

Why Pursue a Forensic Psychology Degree at Florida Tech?

Florida Tech is one of the only forensic psychology schools in the nation. In fact, its forensic psychology degree program is the only undergraduate program of its kind in the state of Florida.

At the intersection of psychology and the legal system, the program provides students with a strong forensic emphasis in a private school atmosphere of small classes and close interaction with faculty. Students benefit from a robust array of internship options, faculty-led research programs, and applied research projects through partnerships with the FBI and other agencies, reviewing and coding case files.

Specialize in Child Advocacy

Unlike other forensic psychology schools, Florida Tech offers a specialization in child advocacy. Focusing on ethical, realistic, and culturally sensitive content, this program is of interest to forensic, applied behavior analysis, and clinical psychology students who plan to work with children. Students learn about the various disciplinary responses to child maltreatment and will develop a multidisciplinary understanding of the most efficient responses.

Experts in Clinical, Social, and Criminological Psychology

Professors in this program represent various psychology disciplines and legal systems, providing students with broad exposure to the field. We have academics and practitioner experts in areas such as clinical, experimental, social, criminological, industrial-organizational, and multicultural areas, all with a wide variety of research and practitioner areas of expertise—something not usually found at other forensic psychology schools.

Small Classes — Personalized Attention

Students are matched with a faculty advisor who not only assists with selecting courses during their time at Florida Tech but also offers guidance for career and/or graduates school opportunities. In addition, after students complete their research methodology coursework, professors invite them to participate in faculty research teams, which is of particular value to students intending to apply to graduate school.

Located in the Heart of Florida’s High-Tech Corridor

Florida Tech is the perfect place for a BA in Forensic Psychology. The 130-acre campus is located on the Space Coast (so named because of the presence of NASA and the Kennedy Space Center on Cape Canaveral just north of us), minutes away from the Indian River Lagoon, the most diverse estuary in North America.

The area has the fifth-largest high-tech workforce in the country, with more than 5,000 high-tech corporations and government and military organizations located nearby. This workforce also provides an abundance of internship and employment opportunities.

Florida Tech is just over the causeway from the Atlantic Ocean with its 72 miles of beautiful beaches, and a short trip to the Florida Keys or the Orlando theme parks. We also have a rich campus life that includes a wide range of intramural and collegiate sports, clubs, and social activities.

Build Lasting Professional Relationships through Campus Organizations

Beyond the classroom, forensic psychology degree majors build leadership experience through internships and participation in academic organizations like the Forensic Psychology Association, student government, and over 100 other campus-wide student organizations.

Florida Tech students can join our chapter of the Psi Chi International Honor Society in Psychology. Psi Chi is an active honor society that participates in community service and other campus-wide events.

Active Minds also offers students the chance to join a student organization that focuses on psychology and mental health. As members of Active Minds, students work together to bring about awareness and change perceptions of mental health on college campuses through seminars and lectures.

It All Started With 37 Cents

Florida Tech was founded in 1958 as "Brevard Engineering College." It all started as an idea in the mind of Jerome P. Keuper, a visionary physicist working at Cape Canaveral.

As university lore would have it, Keuper expressed his desire to create a scientific and technological university to a friend over drinks at a local pub. Overhearing the conversation, a fellow patron pushed 37 cents in change across the bar and said, “There’s your first donation, Jerry. Now, go and build that college.”

So, Keuper did. And what started with 37 cents as a night school for the early “missilemen” of the U.S. space program is now a comprehensive national research university recognized worldwide for excellence in preparing students for careers of the future.

Core Values

• Research for the Benefit of All Humankind
• Education for a Lifetime of Success
• Global Citizenship for a Better World

Mission Statement

Florida Institute of Technology’s mission is to provide high-quality education to a culturally diverse student body in order to prepare students for entering the global workforce, seeking higher-education opportunities, and serving within their communities. The university also seeks to expand knowledge through basic and applied research and to serve the diverse economic, cultural, and societal needs of our local, state, national and international constituencies.

In support of this mission, we are committed to:

• Promoting student development by fostering and sustaining a productive institutional culture of assessment that leads to the continuous improvement of academic and administrative programs
• Developing an organizational culture that values and encourages intellectual curiosity, a sense of belonging and shared purpose among faculty, students, and staff, and the pursuit of excellence in all endeavors
• Recruiting and developing excellent faculty to become leaders in their respective fields and internationally recognized scholars
• Achieving recognition as an effective, innovative, technology-focused educational and research institution
• Recruiting and retaining an excellent, highly select, and culturally diverse student body
• Continually improving the quality of campus life for all members of the university community
• Providing personal and career growth opportunities for both traditional and nontraditional students and members of the faculty and staff
• Securing and maintaining professional accreditation for all appropriate programs

We Are Florida Tech

What we are is a private, coeducational, residential, research-intensive, doctoral-granting university located in Melbourne on Florida’s sunny “Space Coast.” But who we are is so much more. We are a community of researchers, scholars, and learners hailing from all around the world. We are engineers, aviators, innovators, leaders, educators, athletes, and astronauts. We have the brains of rocket scientists and the hearts of Panthers. We are Florida Tech.

We Are Relentless

Florida Tech is a university of leaders and learners—a diverse community of students, staff, faculty, and alumni who are united in the relentless pursuit of greatness.

We Are International

Students from more than 90 countries worldwide choose to live and learn at Florida Tech, making us a truly global university. When we say #YouAreWelcomeHere, we mean it.

We Create The Future

One of the primary tenets of Florida Tech’s mission is advancing science and technology for the benefit of Earth and all of its inhabitants. So, that’s what we do.

We Have Panther Pride

You may feel it the first time you visit the campus, the day you graduate, or at some point in between. But when you do, you’ll see that Panther Pride is more than school spirit. It’s a family.

We Make Connections

Florida Tech is proud to be part of the Brevard County community and welcomes its neighbors to explore the many personal, professional, corporate, and cultural opportunities we have to offer.

We Are STEM

There's a reason Florida Tech is known as Florida's STEM University™. To put it simply: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math are in our DNA. This makes STEM a driving force behind who we are, what we do, and why we exist.