Policing and Applied Criminal Investigations

Many roles now require the technical skills and legal knowledge that students will gain from this degree. Whether working in the private sector as an investigator, part of a legal team defending or prosecuting, working within policing or other security organisations, or even working within research roles the fundamental skill set is often very similar. This employment focussed degree will give students strong underpinning knowledge of investigations, working within an ethical professional framework and the opportunity to have a work placement year or virtual placement. By the end of the course students will have a solid grasp of the investigation process and, vitally, you will learn in a structured and safe environment before going in to fast paced work environments. The course uses QAA Benchmark Statements for Policing and Law and aligns to the curriculum of the National Investigators Exam (NIE).

This course has been developed and will be taught by retired police officers who have an extensive professional background in policing and investigations. Existing students have helped shape the course, as have local Industry partners, which will have both theoretical and practical learning activities and assessments utilising our custody suite, interview room and crime scene labs. The course will also embed new digital simulated learning to give students an authentic learning experience. Course content has been carefully designed so that students will build on their knowledge incrementally with Year 1 providing a thorough knowledge of Criminal Law and limitations and regulations of an investigation including managing evidence. Year 2 builds on previous knowledge and applies it to investigations of crime and then on to a unit where students will learn how to interview people and use our interview room. Criminal offences can often be a complex set of interactions and events, so students will develop an awareness of that complexity including conflict resolution, supporting mental health and substance misuse. By year 3 students move on to designing crime prevention activity using the best data available, and complex investigations including murder, terror and cyber related offending, and a unit aimed at developing aspiring leaders and managers.

This course includes a number of units explicitly focused on supporting students with their journey to a graduate career destination. These units complement the rest of the curriculum where theoretical content is linked to practical application in real-life settings in the criminal justice system to ensure that ‘career powered education’ is at the heart of the course. At level 4, a 15 credit unit entitled ‘Career Planning for Social Scientists’ will support students’ career development journey by allowing them to identify their transferrable skills and articulate them in a confident, meaningful and positive manner. At level 5, a 30 credit unit ‘work-related learning in criminal justice’ will support students to further develop their graduate career competencies that they have been developing through their course by undertaking a project, volunteering or undertaking paid employment within local communities and industry. Finally, at level 6, students are able to consolidate their career development by undertaking a ‘SASS Change Maker’ project within the workplace, or align their research to their chosen employment sector in criminal justice.