Professional Policing with Integrated Foundation Year BSc (Hons)

This is a four-year version of our new BSc (Hons) Professional Policing course, with an integrated foundation year. Study current topics such as digital policing and organised crime and terrorism. Help tackle crime and anti-social behaviour. Graduate and go on to apply for a role as a Police Constable in England and Wales.

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Learning, teaching and assessment in 2021/22

Course overview

Our BSc (Hons) Professional Policing courses have been developed by staff with decades of experience in the Police service. Every aspect of the new training has been created by the College of Policing working with forces and serving police officers. The courses follow the National Policing Curriculum and provide you with the skills and knowledge to apply to become a police officer.

After your Foundation Year, you can progress on to our BSc (Hons) Professional Policing course and can choose to continue on either our traditional three-year or two-year accelerated route; a fast track option to your career in policing. In just two years, you will be equipped to meet all the responsibilities and challenges to apply for a rewarding career in policing.

Why us?

We are the first institution in the country to offer BSc (Hons) Professional Policing as an accelerated two-year degree
Courses are accredited by the College of Policing who commended the well thought out and complementary set of courses provided at the University of Sunderland
You'll spend time in off-the-job training on work-related projects, which could help tackle local crime or anti-social behaviour problems
The courses draw on diverse experience from across the University to ensure that students are provided with the most up-to-date knowledge from expert academics in their fields, including: Professional Practice, Police Investigations, Domestic Violence, Investigative Management, Law, Social Work and Youth Offending

Teaching staff are research-active in Digital Policing, Desistance from Crime, Police Powers, Organised Crime and Terrorism, Gender Based Violence and Disability and Vulnerability
The University is the only institution in the North East that provides its students with volunteering opportunities under the “Appropriate Adults Volunteer Programme”
The courses are designed to be taught over no more than three days a week so that you can study around work and family commitments
Watch our Professional Policing webcast

Course structure

Our courses cover the National Police Curriculum in a practical and relevant way. You will learn not just the underpinning theories in criminology and the processes of criminal justice, but you will also be given specialist tuition from former police officers in the core areas of conducting effective investigations, policing communities, policing the roads, information and intelligence, and response policing.

You will also benefit from support through your own personal tutor, who will be an academic with policing experience, and who will provide advice and mentoring throughout the course.

Your progress will be assessed through essays, reports, group work, seminar presentation and self-evaluation.

Our four-year route incorporates a special Foundation Year to help you gain the essential study skills and subject knowledge needed for an honours degree.

Foundation Year:

The Social Sciences and Law Integrated Foundation Year includes five modules:

Essential Study Skills (20 credits)
Maths (20 credits)
Foundation module (40 credits)
Project (20 credits)
Subject Specialism (20 credits)

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

Year 1 (national level 4):

Introduction to Criminology and Policing (30 credits)

Study an Introduction to Criminology, Criminological Theory, Defining and Measuring Crime, Trends in Crime and Victimisation, Policing by Consent, Law Enforcement Agencies, Structure of the Police Service, Role of the Police, Professional Policing, Policing Reform, an Introduction to Evidence-based Policing.

Criminal Justice (30 credits)

Study an introduction to Criminal Justice and social divisions such as class, gender, race and age in criminal justice.

Making Decisions: Policing Legally and Ethically (30 credits)

Develop problem solving skills and study evidence-based decision making including the National Decision Model (NDM), the role of discretion, barriers to effective decision making, bias, recording decisions, ethical considerations, and the legal framework and introduction to police powers.

Policing Communities and the Roads (30 credits)

Study an evidence-based approach to policing communities, recording incidents, function of community policing, engaging with the community, preventing and responding to crime and anti-social behaviour, maintaining community cohesion, challenges to community policing, information vs. intelligence, core functions and procedure of policing the roads, disrupting criminal activity by effective road policing, the strategic road network, pursuit, and evidence-based practice in road policing.

Year 2 (national level 5):

Responding to Incidents (30 credits)

Explore the scope of response policing, types of incidents and crime, Public Order offences, Stop and Search, major incidents, taking accounts from victims and witnesses, evidence-based practice in response policing, challenges in response policing, multi-agency working, social, political and strategic drivers impacting on response policing.

Professional Policing in Context (30 credits)

Learn about the history of the police service, professional standards in policing, challenges in operational policing, including public perception, anti-social behaviour, challenges with community engagement, critical reviews of major incidents, abuse of power, misconduct, policing reform, and the College of Policing.

How to be an Effective Investigator (30 credits)

Examine the intelligence cycle, information vs evidence, process of an investigation, evidence-based practice in investigations, understanding the difference between 'volume and priority' and 'serious and complex' crime, accountability and discretion, decision making and applying the NDM, bias, impact of investigations on victims and victim care, expert evidence and expert witnesses.

