Saint Mary’s College of California offers three graduate options through its Forensic Psychology Department: a standalone Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology, a Double MA in Counseling and Forensic Psychology, and an online Trauma-Informed Treatment and Intervention Certificate. Although these programs share coursework related to trauma, behavioral health, and justice systems, they lead toward different professional goals.
The 35-unit forensic psychology MA is the shorter route for work involving corrections, victim services, restorative justice, community programs, and other intersections of psychology and law. The 82-unit Double MA adds clinical counseling preparation, supervised psychotherapy experience, and a pathway toward pursuing California LMFT or LPCC licensure. The 15-unit trauma certificate provides narrower graduate-level training for professionals who want to incorporate trauma-informed practice into their existing work.
None of these is a crime-scene investigation or laboratory forensic science program. Saint Mary’s does not currently list a dedicated credential in criminalistics, DNA analysis, toxicology, fingerprint examination, digital forensics, or crime-scene processing.
Saint Mary’s forensic psychology programs compared
| Program | Units and typical length | Format | Practical component | Licensure orientation | Approximate base tuition at 2026-2027 rates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MA in Forensic Psychology | 35 units; about 1.5 to 2 years | In person in Moraga; late-afternoon and evening classes, with some Saturdays | Supervised field placement and integrating seminar | Does not lead to psychologist licensure; not presented as an LMFT or LPCC licensure program | About $41,300 |
| Double MA in Counseling and Forensic Psychology | 82 units; about 3 years | In person in Moraga; primarily afternoon and evening classes, plus some Saturdays and intensive terms | Two supervised practicum and case-seminar enrollments with 600 psychotherapy hours | Designed to prepare graduates to pursue LMFT or LPCC licensure | About $96,760 |
| Trauma-Informed Treatment and Intervention Certificate | 15 units; 5 courses | Fully online; synchronous late-afternoon or evening classes | No practicum, residency, laboratory, or crime-scene component listed | Academic certificate, not a clinical license or professional certification | About $12,960 |
These figures are tuition calculations, not total cost-of-attendance estimates. They exclude books, fees, transportation, housing, and other living expenses. Saint Mary’s lists an average book estimate of $100 per course for the graduate counseling and forensic programs.
College and department overview
Saint Mary’s is a private, nonprofit Lasallian Catholic college in Moraga, California. Its current institutional facts report an enrollment of 2,765 and a 10-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio.
The college began offering its three forensic psychology programs in 2023 after Holy Names University closed. Saint Mary’s established a dedicated Forensic Psychology Department in 2024. These are now active Saint Mary’s programs rather than separate Holy Names credentials.
The department emphasizes restorative justice, trauma-informed care, co-occurring mental health and substance-use concerns, and the effects of justice systems on diverse populations. Its practical training is therefore behavioral, counseling, and community oriented. Readers seeking chemistry, biology, forensic instrumentation, evidence collection, or crime-scene photography will need a different type of forensic program.
Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology
The standalone MA is currently advertised as a 35-unit degree completed in approximately 1.5 to two years. Classes are held on the Moraga campus, generally in late-afternoon or evening blocks Monday through Thursday. Some Saturday attendance is part of the schedule. Saint Mary’s does not advertise an online or satellite version of this degree.
The curriculum examines how psychological knowledge is used in legal, correctional, community, and behavioral-health settings. Published coursework includes:
- Foundations of forensic psychology
- Psychology and law
- Psychology of criminal behavior
- Correctional and community counseling
- Intervention and treatment
- Substance abuse
- Forensic psychometrics and assessment
- Professional practice
- Intercultural counseling and social justice
- Trauma-related study
- Supervised field placement
- An integrating seminar
Course descriptions cover criminal and civil law, correctional psychology, treatment of victims and offenders, forensic assessment, and professional responsibilities. This is a broad psychology-and-justice curriculum rather than a laboratory program.
Field experience and culminating work
The current program-of-study page lists a three-unit supervised field placement. The integrating seminar draws on that experience and includes a research paper, oral examination, and synthesis of the student’s fieldwork.
An older official plan effective in January 2025 listed a 39-unit curriculum and two field-placement enrollments. The current program page and current curriculum page both use 35 units and list one field placement, so 35 units is the appropriate figure for describing the present program. The older document indicates that degree plans and field-placement sequences have changed over time.
The field placement gives the MA an applied component, but its focus differs sharply from hands-on CSI education. It involves behavioral-health or justice-system experience, not processing scenes, recovering physical evidence, photographing evidence, comparing fingerprints, or conducting chemical and biological analyses.
Admissions
Applicants need a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution. Saint Mary’s ordinarily lists a minimum 2.8 GPA, although an applicant below that threshold can submit an explanation and may be invited to a second interview.
