Take the fast track route to a highly regarded professional policing degree. In just two years, this pioneering course – the first of its kind in the country in partnership with Nottinghamshire Police force – equips you to meet the challenges and responsibilities of a career in one of the most rewarding professions of all.
Our intensive accelerated BA (Hons) Professional Policing course provides an alternative route for ambitious students who want to complete a pre-join policing degree in a shorter time frame than usual. You will follow a curriculum written and licensed by the College of Policing, giving you all the theoretical knowledge and practical skills expected of a high-level entrant to the profession.
The highlights
This degree gives you the advantage of progressing from education to employment more quickly: it represents the fastest route to qualifying for a policing career
You will be fully prepared to become an effective police officer at a time when demand for new recruits to the profession is set to rise
You can choose to take the Special Constable route whilst studying this degree, a unique opportunity in partnership with Nottinghamshire Police
Visits to police stations, prisons and victim support centres will give you a close look at how the criminal justice system works
Our academic staff have wide-ranging experience in policing and are producing influential research
Please note that completion of this degree does not guarantee employment as a police officer or police staff.
Why this course?
As career opportunities in policing are due to grow dramatically, with the government having committed to a recruitment drive of an additional 20,000 police officers, we have become the first university in the country to introduce the accelerated route to the BA (Hons) Professional Policing.
This course provides the same comprehensive preparation for a policing career as our traditional three-year degree, but with the teaching condensed into two years to include tuition over the summer. It is a convenient and more affordable option if you want to progress from education to employment quickly and have both the capacity and capability to commit to a more intensive study programme.
We will help you develop an in-depth understanding of the role of a police officer today, including a thorough grasp of criminal justice systems and the powers and laws used by the police in England and Wales. Throughout, you will have the chance to apply theory to practice with case studies, practical scenarios, research projects and volunteering opportunities with local police forces.
Challenge and choice
The course is delivered through a combination of face-to-face teaching, work-based learning and self-directed learning, taking place over three semesters during the year instead of the traditional two. Your learning experience will be rigorous and demanding, but we offer a full range of support to help you meet the challenge and achieve your goals.
The final stage of the degree enables you to focus on an area of policing that particularly interests you and matches your career aspirations. For your dissertation, you will work on a real-life issue or solve a problem, currently experienced by local police forces, producing evidence-based research which can influence change within the profession and the wider community.
Become a Special Constable with Nottinghamshire Police
The BA (Hons) Professional Policing (Accelerated) includes two pathways options. You can choose the theory only route, or you can choose to apply to become a Special Constable while completing your studies, in partnership with Nottinghamshire Police. Being a Special Constable gives you invaluable practical insights into what it is like to work in a local constabulary, making you a standout candidate when applying for a role in the force. You will still follow the same high-quality curriculum as students who do not pursue this option but your experiences in the workplace will enrich your learning and stand you in good stead for the future.
We have partnered with Nottinghamshire Police to deliver the Special Constable route and you will need to pass the relevant vetting, assessment centre, medical and fitness procedures set by them in order to join the Special Constable route.
Expert teaching
Our teaching staff have years of policing experience at all levels, giving you fresh perspectives on real world policing alongside the relevant academic theories. You can also draw on our excellent network of contacts ranging from chief constables and crime commissioners to representatives of national and international policing organisations.
Our outstanding visiting speaker and events programme captures topical issues and debates. Recent guests have included policing experts from the USA – a retired police Captain, a retired Chief of Police and a current SWAT commander – who provided a unique insight into their policing models. In addition, the former Chief Constable of Derbyshire shared experiences from his career, the changes which have transformed the profession and the challenges for policing in the 21st Century.
Your studies will be underpinned by our leading-edge research into the explanations and motivations for criminal behaviour and how criminal activity can be detected and prevented. This includes a focus on the notion of policing itself, ethical codes, human rights and police governance.
Equipment and resources
As a BA (Hons) Professional Policing student, you will be based at our Derby Campus at our One Friar Gate Square site. Offering the perfect environment for innovative and engaging teaching, it includes a replica custody suite (complete with interview rooms and cell), mock 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 will be working alongside students taking courses in subjects such as law, criminology and sociology, there are many opportunities to share knowledge, expertise and experience in the field of criminal justice.
This module will enable students to appreciate the purpose, benefit and responsibilities of the police service in a variety of contexts. Students will explore the role of law enforcement agencies and the key issues surrounding policing.
There is a particular focus on professionalism and policing by consent and the challenges faced by a contemporary police service. The module enables students to appreciate the importance of conducting and exercising police powers and procedures fairly and without bias. Students will become familiar with the main sources of information and academic research regarding national policing strategies and be able to use these materials for research purposes.
