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Policing and Criminal Justice [with Placement year] at Anglia Ruskin University - UCAS

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Course summary

Prepare for an exciting and rewarding career in the police, or wider criminal justice sector, by studying for our hands-on Policing and Criminal Justice degree in Chelmsford. Whether you want to work for the police, prison service, security industry, local government or elsewhere in the criminal justice sector, our course will give you a deep understanding of the issues and policies involved in modern policing and rehabilitation. You’ll have the opportunity to gain first-hand experience of the police or another service of interest on our work-based learning module. It gives you an insight into working cultures and practices as well as a head start in your chosen career. Study in Chelmsford – the home of our Policing Institute for the Eastern Region (PIER) – and take your first step to a rewarding career in the criminal justice sector. As a BSc (Hons) Policing and Criminal Justice student at ARU, you’ll develop your knowledge and skills by studying real-life cases and academic research, and taking part in interactive learning. You’ll debate the most pressing issues facing police forces today, including sexual offences, fraud investigation, counter-terrorism initiatives and cultural diversity. You can also examine the trial process, and practice presenting evidence in front of a judge and jury, in our own on-campus mock courtroom. We’ll help you work towards your career goals from day one. Our modules, trips, simulations, guest lectures, and work experience opportunities with local police forces and criminal justice practitioners will help you discover where your interests lie and build valuable skills and connections. You’ll also boost your CV as you develop your leadership, interpersonal communication and presentation skills. Once you’ve graduated, you can continue to develop your skills on one of our Masters degrees, such as MA Criminology or MA Contemporary Policing. Hands-on learning All our BSc (Hons) Policing and Criminal Justice students have the opportunity to:

  • go on field trips in the UK and overseas
  • practise your skills in our mock courtrooms
  • take part in workshops, research projects and other events with regional police forces and other professionals
  • choose from a range of optional modules and pursue their own areas of interest.
Careers 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. If you’re already working in the criminal justice sector, you could follow in the footsteps of former students who have progressed their careers to graduate level. 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. Or you could choose to continue your studies on one of our Master’s degrees, such as MA Contemporary Policing or MA Criminology. Take advantage of our Alumni Scholarship and get 20% off your fees. Whichever path you choose, you can be sure you’re graduating with the knowledge, skills and abilities that employers need. They help us review what we teach and how we teach it – and they offer hands-on, practical opportunities to learn through work-based projects, internships or placements.

Modules

Year 1 core modules: Introduction to Policing; Introduction to Contemporary Issues in Criminology; Criminal Justice in England and Wales; Policing Practice. Year 2 core modules: Making A Difference; Ruskin Module; Evidence-Based Policing. Year 2 optional modules: Working in Criminal Justice; Policing Vulnerability; Cybercrime and Policing; Violence and Confrontation; Anglia Language Programme; Policing Ethics; Violence, Gender and Victimisation; Dark Web Policing and Control. Year 3: Placement. Year 4 core modules: Youth, Crime and Aggression; Criminology and Policing in Policy and Practice. Year 4 optional modules: Undergraduate Major Project - Criminology or Undergraduate Major Project - Policing; Exploitation, Trafficking and Sexual Violence; Investigative Psychology; Neighbourhood Policing and Community Safety; Anglia Language Programme; Police and Counter-terrorism; Organised Crime. Modules are subject to change and availability.

Assessment method

You’ll show your progress through a range of methods, including essays, presentations, case study reports, group work, research, and a major research project.


How to apply

Application codes

Course code:
L439
Institution code:
A60
Campus name:
Chelmsford Campus
Campus code:
A

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

2025 entry requirements have been published using the current cycle information however, due to a current review these are subject to change. Please check back here for updates.

Please click the following link to find out more about qualification requirements for this course

https://aru.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/policing-and-criminal-justice


Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students
74%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
87%
Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

England £9535 Year 1
Northern Ireland £9535 Year 1
Scotland £9535 Year 1
Wales £9535 Year 1
Channel Islands £9535 Year 1
Republic of Ireland £9535 Year 1

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

In the 2025/26 academic year, the placement year fee will be £1,500. https://www.aru.ac.uk/student-life/support-and-facilities/careers-and-employability/placements https://www.aru.ac.uk/study/tuition-fees https://www.aru.ac.uk/student-life/preparing-for-study/help-with-finances
Policing and Criminal Justice [with Placement year] at Anglia Ruskin University - UCAS