Psychiatry & Behavioral Science Associate Member Requirements

AAFS Requirements:

The entry level at which most applicants enter the AAFS (with the exception of Trainee Affiliate and Student Affiliate).  Advancement to Member and then to Fellow is accomplished by meeting additional criteria established by each section.  Associate Member status is granted to individuals:

  1. Who are actively engaged in the field of forensic sciences and who have made some significant contribution to the literature of forensic science, or
  2. Who have advanced the cause of the forensic science in some other significant manner, and
  3. Who satisfy the requirements for membership of the section applied to or recommended for, and
  4. Who have earned a baccalaureate or higher academic degree from a U.S. college or university accredited by one of the regional accrediting bodies recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation or the United States Department of Education, or from a non-U.S. college or university bearing equivalent accreditation.

Psychiatry & Behavioral Science Requirements:

NOTE: Please contact the AAFS Office for requirements for applicants outside the U.S. (membership@aafs.org)

  1. Psychiatrists must hold an MD or DO degree, and have completed an ACGME-approved residency in psychiatry, and must devote the majority of their medical practice in the specialty of psychiatry.
  2. Clinical Psychologists must meet the following requirements:
    1. PhD or PsyD degree in clinical, neuro-, forensic, counseling, or school psychology from a program approved by the American Psychological Association, and completion of an internship approved by the American Psychological Association; or
    2. PhD or PsyD degree in clinical, neuro-, forensic, counseling, or school psychology from a program approved by one (1) of the six (6) regional accrediting institutions of U.S. Department of Education, and licensure to practice psychology in one state, and successful passing of the Examination for the Professional Practice of Psychology (EPPP).
  3. Research Psychologists must have a PhD in any other area of psychology not covered above, approved by one (1) of the six (6) regional accrediting institutions of the U.S. Department of Education, and have substantial evidence of multiple publications in the peer-reviewed literature of direct relevance to forensic behavioral science.

To apply online for membership, click the button below

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or Download the Application Form and return to

American Academy of Forensic Sciences
410 N. 21st Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80904