The GRE is not required, and the program does not list a particular undergraduate major or set of subject prerequisites. Application materials include a personal statement, resume, official transcripts, recommendations, proof of health insurance, and an admissions interview. Fall and spring entry are available. Current published deadlines are February 1 for fall admission and October 15 for spring admission.
The absence of a psychology prerequisite makes the program accessible to applicants coming from criminal justice, social services, sociology, public administration, or other backgrounds. The curriculum still contains graduate work in assessment, behavioral theory, treatment, and research, so prior coursework in psychology and statistics can provide useful academic preparation even though it is not listed as an admission condition.
Cost and career alignment
Saint Mary’s lists a 2026-2027 tuition rate of $1,180 per unit. Applied to the current 35-unit curriculum, base tuition is approximately $41,300. The college also requires a $250 nonrefundable tuition deposit, which is applied to first-semester tuition.
Saint Mary’s identifies potential outcomes in probation or parole work, victim advocacy, restorative justice advocacy, crime analysis, correctional counseling, jury consulting, and government employment. Those examples reflect the curriculum’s focus on behavior, legal systems, intervention, and community practice.
The degree does not qualify someone to work as a licensed psychologist in California. The California Board of Psychology requires a qualifying doctoral degree for psychologist licensure, along with 3,000 hours of supervised professional experience and required examinations. An MA graduate can pursue non-psychologist roles in justice, advocacy, corrections, research, and behavioral-health programs, but the degree alone is not a psychologist license.
Double MA in Counseling and Forensic Psychology
The Double MA awards two separate degrees: an MA in Counseling and an MA in Forensic Psychology. Its 82-unit, three-year curriculum is substantially longer than the standalone forensic psychology MA because it combines forensic study with clinical counseling education and supervised psychotherapy practice.
Classes are campus based in Moraga. They generally meet once per week in afternoon or evening blocks, with some required Saturdays and more concentrated January-term or summer schedules. There is no advertised online or satellite option. Saint Mary’s advises that combining full-time enrollment with full-time employment is difficult and provides a longer plan for people who continue to work full time.
Counseling and forensic curriculum
The counseling side of the program covers areas such as:
- Counseling skills and theories
- Law and professional ethics
- Human development
- Human sexuality
- Group counseling practice
- Psychopathology
- Psychopharmacology
- Substance abuse
- Testing and assessment
- Supervised practicum
The forensic side adds foundations of forensic psychology, criminal behavior, psychology and law, forensic psychometrics, treatment of victims and offenders, correctional and community counseling, trauma, and professional practice. Students also complete an integrating seminar.
The combined curriculum is designed for mental-health work in environments affected by courts, corrections, reentry, trauma, and community supervision. Compared with the standalone MA, it devotes much more time to clinical assessment, counseling methods, ethics, diagnosis, human development, and direct client care.
Practicum and licensure preparation
The current program of study lists two supervised practicum and case-seminar enrollments and specifies 600 psychotherapy hours. Students also complete preparation for the Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination. The curriculum describes a project or thesis alternative after three unsuccessful CPCE attempts.
Saint Mary’s states that the Double MA prepares graduates to pursue Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist or Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor licensure. Graduation is not the final step in either process. California licensure also involves Board review, required post-degree experience where applicable, examinations, and other state requirements.
This degree is the relevant Saint Mary’s route for a person whose intended work involves providing counseling or psychotherapy in correctional programs, behavioral-health courts, juvenile justice settings, reentry services, outpatient mental-health programs, or private practice after licensure. The standalone forensic psychology MA is shorter, but it does not contain the same clinical sequence or 600-hour psychotherapy practicum.
Admissions, schedule, and cost
The Double MA uses the shared counseling and forensic admissions process. Applicants need a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college and ordinarily a minimum 2.8 GPA. Required materials include a personal statement, resume, transcripts, recommendations, health-insurance documentation, and a group interview. Fall and spring admission are available.
At $1,180 per unit for 2026-2027, the published 82-unit curriculum produces an estimated base tuition of $96,760. Books, fees, living costs, and practicum-related expenses are additional. Its higher price and longer schedule reflect the inclusion of a second degree, counseling curriculum, and supervised psychotherapy experience.
The practical comparison is direct. Choose the standalone MA for shorter graduate study focused on psychology within justice and community systems. Choose the Double MA when counseling licensure preparation and direct clinical practice are central to the career plan.
Trauma-Informed Treatment and Intervention Certificate
The Trauma-Informed Treatment and Intervention Certificate is a 15-unit graduate academic certificate. It is related to forensic psychology because trauma is common in victim services, corrections, reentry, community mental health, and other justice-connected settings. Its scope is broader than forensic practice, however, and the certificate is not equivalent to either master’s degree.
