Info for Students
Note for 2025-2026
Professor Salfati will be on research sabbatical during the 2025-2026 academic year, and will not be teaching in any of the degree programs during this year. Should you be a student interested in degree classes or research opportunities, please check the John Jay schedule for Summer and Fall 2026 or The Online Certificate in Investigative Psychology (CIP) and students at John Jay and outside John Jay are eligible to apply (see below).
PhD Students
Research Fields: Professor Salfati is a faculty member in the CUNY Graduate Center PhD programs in Psychology & Law, and Criminal Justice, both of which are housed at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. For more information on our PhD programs please see HERE
PhD Mentoring: Professor Salfati is on research sabbatical during the 2025-2026 academic year, and is currently not taking new students in either program for 2025-2026 or 2026-2027. [updated March 2026]
Courses: Students in the PhD program are eligible to take all Masters-level courses below as electives.
MA Students
PSY746 Empirical Profiling Methods: This course deals with advanced issues relating to the empirical and scientific study, development and evaluation of offender profiling as an applied method for use in police investigations, as it is studied in the field of Investigative Psychology. The main psychological principles upon which offender profiling is based are outlined, including classification of criminal behavior, and behavioral change and consistency. The course will further build on this by focusing on methodological questions relating to classifying crime scene behaviors, linking behavioral types to offender characteristics, and linking serial offenses, and looking at profiling in the practical context of the investigative and legal system.
CIP Certificate in Investigative Psychology: This is a non-credit version of PSY746. As it is non-credit course it does not count towards your GPA, or your degree course requirements.
PSY748 Empirical Crime Scene Analysis: This class aims to introduce students to crime scene analysis and profiling research, using actual police crime files that are part of a collaborative research project between John Jay and the FBI, and will take them through the process of completing a research project from start to finish. This class provides an excellent basis for students interested in research, or a crime analysis or law enforcement career.
PSY770 Positive Psychology: The Science of Well-Being & Flourishing: Professionals in forensic psychology often work within challenging and high stress situations such as prisons, hospitals, law enforcement and the courts. It is well documented that professionals within these fields often suffer high levels of stress, exhaustion and burnout due to the emotional nature of their jobs. Practitioners in these fields therefore need high levels of resilience skills and resources in order to withstand the demands of these types of careers, protect their own well-being. Positive Psychology provides an additional piece to psychology by focusing not on the treatment of dysfunction, but rather on the enhancement and strengthening of human functioning. The course will go through the latest in the empirical evidence of the field, and will evaluate this in relation to theory and issues related to the field of practice, especially as it applies to law enforcement and other first responder occupations. The course also introduces some of the assessments and tools used in the field and will provide students with the opportunity to explore and experience some of the toolkits for themselves in relation to their own lives, and also aims to explore how positive psychology can impact individuals, clients, communities and organizations in a positive way.
PSY798 Faculty Mentored Research. IPRU Research Internships: Pre-requisite PSY746 or PSY770. By application only. Upcoming internship details will be shared in class.
PSY794 Independent Study: Pre-requisite PSY746 or PSY770. Professor Salfati is currently not taking new students. [updated May 2023]
PSY791 MA thesis: Pre-requisite PSY746 or PSY770. Professor Salfati is currently not taking new students. [updated May 2023]
Work Study: Positions in the IPRU are often available for students on the Work-Study scheme.
Research Assistant/Internship positions (for John Jay students): RA and Internship positions are only available as part of PSY798 in the area of Positive Psychology. Co/Pre-Req PSY770. Voluntary research positions are not available in the IPRU. Positions are only available for MA level students.
Research Assistant/Internship positions (for non-John Jay students): Unfortunately, there are no RA positions or internships available to students outside of John Jay.
For information on current opportunities to work in the IPRU as an MA research student or thesis student, please contact the Master's Student Research Group (MSRG).
Undergraduate Students
PSY476 Seminar in the Psychological Analysis of Criminal Behavior. This course will focus on the sub-area of forensic psychology called Investigative Psychology, and the key psychological and methodological concepts relevant to the analysis of criminal behavior. The focus will be both on analyzing the offender’s behaviors and identifying the type of offender responsible (offender profiling), as well as the factors that can influence the analysis of criminal behavior itself, such as how we retrieve information at the crime scene, and make decisions about it as part of the process of the analysis of criminal behavior.
PSY482 Senior Seminar: Psychology for the Public Good. Special Topic: Positive Psychology. This course will focus on positive psychology. Positive Psychology focusses not on the treatment of dysfunction, but rather on the enhancement and strengthening of human functioning, and takes it one step further by looking at how we may go beyond simply functioning, towards flourishing, and living a positive life full of meaning and purpose. It is well documented that professionals within the forensic fields often suffer high levels of stress, exhaustion and burnout due to the challenges and emotional nature of their jobs. Practitioners in these fields therefore need high levels of resilience skills and resources in order to withstand the demands of these types of careers, protect their own well-being. The course provides students with an overview of the psychological research that aims to strengthen practitioner wellbeing. This course will specifically focus on providing students with important practical career skills, such as resilience, and students will have the opportunity to explore and experience some of the toolkits for themselves in relation to their own lives, and prepare them for a healthy engaged career, and also aims to show how positive psychology can impact individuals, clients, communities and organizations in a positive way.
PSY430 Senior Seminar: Clinical Forensic Psychology. Special Topic: The Psychology of Resilience & Survival. This special topic in forensic psychology examines the psychological science of resilience and survival in contexts of extreme trauma, war, terrorism and natural disasters, with attention to both trauma survivors and the professionals who support them. We will explore how individuals, first responders, clinicians, and community systems adapt to chronic threat, mass violence, war-related trauma, and high-risk occupational environments such as trauma psychology, policing, the military, emergency response, and many other areas of practice. Particular emphasis is placed on the impact of trauma exposure on both survivors and service providers, including pathways to both psychological strain and post-traumatic growth. The course situates modern resilience science within a longer historical perspective on survival following collective trauma. Integrating these perspectives will help students trace resilience across generations, roles, and contexts. Throughout the semester, students will integrate empirical research, applied case studies, and reflective exercises to develop ethical, culturally competent, and bias-aware professional skills. By examining both the lived experiences of trauma survivors and the responsibilities of those who support them, students will be prepared for careers in psychology, criminal justice, and public service where they will commit to support diverse populations affected by trauma with empathy, fairness, ethics, and evidence-based practice.
Research/Thesis: Unfortunately, there are no RA positions, internships, or research/thesis available for undergraduates. If you are an undergraduate student at John Jay and want to get involved in research, your other options are to contact the Undergraduate Research Experience Program, speak to the Academic Advisor about doing research as part of your undergraduate Honors Program.
Work-Study: Positions in the IPRU are available for students on the Work-Study scheme.