Program name

Legal Psychology

Program authors    

Associate Professor Vakhtang Nadareishvili

Qualification awarded

Master of Psychology

Language of instruction

Georgian

• To unite theoretical, methodological and practical-applied potential of psychological and legal sciences based on studying the disciplines envisaged by the curriculum, and to train specialists of interdisciplinary profile for various spheres of scientific-research, state and public practice;
• To help MA students develop the skills of describing, explaining, predicting an individual’s normative or deviant behaviors and carrying out resocialization and rehabilitation process;
• To help students acquire specialized knowledge and skills necessary for developing original approach and conducting relevant research when solving psychological and legal multidisciplinary problems; modern scientific and practical achievements will be used for this purpose;
• To train specialists who will have necessary qualification to participate in human rights, legal, investigative, advocacy, rehabilitation and expert activities;
• To train the staff equipped with necessary knowledge and skills for carrying out the activities aimed at increasing law making and legal effectiveness;
• To train specialists for the penitentiary system to carry out various activities related to crime prevention, resocialization and re-adaptation of convicts;
• To train the staff for participation in the measures aimed at improvement of socialization process in education system.
• The program goals also involve: training of students for the next stage of education; identification of current problems and perspectives in the sphere of psychology and law and involving students in the work over finding particular ways and methods of their solution; integration of learning and scientific-research components.

Master’s exam

• Exam in psychology
• 1. a) Interview in psychology and
• b) interview in English language (based on the English-language text (psychology) translated during the interview. An applicant can use a print dictionary, or     
• 2) a) Interview in psychology and
• b) English, German or French B2 level certificate (will be submitted to the faculty administration).
• The program is designed for persons having at least bachelor’s qualification in a) psychology; b) law; c) sociology-social work. 

The aim of the program is to prepare competitive specialists equipped with systemic and fundamental theoretical knowledge in the field of psycho-legal studies as well as research, independent thinking, creative and practical working skills in the sub-disciplines and specific areas of legal psychology: psychology of law, forensic, criminological and penitential psychology. The program also aims to integrate the potential of psychological and legal sciences to ensure stability, security and progress of the social system by preparing specialists with interdisciplinary knowledge and the relevant skills.  

The graduate of Master’s Program in Legal Psychology has deep knowledge and skills in the following areas of generic and subject-specific competencies:

Knowledge and understanding: deep knowledge of the modern theories and concepts relating to  psycho-legal aspects of normative and deviant behaviour; theoretical knowledge of psychological grounds of legal culture, rule of law and law effectiveness; deep theoretical knowledge of attitude and expectation formation and change in adaptive social behavior;   understanding the motivational determinants of criminal conduct as well as the key points of crime prevention and reduction; theoretical knowledge and practical skills of field-specific  aspects of synergy of conscious and unconscious regulation.

Applying knowledge: considering the specificity of certain fields’ concrete challenges and problems; planning and implementing practical work in social control, socialization and re-socialization issues based on the appropriate procedures and principles.

Employment fields: The knowledge gained during the studies allows Masters of Legal Psychology to work successfully as consultants, experts and analysts in the institutions of justice, courts, prosecutor's offices, ministry of education, ministry of internal affairs and other security, defense and law enforcement agencies and their educational and on-the-job training institutions.

Departments and centers of the Interior and Justice Ministries, National Probation Agency, State Security Service, Special Penitentiary Service, Prosecutor’s Office, judiciary, Public Defender’s Office;

Private law offices;

NGOs working on human rights, rehabilitation, law enforcement  issues;

Academic and educational institutions