BSc (Hons) Policing and Criminology

Course highlights

• Learn from staff with real-world experience: a significant part of your teaching will be delivered by active and former policing and criminal justice practitioners.
• Get hands-on with the latest case studies and research, interactive sessions, opportunities for field trips and a one-year work placement.
• Our links to local and national organisations, including police forces, will help you find work placements and engage with professionals.
• Attend events organised by our International Policing and Public Protection Research Institute.
• Our record £11million research grant from Research England puts us at the forefront of initiating cultural change in uniformed services.
• Prepare for your career: build a portfolio and CV, hear from key criminal justice professionals, and attend employment fairs.

Explore the English legal and criminal justice systems, including the police, courts, prisons, probation, and youth justice system.

You’ll discover the origins, ethos, and legal and ethical frameworks of the system, and complex issues such as media representation, public attitudes and the impact of crime on victims and offenders.

You’ll also pick up key skills like research methods and investigative psychology, and take an in-depth look at recruitment processes in the sector - ensuring you’re ready for professional life when you graduate.

We’ll help you work towards your career goals from day one. Through our relationship with regional police forces and practitioners, you’ll have opportunities to engage with professionals from the criminal justice sector through guest lectures (including those organised by our International Policing and Public Protection Research Institute), workshop events, study trips and research projects.

We’ll support you to get involved in justice causes and campaigns, charities and voluntary work that contributes to civic duty so you can gain relevant experience in the criminal justice system. You’ll also boost your CV as you become proficient in critical analysis, research and communication.

You could also develop a specialism or start a career in research by taking part in our academic shadowing scheme or Cambridgeshire County Council’s violence prevention analysis programmes.

What can you do with a Policing and Criminology degree?

You’ll be well-equipped for a career in a number of public services, such as the probation service, prison service, police, the Home Office, the Crown Prosecution Service, the Court Service, youth offending teams and crime reduction partnerships.

The multidisciplinary nature of this course, and its focus on employability and transferable skills, can also open doors for you elsewhere, for example in adult guidance work, charity work, counselling, local government, political analysis, and legal careers.

You might decide to stay at ARU to study for a Masters, such as our MA Contemporary Policing, MA Criminology or MA International Relations. Take advantage of our Alumni Scholarship and get 20% off your fees.

Where have other Policing and Criminology graduates worked?

Our graduates go on to work in the police force, probation, prisons and youth justice, as well as the Border Force, the military, security, charities and NGOs, local government, and the public sector more generally. Others are using their skills in areas such as policy, PR, communication and the media.

Emma Moldevanu found work as a Probation Officer after graduating from our BA (Hons) Criminology, while Dani Redgrave has taught A-Level Criminology at Secondary School level, and also works as an Associate Lecturer at ARU.

If you’re already working in the criminal justice sector, you could follow in the footsteps of former students who’ve been able to progress their careers to graduate level.

Employability and personal career development

Informed by employers, our courses support an integrated approach to employability. You’ll have opportunities to develop the skills and abilities they are looking for and gain a deeper understanding of how your academic learning relates to the world of work through Live Briefs and Ruskin Modules.

To amplify your career ambition, you will need to actively dedicate time outside of your studies, whether you choose to explore placements, internships or volunteering. Or you could make a social impact by collaborating with our partner organisations through our volunteer scheme Students at the Heart of Knowledge Exchange (SHoKE). These all give you an edge, providing you with experience that you will be able to evidence on your CV and talk about in interviews.

Our Employability and Careers Service offers a range of expert advice and support to build your unique professional profile, including tailored career appointments, advice on writing your CV, and help to complete job applications. You’ll have 24/7 access to the Careers Centre, our comprehensive online digital resource, which empowers you to start building a Personal Career Development Plan from the very start. Design your future at ARU.