This module will enable students to appreciate the purpose, benefits and challenges of community policing in a variety of contexts. Students will explore the function of community policing and the key issues in this area.
This is a particular focus on anti-social behavior and the challenges inherent with this type of incident. The module enables students to appreciate the importance of community engagement and understand how to foster effective community relationships. Students will become familiar with the main sources of information and academic research about community policing and be able to use these materials for research purposes.
This module will introduce the student to research methods and academic skills for policing. Students will explore the importance of planning research activities, how to review and assess literature and case law in order to develop critical arguments and draw conclusions. Students will demonstrate autonomy, as well as accountability and working with others, in a study skills context. Students will present research on the identified issue/problem with proposals to tackle it.
This module will enable students to appreciate the purpose, benefits and challenges of police powers and procedures in a variety of contexts. Students will explore the function of police powers and the need for clear rules and regulations for police procedures when dealing with the public. There is a particular focus on stop search and the challenges inherent with this type of occurrence.
The module enables students to appreciate the importance of community engagement and understand and understand how to foster effective community relationships. Students will become familiar with the main sources of information and academic research regarding police powers and procedure and be able to use these materials for research purposes.
This module will enable students to appreciate the purpose, benefit and responsibilities of the criminal justice system in a variety of contexts. Students will explore the role of the criminal justice system, the legislation the key issues surrounding this key area.
There is a particular focus on the considerations associated with supporting victims and witnesses through the criminal justice system. The module enables students to appreciate the importance of the stage of the court process, how diversity of individuals and society impact on the criminal justice system. This module will also explore the importance of effective partnership collaboration with respect to offender rehabilitation.
This module will enable students to examine a range of key concepts relating to criminology and why people commit crime. They will explore the nature, and relationship between offending and victimisation in light of theoretical approaches to criminology. Students will examine the relationship between community engagement and crime prevention and review crime prevention theories and strategies.
The module enables students to appreciate the importance of assessing the strengths and weaknesses of different policing models in relation to crime and victimisation and the public. Students will become familiar with the main sources of information and academic research regarding national policing strategies and be able to use these materials for research purposes.
This module introduces students to the criminal investigation process. Students will be required to distinguish between different types of crime and why this is important in the investigation process.
Students will be introduced to the different types of evidence and understand the importance of effective evidence management and the implications of not following policy and procedure. Complex live and cold cases will form a large part of this module, with students analysing the resources required to investigate such cases. Students will consider the challenges that victims and witnesses face during a complex investigation and the police response to these challenges.
This module will enable students to appreciate the importance of information and intelligence to key areas of policing. Students will explore relevant legislation/guidance underpinning information and intelligence in policing.
There is a particular focus on how information and intelligence assist with police operations. The module enables students to appreciate the issues that can arise when data management protocols are not adhered to. Students will become familiar with the main sources of information and academic research regarding this area of policing and be able to use these materials for research purposes.
This module will enable students to research evidence-based initiatives in the context of preventative policing and problem-solving in relation to road policing with a focus on national strategies. Students will understand how to engage in lawful, safe and effective front-line policing through the use of scenario-based role-play and continual self-reflection. Students will acquire an understanding of road traffic legislation, police powers, road traffic investigation procedures and the impact of road traffic incidents on families and the wider community.
This module will enable students to appreciate the purpose, benefits and challenges of response policing in a variety of contexts. Students will explore the function of response policing and the key issues surrounding response policing and attending major incidents.
There is a particular focus on the key issues relating to the complexity and challenges of operational policing. The module enables students to appreciate the importance of various strategies in place to assist those involved in response policing to remain effective in an increasingly challenging environment. Students will become familiar with the main sources of information and academic research about this area of front-line policing and be able to use these materials for research purposes.
Police Accountability, Decision Making and Discretion
Students will explore the necessity for maintaining professional standards in policing, and relevant governance and their roles and responsibilities. Students will analyse how the police have developed policies and procedures to reduce the possibility of professional malpractice and increase community confidence; then review the progress being made within the police service to improve professional standards. Students will examine the role of discretion in the decision-making process and analyse the effect on bias on the decision making process.
This module will introduce students to problem-solving techniques, sources of evidence which can be used to support policing practice, and the models used to differentiate between types of evidence, in order to identify best practice.
Students will explore different models used in problem solving and crime prevention, such as: problem-oriented policing (POP), ‘hot spot’ policing, intelligence-led policing, predictive policing, the Problem Analysis Triangle (PAT), rational choice theory (criminological), and situational crime prevention, amongst others. Students will engage in effective problem solving of policing issues in role plays, scenarios and table top exercises.
