Why choose the School of Society, Community and Health
The course aligns to the curriculum of the National Investigators Exam (NIE) as well as with Policing and Law QAA benchmarking.
Includes a work-related unit developing your understanding of criminal justice.
The course has been developed and is taught by retired police officers with an extensive professional background in policing and investigations.
About the course
Whether working in the private security sector, as part of a legal team or within policing, many roles now require the technical skills and legal knowledge you gain from this employment-focused degree. You develop specific skills in investigations, interviewing, managing evidence and building a case while gaining the enquiring mindset and analytical abilities you need to work across a range of areas related to policing and criminal investigations. By the end of the course, you will have a solid grasp of the investigation process and how to use the legal framework, ensuring you can hit the ground running in a fast-paced work environment.
Facilities and specialist equipment
- Mock-custody suite
- Police interview room
- Scene-of-crime ‘flat’
- Simulation floor that takes you from a mock home to hospital, giving you hands-on experience of a range of scenarios
Industry links
We have robust associations with criminal justice stakeholders, local councils, companies, and voluntary sector and practitioners, which open up opportunities for volunteering and work placements in the community or in practice. We also have strong links with Bedfordshire and Thames Valley police forces offering opportunities for placements within their service.
Your student experience
The course has been developed and is taught by retired police officers with an extensive professional background in policing and investigations.
Take up opportunities for volunteering, placement and work-based learning on a course that blends practical and scenario-based learning with theory.
Develop specific skills in investigations, interviewing, managing evidence and building a case.
Build transferable skills in areas such as management and leadership, research analysis, IT/digital proficiency and being a changemaker in your field.
Interact with local charities, policymakers and community influencers with our #SASS Change Maker initiative, which aims to increase awareness of and response to topical societal issues.
Specialised learning support and guidance from academic success coaches.
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with Professional Practice Year
This course has the option to be taken over four years which includes a year placement in industry. Undertaking a year in industry has many benefits. You gain practical experience and build your CV, as well as being a great opportunity to sample a profession and network with potential future employers.
There is no tuition fee for the placement year enabling you to gain an extra year of experience for free.
*Only available to UK/EU students.
with Foundation Year
A Degree with a Foundation Year gives you guaranteed entry to an Undergraduate course.
Whether you’re returning to learning and require additional help and support to up-skill, or if you didn’t quite meet the grades to pursue an Undergraduate course, our Degrees with Foundation Year provide a fantastic entry route for you to work towards a degree level qualification.
With our guidance and support you’ll get up to speed within one year, and will be ready to seamlessly progress on to undergraduate study at Bedfordshire.
The Foundation Year provides an opportunity to build up your academic writing skills and numeracy, and will also cover a range of subject specific content to fully prepare you for entry to an Undergraduate degree.
This is an integrated four-year degree, with the foundation year as a key part of the course. You will need to successfully complete the Foundation Year to progress on to the first year of your bachelor’s degree.
Why study a degree with a Foundation Year?
- Broad-based yet enough depth to give you credible vocational skills
- Coverage of a variety of areas typically delivered by an expert in this area
- Gain an understanding of a subject before choosing which route you wish to specialise in
- Great introduction to further study, and guaranteed progression on to one of our Undergraduate degrees
The degrees offering a Foundation Year provide excellent preparation for your future studies.
During your Foundation Year you will get the opportunity to talk to tutors about your degree study and future career aspirations, and receive guidance on the most appropriate Undergraduate course to help you achieve this; providing you meet the entry requirements and pass the Foundation Year.
To build your academic and research skills, we include special units that prepare you for researching and writing your assessments and final-year dissertation: Introduction to research and social enquiry and Introducing academic skills (Year 1); Research 1: collecting data and Research 2: exploring data (Year 2).
Year 1
Public protection – Explore the agencies involved in public protection; a range of criminal offences; victims and witnesses; and the importance of impartiality. Developing evidence – How to gather lawful, ethical evidence that can be successfully used to prove or disprove involvement in an incident. Applying criminal legislation – Examine criminal law and use real-world resources and databases to apply these laws to a range of case studies and offences. Antisocial behaviour and partnerships – What legislation exists to stop it, partnership approaches to preventing it and ways to deal with those responsible.
Year 2
Criminal investigations – Learn different investigative methods and lines of enquiry and be able to apply them with sound reasoning to a case or crime. PEACE model investigative interviewing – Explore a range of interview strategies and lines of enquiry, and apply them to a given scenario, including ‘no comment’ interviews. Managing complex situations – Gain the knowledge and skills to respond effectively and appropriately to major and critical incidents as well as complex situations. Multi-agency approach to vulnerability and exploitation – Understand the different ways abuse is understood today and how agency partnerships can work effectively.
Year 3
Contemporary issues in policing – Examine the most significant policing challenges globally including terrorism and counter-terrorism, cybercrime and digital policing. SASS Change Maker dissertation or project – Plan, research and produce an in-depth piece of independent research or a service-improvement project. Major investigations – How major investigations are conducted and managed, with particular focus on the role of the senior investigating officer (SIO). Evidence-based practice – Develop insight into how police can try and tackle certain issues; apply your own ideas to those problems. Coaching and leadership in the workplace – Why coaching, mentoring and leadership are essential to managing complex investigations and decision making.
Assessment policy across the Faculty is well established and provides consistency in accordance with University quality standards. Assignment briefs are available at the start of each semester and assignment resources are published on BREO in a timely fashion across all courses. There is also a video explaining the assignment to support the students.
The course assessment strategy will be designed so you can
- show originality in the application of knowledge and understand how the boundaries are advanced and developed through research, practice and knowledge exchange
- deal with complex issues and problems systematically and creatively
- develop the skills and qualities needed for employment in circumstances requiring sound judgement, personal responsibility and initiative in complex and unpredictable professional environments.
Careers
This degree opens doors to various careers in law enforcement, criminal justice and related fields. Potential career paths include roles as police officers, detectives, crime-scene investigators, and within the prison and probation services. Graduates can also find opportunities in roles like intelligence analyst, social worker, or even pursue careers in law or academic research.
Entry Requirements
Entry Requirements
Fees for this course
UK
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £9,535 per year. You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for your tuition fees. You can also apply for a maintenance loan from the Government to help cover your living costs. See www.gov.uk/student-finance
Excellence Scholarships
Worth £2,500 per year of study over three years when you score a defined number of UCAS tariff points from specified qualifications*
» If you don’t qualify for an Excellence Scholarship but have 120 UCAS tariff points, you have enough points for one of our Achievement Scholarships offering £500 per year of study**
» Other scholarships, bursaries and financial support packages are available
* Points requirements vary depending on type of qualification.
** Threshold is 120 UCAS tariff points across all awarding bodies and qualifications.
International
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the academic year 2025/26 is £16,900 per year.
There are range of Scholarships available to help support you through your studies with us.
A full list of scholarships can be found here.
Fees for this course
UK
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £9,535 per year. You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for your tuition fees. You can also apply for a maintenance loan from the Government to help cover your living costs. See www.gov.uk/student-finance
Excellence Scholarships
Worth £2,500 per year of study over three years when you score a defined number of UCAS tariff points from specified qualifications*
» If you don’t qualify for an Excellence Scholarship but have 120 UCAS tariff points, you have enough points for one of our Achievement Scholarships offering £500 per year of study**
» Other scholarships, bursaries and financial support packages are available
* Points requirements vary depending on type of qualification.
** Threshold is 120 UCAS tariff points across all awarding bodies and qualifications.
International
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the academic year 2025/26 is £16,900 per year.
There are range of Scholarships available to help support you through your studies with us.
A full list of scholarships can be found here.
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