Policing and Criminology [with Placement Year]

Jump-start your career in the criminal justice sector with our specialist Policing and Criminology degree in Chelmsford.

Explore the English legal and criminal justice systems, including the police, courts, prisons, probation, and youth justice system.

You’ll discover the origins, ethos, and legal and ethical frameworks of the system, and complex issues such as media representation, public attitudes and the impact of crime on victims and offenders.

You’ll also pick up key skills like research methods and investigative psychology, and take an in-depth look at recruitment processes in the sector - ensuring you’re ready for professional life when you graduate.


• Learn from staff with real-world experience, including active and former policing and criminal justice practitioners.



• Get hands-on with the latest case studies and research, field trips, and a optional placement year.



• Build your network and find work placements, through our links to organisations including police forces.



• Attend events organised by our International Policing and Public Protection Research Institute.



• Join a university at the forefront of shaping cultural change in uniformed services, with our record £11million research grant.



• Hear from key criminal justice professionals, attend employment fairs, and build a portfolio and CV.



Careers

Work towards your career goals from day one, with opportunities to get involved in research, events and campaigns.

We’ll support you to get involved in justice causes, charities and voluntary work that contributes to civic duty so you can gain relevant experience in the criminal justice system. You’ll also boost your CV as you become proficient in critical analysis, research and communication.

Engage with professionals through guest lectures (including those organised by our International Policing and Public Protection Research Institute), workshop events, study trips and research projects.

You could also develop a specialism or start a career in research by taking part in our academic shadowing scheme or Cambridgeshire County Council’s violence prevention analysis programmes.

You’ll be well-equipped for a career in a number of public services, such as the probation service, prison service, police, the Home Office, Crown Prosecution Service, the Court Service, youth offending teams, crime reduction partnerships.

The multidisciplinary nature of this course, and its focus on employability and transferable skills, can also open doors for you elsewhere, for example in adult guidance work, charity work, counselling, local government, political analysis, and legal careers.

You might decide to stay at ARU to study for a Masters, such as our MA Contemporary Policing, MA Criminology or MA International Relations. Take advantage of our Alumni Scholarship and get 20% off your fees.

Teaching

Prepare for a role as a criminal justice professional, by exploring the key elements of England’s criminal justice system (police, courts, prisons, probation, and youth justice) as well as current issues in criminology.

You'll also consider the impact of crime on victims and offenders and the relationships between media, technology, and crime, as well as discovering research methods that will allow you to take your skills into the real world.

Finally you’ll learn more about the youth justice system and investigative psychology, and pool your learning in a research project of your choice.

At ARU, you’ll be supported from day one with wellbeing services, money advice and careers guidance to help you through university and beyond.

Their courses are built around the skills and experience employers value. ARU are proud to be in the top 20% of UK universities for teaching quality (TEF 2023), and ranked #1 in the East of England, and #8 in the UK, for UG graduates in senior roles 15 months after graduation (Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025). You'll have access to fantastic facilities thanks to £95m of investment - think SuperLabs, TV studios, law courts, mock hospital wards, gaming studios and more.

Wherever you're heading, ARU will help you get there.