Policing and Investigations

• You’ll gain advanced understanding of the investigation process, explore contemporary policing and deepen your understanding of criminology and forensics
• You’ll gain unique insights into real-world practices from our experienced teaching team which includes former police detectives and investigators

“Volunteering with Nottinghamshire Police has been invaluable to me. It has allowed me to be involved in the day-to-day activities with a police investigative unit and learn things that will help enormously with my future job applications.” Grace Jolly, BA (Hons) Policing and Investigations graduate

If you’re interested in how policing and investigations work, this distinctive degree delivers advanced skills and knowledge which can take you far. 

Throughout, the degree brings together the theory, policy and practice of policing and investigations, criminology, forensics and criminal justice, which means you’ll be able to evaluate critically the contemporary challenges facing police officers, criminal investigators and civilian investigators.

With applied learning at the heart of this course, you’ll gain a solid introduction to criminal investigation and a logical framework for understanding investigative processes. Drawing on fascinating case studies, you’ll also explore historical, empirical and theoretical approaches to key issues in evidence gathering and criminal justice.

Hands-on learning

The skills you gain on the course will add substance to your CV and increase your employability in the competitive graduate job market.

There may also be the chance to broaden your perspectives through fieldtrips: in the past, our students have visited settings such as police custody suites, a prison, victim support facilities, courts and various voluntary organisations working within the criminal justice sphere.

Volunteering with the police

We fully support you to apply and become a Police Support Volunteer alongside your studies. This gives you the chance to develop your professional practice and the experience is invaluable if you would like to pursue a career in policing when you graduate.

Police Support Volunteers perform tasks which complement the duties of police officers and police staff investigators. Volunteer roles range from front counter services and administration to following up crime reports with members of the public.

There are rigorous application procedures, including vetting, for Police Support Volunteer roles and we will assist you through the process. We also support students who want to join the Special Constabulary, a force of trained volunteers who go out on patrol and form a vital link between the regular full-time police and the local community.

Expert teaching 

You’ll be inspired by a teaching team with a wealth of professional experience in policing and investigation. This ensures your learning is enriched by the latest thinking and ideas.

We pride ourselves on a superb network of contacts – from chief constables and crime commissioners to leading figures in organisations such as the Society of Evidence-based Policing and the British Society of Criminology. Thanks to such strong links, we can offer you an outstanding visiting speaker programme where influential professionals from all fields of policing and investigation share their experiences with you.

Equipment and resources

As a BA (Hons) Policing and Investigations student, you’ll be based on the Derby Campus at One Friar Gate Square and Britannia Mill.

Your learning space offers the perfect environment for innovative and engaging teaching; it includes a replica crown court and interview rooms alongside well-resourced lecture theatres, seminar rooms and social learning spaces. Students have also been able to make use of other specialist facilities at the University such as our forensic crime scene house.

Because you’ll be working alongside students taking courses in subjects such as law, criminology and sociology, there are many opportunities to share knowledge, expertise and experience.

Please note that our modules are subject to change - we review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects.

How you are assessed

Assessment is via a range of methods including:

• essays
• decision logs
• investigative strategies
• applied interviewing and evaluations

We equip you with highly transferable skills in loss prevention, investigatory practice and investigative interviewing which will give you a broad career scope. Because the degree is designed in close partnership with constabularies, it is an excellent stepping stone if you want to pursue a career in the policing family once you have graduated. You could, however, consider other roles in the broader criminal justice system, civilian investigation, retail investigation, business crime investigation, crime reduction partnerships, security and loss prevention.

Our Careers and Employment Service will provide you with support from day one of your course to ensure you leave Derby as a ‘work-ready’ graduate – industry aware, motivated and enterprising. Throughout your studies, you’ll also benefit from our Personal Development Planning (PDP) scheme which enables you to reflect on your learning and develop your career ambitions.

The support continues once you’ve completed your course too: you are entitled to further help and guidance from the Careers and Employment Service for up to three years after leaving the University.

Further study

You can go on to postgraduate study at Derby, with MSc qualifications in subjects such as Criminal Investigation, Criminal Justice and Criminology, and Police Leadership, Strategy and Organisation. These expand your knowledge into specialist areas and accelerate your progression to more senior and leadership roles.

“I was immediately drawn to this particular course as I felt it coincided with both my professional and research interests. As someone who already works in practice, I was impressed to see that the course could be tailored for someone who is employed, allowing me a flexible approach to my studies.” Alan Harrop, MSc Criminal Justice and Criminology.

As a graduate of the University of Derby, you can benefit from a 25% Alumni discount on your postgraduate course fees. Terms and conditions apply.

2025 entry

These are the typical qualification requirements for September 2025 entry.

Contextual offers may apply to students who meet certain criteria.

Alternative entry qualifications

The University of Derby in collaboration with Nottinghamshire Police and Derbyshire Constabulary run the police cadet scheme resulting in the Foundation in Policing qualification. On successful completion of the Foundation in Policing, applicants applying for this course will qualify for entry.

2025/26

Further information about our fees and support you may be entitled to.

Additional costs and optional extras

Additional information about your studies

Teaching hours

Like most universities, we operate extended teaching hours at the University of Derby, so contact time with your lecturers and tutors could be anytime between 9am and 9pm. Your timetable will usually be available on the website 24 hours after enrolment on to your course.

Course updates

The information provided on this page is correct at the time of publication but course content, costs and other individual course details do change from time to time and are updated as often as possible, so please do check these pages again when making your final decision to apply for a course. Any updated course details will also be confirmed to you at application, enrolment and in your offer letter.

If you are thinking about transferring onto this course (into the second year for example), you should contact the programme leader for the relevant course information as modules may vary from those shown on this page.