This module will enable to understand this important area of policing – serious and organised crime with a particular focus on digital crime and counter-terrorism. Students will explore policing technologies and the emerging prevalence of digitally-facilitated crimes.
Students will consider the role of the dark web, social media, hacking (and other forms of complex digital facilitated crimes) and the variety of devices being used in policing and crime contexts. Students will explore the key counter-terrorism terminology and concepts and the organisational structures that exist in counter-terrorism policing. There will be a particular focus on key legislation that is relevant to counter-terrorism policing, gathering intelligence and how to prevent homegrown terrorism.
This module explores the complexities involved in policing vulnerable people in society. Students will understand vulnerability and the theories and concepts around how a person can become a victim. Students will explore contemporary vulnerability issues such as child sexual exploitation, modern slavery, child criminal exploitation and online abuse.
The module evaluates evidence-based models of policing to protect vulnerable people with specific reference to domestic abuse, exploitation and mental ill-health. Reference will be made to how vulnerable people are supported by the police and other agencies and how risk is managed. Multi-agency working will be a theme throughout this module, introducing case reviews and the management of offenders.
This module scans all areas of public protection policing; policy, research, theory and practice. Students will be introduced to the diverse and complex nature of public protection policing. Students will develop an understanding of the powers and legislation relating to contemporary and significant areas of practice including, but not limited to, child sexual exploitation, country lines, child criminal exploitation, modern slavery, domestic abuse, human trafficking, female genital mutilation, sexual offences and hate crime.
Students will use this knowledge to critically explore complex situations. Students will understand the impact these offences have on the victim, their families, the wider community and the criminal justice system. The concept of multi-agency working will be a theme throughout this module, with reference to serious case reviews and the management of offenders.
This module aims to develop academic skills at level 6 including: Conducting literature reviews; applying relevant theory; designing and planning small scale research projects: selecting appropriate methods for data collection and analysis; addressing and seeking to minimise ethical and quality issues and reflecting on the process and experience when designing a research project.
The emphasis is on students taking responsibility for their own learning and research topic in the area of policing and critically reflect on their findings in the form of a 10,000 word dissertation research project.
Since the beginning of cinema, crime has been a mainstay of modern media: The Australian film, The Ned Kelly Gang (1906) is commemorated in the UNESCO ‘Memory of the World Register’ as the oldest surviving feature film. Even before then, pamphlets and chapbooks recounting the exploits of notorious criminals circulated as popular forms of entertainment. The 21st Century has seen no lessening of the representation of crimes, criminality and deviance in the mass media. Film and television rely on tropes of criminal families, extremes of criminal behaviour, policing and crime detection for a range of entertainment products; news on all media repeatedly feature crime stories whilst video games place players in the roles of both law enforcers and perpetrators of crime. In all of these instances the texts rehearse and confirm boundaries of legally sanctioned behaviours and, simultaneously, the pleasures of transgression.
They also serve to define and reproduce stereotypes and preconceived notions of criminals, their victims, enforcers and the locations of crime. This module thus serves to explore the tension between the representation of crime and the impact of these representations on wider culture and society.
This module provides you with the practical skills as well as the theoretical underpinning to work with young people at risk of offending. It will give you the knowledge that you need to make informed decisions about the interventions which offer the best prospect of success in a particular case. It will also guide you to ways of implementing interventions that will engage and involve young people and hence has an applied element. The module is taught in two blocks, with an optional third if you wish to undertake the Certificate. In the first block you will consider the structural cycle of interventions and the key components of assessment, planning and review. You are encouraged to explore different approaches to assessment and consider the importance of linking assessments to intervention planning.
You will also evaluate safeguarding issues and the diversity of young people in determining the most appropriate interventions. Having looked at the cycle of intervention, block two explores the significance of building and sustaining relationships with young people at all stages of the cycle in order to promote positive outcomes. You will have the opportunity to develop your understanding of communication strategies by young offenders as well as enhance your own applied skills with a practical focus.
You can undertake this module alongside the sister module - Youth Justice - in the Autumn Semester to build towards the Youth Justice in Effective Practice Certificate, an industry recognised practitioner based certificate, awarded by UNITAS and endorsed by Skills for Justice. Since it was introduced in 2012 the YJEPC has been used by over half of the Youth Offending Teams to enhance their members’ skills and knowledge. It is also used by the secure estate, individuals seeking to advance a career in youth justice and volunteers looking to widen their knowledge.
Accounts of murder are commonplace in today’s world. Whilst they fixate both public and media attention, beyond the simplicity of newspaper headlines the offence of murder often involves complex underlying dynamics, psychological pathologies, detailed investigative procedures, and a legal framework for sentencing and punishment. In this module, students travel the chronology of murder, from the development of a killer’s psychology through to the commission of the offence(s), their investigation, and then sentencing. Students will see, from crime scene to trial, the complex tasks of both understanding, and investigating, murderers and their crimes.
