The aim of the Master is to provide participants with comprehensive training across the main domains of forensic psychology and criminology. In particular, the program covers the following areas:
- fundamentals of criminal and civil law and procedure;
- juvenile and family law;
- psychology of judicial reasoning and decision-making processes;
- legal epistemology;
- forensic psychopathology;
- forensic neuropsychology and psychophysiology;
- legal psychosexology;
- assessment tools and their application within the legal context;
- criminology, forensic medicine, and penitentiary psychology.
Through the program, participants will develop specialized knowledge and practical skills, including:
a) the ability to integrate multidisciplinary knowledge and apply it to forensic and criminological contexts;
b) the preparation of technical reports and expert witness evaluations;
c) the provision of consultancy and support to legal professionals involved in judicial proceedings.
The program includes face-to-face lectures, primarily held on Saturdays, along with three intensive weeks scheduled throughout the year (with classes running from Monday to Saturday).
In addition, participants will attend observational sessions focused on expert witness activities and forensic methodologies, led by faculty members.
The Master also includes 200 hours of internship, to be carried out in professional settings such as psychology practices, forensic medicine offices, psychiatric services, and law firms.
The Master in Forensic Neuropsychology and Clinical Criminology prepares professionals to take on roles as Expert Witnesses and Technical Consultants, both for the defense and for the court, in civil and criminal proceedings. Graduates are trained to apply rigorous scientific methodologies across all contexts in which they are involved.
The program aims to develop competencies in managing the different stages of legal proceedings, enabling participants to effectively collaborate with legal professionals and support lawyers in the preparation and conduct of cases.
Through the Master, psychologists enhance their foundational training by acquiring specialized skills applicable to a field that extends beyond their traditional scope of practice.
For graduates in Law, the program provides the tools to effectively work with expert witnesses and to integrate forensic psychological knowledge into legal practice. It therefore contributes to the development of legal professionals and lawyers specialized in forensic psychology.
Module 1 – SUBSTANTIVE AND PROCEDURAL LAW
Fundamentals of civil and criminal procedure. Legal definitions of key concepts such as criminal responsibility, social dangerousness, and fitness to stand trial. In the civil domain: natural incapacity, testamentary capacity, guardianship and legal incapacity, psychological biological damage, mobbing, moral and existential damage, as well as child custody in separation and divorce proceedings and parental fitness.
Module 2 – FORENSIC MEDICINE, FORENSIC PSYCHIATRY AND CRIMINOLOGY
Evaluation of the individual in forensic medicine, with a focus on forensic psychiatric domains. Mental illness, the meaning of mental disorder and insanity, clinical psychopathology, and the diagnostic process. Severe personality disorders, the concept of mental incapacity at the time of the act, and clinical pathways. Assessment and prediction of social dangerousness and fitness to stand trial.
Module 3 – CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY (MOD A)
Personality assessment and tools for evaluating defendants in the context of precautionary measures. Overview of major psychopathological disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder, impulsive crimes, acute confusional and delusional syndromes, deviant and criminal sexual behaviors, substance intoxication, schizophrenia and criminality, paranoid disorders, and affective psychoses.
Module 4 – PSYCHIATRY
Fundamentals of psychiatry and neuropsychology of major psychiatric syndromes, with particular focus on schizophrenia.
Module 5 – CLINICAL NEUROPSYCHOLOGY
Neuropsychological assessment in both adults and children. Traumatic brain injuries, cognitive impairments, and personality changes resulting from organic damage. Methods, protocols, and assessment tools for evaluating cognitive functions.
Module 6 – FORENSIC NEUROPSYCHOLOGY
Application of neuropsychological assessment in the forensic context. Tools for cognitive evaluation, with specific focus on: traumatic brain injuries in forensic psychiatry, neurological clinical aspects, post-concussive syndromes, frontal lobe dysfunction and prefrontal syndromes, traumatic amnesia, epilepsy and criminal behavior, as well as aging-related pathologies and dementia.
Module 7 – CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY (MOD B)
Theoretical models and paradigms in clinical psychology, integrated diagnostic assessment, and research methods. Psychodiagnostic methodologies and overview of the main psychopathological disorders.
Module 8 – LEGAL PSYCHOLOGY
Neuroscience of social cognition, counterfactual reasoning, and the assessment of social dangerousness.
Module 9 – FORENSIC PSYCHODIAGNOSTICS
Clinical assessment applied to the forensic field. Application of psychometric tools, analysis of results, and evaluation of test validity. Methods for detecting malingering and identifying dissimulation.
The general ranking of merit for the academic year 2026/27 will be published on the Italian page of this Master according to the timing provided in the Call.
Information
FAQ
Yes, at least 80% attendance is required.
Yes, the final exam consists of writing and presenting a thesis.
Yes, the internship is required in order to gain practical experience in the topics covered in class.
Yes, the Master allows participants to acquire the specialized training necessary to document eligibility for registration as a Court Expert/CTU.
To pre-enroll, a degree is not required, but must be obtained before the program starts. Professional registration is not required to attend the Master, but it is required to work later as a consultant.