Research Methods for Policing (30 credits)

Study sources of research and evidence for EBP, quantitative and qualitative research methods, strengths and weaknesses of research methodologies, problem solving, creating an ethically sound research question, identifying best practice from evidence, and planning an intervention to tackle an identified issue.

Final year (national level 6):

Protecting the Vulnerable (30 credits)

Look at defining 'vulnerability', providing services to those who are vulnerable or at risk of harm, evidence-based practice in policing vulnerability, public protection policing, key legislation, victimology, personal aspects of vulnerability, intrinsic and extrinsic factors affecting vulnerability, abuse, relationships between victims and offenders, bias, victim and witness care, and justice outcomes for vulnerable people.

Digital Policing (30 credits)

Understand technology and use of devices, IT terminology, social networks, encrypted communications, influence of technology, digital hygiene and digital safety, key legislation, digital investigations, digital community engagement, internet-facilitated crime, and the impact of digital crime.

Counter-Terrorism (30 credits)

Understand key counter-terrorism terminology and organisational structures, including threat levels, terrorism-related offences, terrorism-related police powers and detention, importance of intelligence, radicalisation and deradicalisation, CONTEST, and links between terrorism and organised crime.

Evidence-based Policing Project (30 credits)

Undertake a significant evidence-based research project while evaluating options, problem-solving and forming solutions.

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
The St Peter’s Library contains over 31,000 books related to business, economics, management, human resources, marketing, strategy and tourism, with many more titles available through the inter-library loan service. We also subscribe to a comprehensive range of print and electronic journals so you can access the most reliable and up-to-date academic and industry articles.
Library Services - St Peter's Library
Map and directions

Facilities

You'll be based at the award-winning Sir Tom Cowie Campus at St Peter's. The 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.

Entry requirements are provided for guidance only and we may offer you an entrance interview which will help us determine your eligibility for your chosen degree. This enables us to consider making you an offer if you are perhaps a mature student who has been out of education for a period of time, or you have gained significant knowledge and skills through employment rather than traditional education.

Eligible entry qualifications:

1. Normally a minimum of three Level 2 qualifications (NVQ, GCSE or equivalent), including Maths and English at grade C or above** and a minimum of 40 UCAS tariff points from Level 3 qualifications (e.g. A or AS Levels, BTEC certificates/diplomas, access courses or equivalent)
OR
2. Demonstrable evidence of appropriate knowledge and skills acquired from at least three years of post-school work experience.

If you are unsure of whether you think you might be suitable for the course, please contact us!

** If you have studied for a GCSE which has a numerical grade then you will need to achieve a grade 4 or above. Equivalent alternative qualifications are also accepted, such as Level 2 Key Skills in Communication and Application of Number. If you have not achieved a grade C in Maths and English we may be able to work with you to ensure that you are able to gain these in the first year of the course, depending on your experience.

If English is not your first language, please see our English language requirements.

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 fee for this course is £9,250 if you are from the UK/Ireland/EU settled/pre-settled.

If you are a full-time UK/Irish/EU settled/EU pre-settled student you may be eligible to receive financial support to cover your fees for the full four years. UK and EU settled students may also be eligible to receive a maintenance loan.

Please note, this course is not available to international students.

Learn more about settled status, pre-settled status, special discounts, visa requirements and Common Travel Area (CTA) agreements for the Republic of Ireland applicants in our Help and Advice article.

Take a look at the Your Finances section to find out about the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.

This information was correct at the time of publication.

Career ready

In September 2019, the government pledged £750 million with the intention to recruit 20,000 police officers over a three year period. This degree has been designed and will be taught by our staff with significant experience in the Police Service. Your tutors will be able to provide you with academic advice and career mentoring to help you progress towards your chosen career.

Career progression

The Professional Policing degree will prepare you with the knowledge required to go on to apply for a role as a Police Constable position within the police service. It does not guarantee that you will get such a position. It will be necessary to complete all separate recruitment processes associated with your chosen force, including further practice-based learning and assessment, demonstrating competence in your role and completing a two-year probationary period. If you wish to join the Police Service, you must apply to and be accepted within a force within five years of graduation. If you decide against a career in Policing, the course has been carefully designed to prepare you with transferable skills required to apply for a number graduate-level positions.

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: 22 September 2021

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Course overview

Why us?

Course structure

Foundation Year:

Year 1 (national level 4):

Year 2 (national level 5):

Final year (national level 6):

Facilities

Entry requirements

Fees and finance

Career ready

Career progression

Related courses

Contact

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