Policing Studies (Top-Up) BSc (Hons)

Examine the most important issues facing modern policing. Gain an undergraduate degree in one year of study. Strengthen your professional practice.

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Course overview

Our BSc (Hons) Policing Studies (Top-Up) course has been developed in conjunction with feedback from regional police units and colleges. Our curriculum complements the national agenda for professionalising the police force and allows students to gain a BSc qualification in one year of study. This police course will examine the most important issues facing modern policing and will provide a professional and academic basis for policing practice.

Why us?

This course draws on diverse experience from across the University to ensure that you are provided with the most up-to-date knowledge from expert academics in their fields
The Policing Studies course is a real game changer in enabling serving and recently retired police officers to gain accreditation for their skills and experience which have been gained over a number of years
This course enables you to study for a BSc degree following a modular accreditation process that will acknowledge your policing experience to a maximum of 240 credits of a traditional 360 credit degree course, and allows you to complete the course in one year (or two years part-time)
The University is the only institution in the North East that provides its students with volunteering opportunities under the Local Appropriate Adult Scheme

The course has been designed by former police officers now working as academics, who have sought the views of key stakeholders within policing, and it is intended that the course modules will provide officers with important professional development in contemporary areas of policing
By recognising prior professional learning and offering flexibility to officers, this course is appealing to many of the existing workforce who are seeking professional development opportunities
Areas of study have been mapped to the College of Policing curriculum and will include modules based on evidence based policing, contemporary issues within policing, reflective practice and decision making, and legitimacy and policing by consent

Course structure

Throughout the BSc (Hons) Policing Studies (Top-Up) course, you'll learn directly from a teaching team who are active researchers with direct links to policing practice.

The learning environment supports academic and practitioner skills and will develop creativity and critical thinking, and will therefore produce skilled practitioners who will be enabled to have a positive impact upon local and national policing practice in their careers.

This police course will be delivered in teaching blocks in order to accommodate students who are in-service. You will also benefit from support through your own personal tutor – an academic who provides advice and mentoring throughout the course.

Your assessments will be a mixture of a presentation, portfolio and written assignment.

Course modules

Final year (national level 6):

Evidence-Based Policing (30 credits)

Critically examine evidence-based policing and its application across the UK. Examine the professional concept, definition, and rationale for evidence-based policing. Consider the importance of identifying and differentiating between types of evidence for best practice.

Contemporary Issues in Policing (30 credits)

Critically analyse a range of contemporary issues in policing. Gain an understanding of the historical, political, and social events that lead to critical policing issues. Evaluate the impacts and implications for society, for policing, and social and criminal justice.

Reflective Practice and Decision-Making (30 credits)

Police officers are frequently required to make critical decisions in often challenging circumstances. Learn about the importance of defensible decision-making and how reflexivity can drive improvement in the quality of professional practice. Gain an understanding of the National Decision Model and using case studies, demonstrate how it can serve to professionalise police decision-making.

Legitimacy and Policing by Consent (30 credits)

Learn about the concept of Policing by Consent and why it has allowed the British model of policing to gain a worldwide reputation for fairness and legitimacy. Explore this theory and seek to determine whether it remains relevant in the modern world.

Some modules have prerequisites. Read more about what this means in our Help and Advice article.

More about BSc (Hons) Policing Studies (Top-Up) at Sunderland

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You can access free Wi-Fi throughout the University campus, so you can work from anywhere. If you don't want to carry a laptop around, just use one of the University’s PCs or Macs. We have hundreds of computers for you to use in the Murray Library, St Peter's Library, and the David Goldman Informatics Centre. If you ever have any technical problems, just ask the friendly helpdesk team.
IT provision
University library services will be central to your study experience and are delivered at our two libraries on campus, as well as online. Our libraries offer a variety of study environments to meet your needs, including areas for groupwork, individual and silent study. You’ll also have access to desktop PCs, space to use your own mobile technology and printing facilities.

The library works closely with academic staff within each faculty to offer specialist, industry standard resources in your subject discipline. The Faculty of Social Sciences provides thousands of relevant books and e-books, with many more titles available through the inter-library loan service. You’ll also have access to a comprehensive range of print and electronic journals which are always kept up to date, including Project Muse, Lexis, JSTOR and many more.

To find out more information, visit our University Library website.
Library Services - social sciences
Map and directions

Facilities

You'll be based at the recently refurbished Wearside View, situated on the award-winning Sir Tom Cowie Campus at St Peter's. This stunning riverside location benefits from dedicated library services and has superb transport links with the city centre and City Campus.

Entry requirements

We don’t currently display entry requirements for United States. Please contact the Student Admin team on studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk or 0191 515 3154.

This course is for serving or previous police officers with a minimum of two years of service and successful completion of their probationary period. Applicants who hold an HE Diploma/FdA or equivalent in a relevant subject will also be considered.

Is your qualification not displaying here? For international qualifications, search our full list of international entry requirements for this course.

Fees and finance

The annual, full-time fee for this course is:

£9,535 if you are from the UK*/Europe
£17,500 if you are an international student

*Undergraduate fees are set according to rules from Government in line with forecast inflation. The fee for your first year of study for 2026/27 will be £9,535. You will pay tuition fees for every year of study. Fees may increase every year based on the Retail Price Index.

Tuition fees for part-time students are £7,145 per 90 credits. Please note that part-time courses are not available to international students who require a Student visa to study in the UK.

Read more about EU fees and funding in our Help and Advice article.

Take a look at the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.

This information was correct at the time of publication.

Career ready

The BSc (Hons) Policing Studies (Top-Up) degree has been designed and will be taught by our staff with significant experience in the police force. Your tutors will be able to provide you with academic advice and career mentoring to help you have a positive impact on your chosen career in the police.

Explore more career options with one of our Crime, Policing, and Investigation degrees.

Related courses

Contact

Contact the Student Helpline for further information about studying at the University of Sunderland:

0191 515 3000

student.helpline@sunderland.ac.uk

View Programme Specifications for the Faculty of Education and Society.

Page last updated: 10 November 2025

We aim to provide clear, accurate and timely information to prospective and current students. We continuously review and enhance course content in consultation with our students and the information provided on our website is the latest available. If you have received an offer from us to start a course, we will communicate any important changes to you in writing. We will always seek to ensure that our prospective students are fully aware of the basis on which they are accepting an offer.