Investigative interviewing is a core skill for a policing officer or investigator. This module is designed to provide opportunities for students to develop the knowledge and skills required to become an advanced communicator and interviewer. Without the accounts of those who played a central role in the crime, or those who have witnessed an important aspect of the commission of a crime, other sources of material such as CCTV images, fingerprints and forensic material, although extremely important, may have little value. Therefore, this module will explore psychological theories underpinning communication and linguistics to ensure students gain effective investigatory interviewing knowledge and skills.
20 Credits
optional
Coursework
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.
external visits to settings such as police stations, police custody suites, victim support facilities, courts and various voluntary organisations working within the criminal justice sphere
guest lectures
online support through the University's virtual learning environment
teaching input from policing experts
peer support
guided reading
individual student reflection on learning
How you are assessed
You will be assessed in a range of ways including:
role plays and practical scenarios
coursework
exams
presentations
case studies
Who you'll meet
You will be taught by a teaching team with over 250 years combined experience in the criminal justice sector. They include:
Your personal academic tutor will work with you to help you get the most out of your time at university. Having someone to talk to about your academic progress, your university experience and your professional aspirations is hugely valuable. We want you to feel challenged in your studies, stretched but confident to achieve your academic and professional goals.
GCSE Maths and English Grade C/Grade 4 (or above) or equivalent qualification
Interview / Audition
Yes - telephone interview
Portfolio
N/A
Alternative entry qualifications:
BTEC - DDM
Access to HE Diploma - 60 credits: 45 at level 3 with a minimum of Dist: 15 Merit: 24 Pass: 6
We will consider applicants with alternative academic profiles and significant work experience that can demonstrate ability at interview.
Additional requirements
As part of the application process, we would like all applicants to demonstrate in their personal statement their skills, interests and passion for this course, with a particular emphasis on how you intend to manage your workload and other commitments whilst on this degree. Due to the intensity of an accelerated degree, we want to ensure all applicants are best prepared beforehand to successfully meet the academic requirements of a two-year degree.
Our entry requirements for this course should be read together with the University's general entry requirements, which details subjects we accept, alternative qualifications and what we're looking for at Derby.
Fees and funding
2020/21 Fees
Full-time
Part-time
UK/EU
£11,100 per year*
N/A
International
N/A
N/A
* The fees stated above are for the 2019/20 academic year; fees for 2020/21 have not yet been confirmed by the UK government. We will update this information as soon as it is available.
Full-time students applying to start in September should apply for this course through UCAS or you can apply directly to the University for an undergraduate course if you’re not applying to any other UK university in the same year.
This course is aimed at ambitious individuals who want to pursue a career in policing. It paves the way for you to join a hugely rewarding profession which brings new challenges every day, demanding high levels of responsibility, dedication and integrity.
Although the BA (Hons) Professional Policing qualification will not guarantee you a position within the police service, it will set you apart as an attractive candidate to secure a role. Taking the two-year accelerated route will also mark you out as a committed, confident and resourceful individual.
In addition, the skills you develop on the course could prove invaluable for a career within the broader criminal justice system. You could, for instance, consider roles in areas such as civilian investigation, crime reduction partnerships, probation, 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 will 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 have 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 choose to progress to postgraduate study at Derby: one of the benefits of the accelerated route to the BA (Hons) Professional Policing is that you can continue studying and gain both an undergraduate degree and a masters qualification in just three years.
As a graduate of the University of Derby, you may benefit from an alumni discount on your postgraduate course fees if you continue to study with us.
If you need any more information from us, such as on courses, accommodation, applications, car parking, fees or funding, please contact us and we will do everything we can to help you.
Contact us
If you need any more information from us, eg on courses, accommodation, applying, car parking, fees or funding, please contact us and we will do everything we can to help you.
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.
Additional costs and optional extras
We’re committed to providing you with an outstanding learning experience. Our expert teaching, excellent facilities and great employability prepare you for your future career. As part of our commitment to you we aim to keep any additional study costs to a minimum. However, there are occasions where students may incur some additional costs.
Included in your fees
DBS check if required for research purposes
International study trip to the Hague if applicable and appropriate.
Local trips and visits to criminal justice organisations (such as Police HQ and custody suites)
Special Constable route only: own shoes or boots: these are a personal choice but must meet required standards
Special Constable route only: own transport to and from interviews, assessment centres and testing during induction week (travel expenses can be claimed back once the initial training is completed but not in retrospect)
Please note: Our courses are refreshed and updated on a regular basis. 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.