The five-course curriculum contains 12 core units and one three-unit graduate elective. Core subjects are:
- Trauma, loss, and grief
- Foundations of trauma treatment
- Neurobiology of trauma, risk, resilience, and positive psychology
- Spirituality, community, and trauma
Elective options include developmental trauma and complex PTSD, motivational interviewing and trauma-informed care, and healing the healers. An approved alternative may also fill the elective requirement.
Online format and admission requirements
Unlike the two master’s degrees, the certificate is fully online. Classes are synchronous and scheduled in late-afternoon or evening sessions during spring, summer, and fall. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, with enrollment beginning in the term after acceptance.
Standalone applicants need a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution and at least one college-level psychology course. The application requires official transcripts and a $50 fee. The standalone certificate is not open to international students, and state authorization rules affect distance enrollment outside California.
Current Saint Mary’s undergraduates can take up to nine units of specified 500-level coursework, then apply to complete the certificate after earning the bachelor’s degree. Three certificate units can also be applied toward the MA in Forensic Psychology or Double MA.
No practicum, laboratory, residency, or crime-scene component is listed. The certificate is course based and does not confer a clinical license or independent professional certification. It is most applicable to counselors, case managers, probation and parole personnel, educators, community-health workers, pastoral counselors, and others who already work with trauma-affected populations.
Certificate tuition
The current tuition page lists a rate of $785 per unit for certificate courses. The program FAQ explains that four courses use the certificate rate while one course uses the $1,180 master’s rate. Using those 2026-2027 rates produces estimated tuition of $12,960.
A separate FAQ total of $12,480 is based on an older $745 certificate rate and is inconsistent with the current tuition schedule. The approximately $12,960 calculation reflects the newer published rates and the stated split between certificate-priced and master’s-priced coursework.
Undergraduate psychology options
Saint Mary’s does not list an undergraduate forensic psychology major, concentration, certificate, or minor. Its undergraduate offerings include General Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience, Child/Adolescent Development, Clinical/Counseling, and Social Psychology BS pathways, along with a Psychology minor.
PSYCH 381 Forensic Psychology appears among the available psychology electives. Taking one forensic course can help an undergraduate explore the field, but it does not turn the general psychology BS or minor into a forensic psychology credential.
An undergraduate planning for later forensic psychology graduate study would benefit most from building a broader foundation through research methods, statistics, psychopathology, assessment, neuropsychology, and relevant field experience. That preparation is more valuable than relying on one specialized elective alone.
Accreditation status
Saint Mary’s remains institutionally accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission. In June 2026, WSCUC placed the college on Warning over institutional compliance with Standard 3. The college’s status is currently listed as Accredited on Warning, which means institutional accreditation continues while the college addresses the Commission’s concerns.
The published action is institutional and is not identified as a finding specific to the forensic psychology programs. No specialized forensic psychology accreditation was identified for these degrees or the certificate. Institutional WSCUC accreditation should not be interpreted as APA, CACREP, FEPAC, or another form of programmatic accreditation.
FEPAC accreditation, which is often discussed in connection with forensic science education, is not the relevant framework here. FEPAC focuses on forensic science programs associated with laboratory disciplines such as criminalistics, biology, and chemistry. Saint Mary’s offerings focus on psychology, counseling, trauma, law, and justice systems.
Choosing among the Saint Mary’s options
The intended professional role provides the clearest way to choose:
- Justice-system, advocacy, corrections, or community-program work: The 35-unit MA in Forensic Psychology provides focused study of criminal behavior, law, assessment, treatment, corrections, trauma, and restorative justice, with a supervised field placement.
- Licensed counseling practice in justice-connected settings: The 82-unit Double MA adds clinical counseling education and 600 psychotherapy hours. It is the department’s licensure-oriented option for pursuing LMFT or LPCC practice.
- Supplemental trauma training: The online certificate is appropriate for professionals who already have a degree or career foundation and want concentrated coursework in trauma-informed care without completing another master’s degree.
- Crime-scene or forensic laboratory work: None of the three programs is designed for evidence collection, criminalistics, toxicology, DNA analysis, fingerprint examination, or forensic chemistry.
The campus schedule also separates the options. Both master’s programs require regular travel to Moraga for afternoon, evening, and occasional Saturday classes. The trauma certificate is the only verified fully online choice.
Readers comparing Saint Mary’s with other institutions can review additional California school profiles, but the central decision here is straightforward: the standalone MA emphasizes behavioral applications within justice systems, the Double MA adds a clinical counseling and licensure pathway, and the certificate supplies narrower online training in trauma-informed practice.