Canterbury Christ Church University

BSc (Hons) Applied Criminology with Criminal Investigation with Foundation Year

How can we improve services for crime victims? What causes miscarriages of justice and how can we prevent them? What should we do when children commit crime?

Studying Applied Criminology with Criminal Investigation at CCCU involves exploring answers to some of society’s biggest questions. Our course provides you with a thorough understanding of the theories, methods, and practices involved in studying crime and conducting criminal investigations. You’ll benefit from over twenty-five years’ experience of police education, CCCU was the first university to provide a detective education programme.

This four-year degree includes a built-in foundation year. This will provide you with a supportive gateway to higher education if you don’t quite meet the entry requirements for the undergraduate degree or would like to develop the academic study skills you will need before beginning a degree course. On successful completion of the foundation year, you will move on to your chosen undergraduate degree and will graduate with a full undergraduate degree at the end of the course.

Our innovative and interdisciplinary curriculum focuses on the intersections between crime, justice and society, enabling you to understand the importance of cooperation and communication between agencies within criminal justice. You will also learn about the impact of social problems and structures. It will equip you with a strong foundation in criminological theories and a critical understanding of criminal justice processes.

You’ll explore who commits crime and why, learn how the criminal justice system treats victims and why the law criminalises some harmful behaviours but not others. Our emphasis on learning through experience will enable you to practice investigative interviewing and ethical decision making. However you’ll also analyse aspects of police investigations from a range of perspectives. Our applied focus builds key skills, preparing you for a wide range of careers in criminal justice and beyond and enabling you to become skilled practitioners capable of working effectively in multidisciplinary and multiagency environments.

Student support is at the heart of how we teach. Throughout the course staff will enable you to build a wide skill set, encouraging you to work collaboratively and courageously to apply your knowledge to help solve real-world problems. Our curriculum is innovative and industry-led, developed by staff with extensive experience as practitioners and researchers.

You will have access to unique facilities and resources where you can practice real life decision making in our Hydra Suite. You will also have opportunities to work with real cases (e.g. Miscarriages of Justice, Missing People), not only putting your learning into practice, but gaining key transferrable skills in communicating with industry professionals. In addition, you will benefit from a thriving community as part of the Canterbury Centre for Police research.