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Program Overview

The Drexel University JD/PhD Program in Law and Clinical Psychology is a cross-disciplinary program that combines the juris doctorate (JD) degree offered by the Thomas R. Kline School of Law with the doctoral (PhD) degree offered by the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences. Drexel University —a proven leader in multidisciplinary education— melds two exceptional, nationally accredited degree programs to provide students with an efficient and distinctive plan of study. Although some academic institutions may offer joint law and psychology degrees, these are typically ad-hoc and non-integrated programs. The JD/PhD program in Law and Clinical Psychology at Drexel represents the only fully integrated merger of these two professional degrees offered by a single university in the U.S. The JD degree is fully accredited by the American Bar Association, and the PhD degree in Clinical Psychology is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association.

Students are simultaneously enrolled in each degree program and earn their professional degrees in law and psychology over a total of seven years. Scholars complete 85 semester credits required for the juris doctorate (JD) degree from the law school, and 90 quarter credits required for the doctoral (PhD) degree in Clinical Psychology. The first year of the JD/PhD program is completed at the law school, and students in years two through six take courses at the law school and in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. The first six years involve intensive coursework in law and psychology, research assistantships, teaching assistantships, a co-op placement in a legal setting and 50 hours of pro bono service in the law, practica and completion of an empirical master’s thesis. The final year of the program is dedicated to a full-time pre-doctoral clinical internship and completion of a doctoral dissertation.

Career Outcomes

The JD/PhD in Law and Clinical Psychology program bridges the gap between law, which relies on special rules concerning evidence, proof and precedent in order to settle conflicts that require immediate resolution, and psychology, which views problems through an empirical lens, evaluating questions but rarely ending in a final verdict. Students gain an appreciation and competency in both traditions, mastering the methods, languages and epistemologies of each. Graduates carry a deep and broad understanding of social issues, enabling them to analyze existing policy and potential changes from a psycho-legal perspective.

Our distinctive, fully integrated program develops, cultivates and educates:

• Scientist-practitioners who generate legally nuanced social science research to aid the legal system in making better empirically based decisions.
• Lawyer-psychologists who help to develop empirically and theoretically sophisticated mental health policy by legislatures, administrative tribunals and the courts.
• Highly skilled clinicians who promote the advancement of forensic psychology in criminal law, domestic relations, civil commitment and other areas.

Research Areas and Labs

Forensic psychology is an interdisciplinary field that merges psychology and law, and is often applied in other arenas such as public policy. From the principals of mental health assessment to legislative practices in juvenile justice, faculty in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences are experts on a broad range of forensic psychology research topics. The JD/PhD Program faculty conduct research and produce scholarship in a variety of psychology-law topic areas, including: mental health law, violence risk assessment, psychopathic personality, diversion and problem-solving courts, forensic mental health assessment, and juvenile justice reform. The department houses three faculty labs dedicated to clinical forensic psychology.

Dr. David DeMatteo’s Lab

Dr. Naomi Goldstein’s Juvenile Justice Research and Reform Lab

Dr. Kirk Heilbrun’s Lab

All Program Faculty

Click on each faculty member’s profile to learn more about their expertise, research interests and scholarship.

	Faculty Member	Expertise
	David DeMatteo, JD, PhD, ABPP (Forensic) Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences; Professor of Law; Director, JD/PhD Program in Law and Psychology Stratton 338 David.DeMatteo@drexel.edu	Psychopathy Forensic Psychology Forensic mental health assessment Testing in forensic assessment contexts Drug policy research
	Barry R. Furrow, JD, Harvard Law School AB, Harvard College Professor of Law School of Law, Room 262 Email: barry.r.furrow@drexel.edu	Health Law I Health Policy Colloquium Healthcare Reform Torts
	Naomi E. Goldstein, PhD Professor of Psychology; Co-director of the JD/PhD Program in Law and Psychology; Director of the Juvenile Justice Research and Reform Lab Stratton 328 neg23@drexel.edu	Juvenile justice System reform Policy and practice Adolescent development Social science research Psychology, criminal justice, and law Forensic psychology
	Kirk Heilbrun, PhD Professor; Director, Reentry Project 334 Stratton Hall kirk.heilbrun@drexel.edu	Forensic mental health assessment Violence risk assessment Risk-reducing interventions Accepting Students: Dr. Heilbrun will not be accepting a student in the MS program, but will be accepting a student in the PhD program –to be co-mentored with Dr. David DeMatteo– for AY 2025-26.
	Amanda NeMoyer, JD, PhD Assistant Research Professor of Psychology Stratton 332 amanda.n.nemoyer@drexel.edu	Juvenile justice Forensic psychology Program evaluation Policy and practice reform Dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline Diverting youth from justice system involvement

Doctoral Dissertation

Students in our program complete theses on a wide range of topics, including: mental health law, violence risk assessment, psychopathic personality, diversion and problem-solving courts, forensic mental health assessment, and juvenile justice reform. More details regarding the thesis submission and binding process can be found on the Drexel Library website.

Drexel Library: Theses, Dissertations and Projects

Recent Dissertations

We proudly invite prospective students to review recent theses authored by our JD in Law and PhD in Clinical Psychology degree recipients.