Criminology and Policing with Foundation Year

The course is a 4 year BA in Criminology and Policing including a Foundation Year. The course is aimed at students who may be critical of current criminal justice policies and who are seeking employment in either the criminal justice sector, the police service, or assocciated fields. This course benefits from both a theoretical basis as well as a vocational and applied nature. There is a high level of face-to-face tuition delivered by practicing criminologists and former members of police forces who are currently active in this field of study. Students will develop a comprehensive understanding of criminological theorising and will be able to apply this to current socio-economic policies and conditions. In order to achieve this, students will develop a critical understanding of the law in relation to current issues such as terrorism, trafficking and drugs from a variety of different perspectives including feminist, critical, cultural, and race. Students will also develop an understanding of the foundations of legal, psycho-social and criminological knowledge with regard to areas encountered in policing and investigative practice.

The degree programme is designed so that the Foundation Year provides an underpinning year, incorporating both academic and professional related learning. For applicants needing to improve their knowledge and understanding of the social sciences along with the necessary skills needed to participate in the undergraduate programmes at levels 4, 5 and 6. Students will develop the critical study skills required to progress onto the next stage of the degree and ultimately that will equip them for further study or employment.

The Foundation Year will involve the study of 6 modules which will develop the necessary skills and introduce students to key concepts so as to enable progression onto the University's 3 year BA in Ciminology and Policing or any of the undergraduate degrees in law or social sciences. Students will be taught using a variety of digital media and resources. The final year will include a dissertation or research project and a research methods module. Students will have practical issues raised and develop relevant skills of analysis, research, problem-solving, and decision-making so as to resolve those issues but also the relevant skills to be able to communicate them.

Please note that this programme does NOT qualify as a pre-join degree to enable direct entry into a Police Force. Students wishing to pursue a career as a police officer after studying this degree would need to enter a force via the degree holder entry route.