Professional Policing BSc (Hons)
UCAS code: PP46
Socially conscious? Committed? Responsible? Interested in the Criminal Justice System? Gain practical and transferable skills for a wide range of future careers on our professional policing degree which is also one of the recognised pathways into policing in England and Wales.
Overview
| Course length: | 3 years full-time 5 years part-time |
|---|---|
| Start dates: | September 2025 September 2026 |
| Location: | Edge Hill University |
| Example offers: | BBC-BBB (A Level) or DMM (BTEC) View full entry criteria |
| Subject(s): | Policing and Criminal Justice |
| Faculty: | Arts and Sciences |
| Department: | Law and Criminal Justice |
Are you interested in: modern policing, applied criminology, social psychology, and the law? Do you want to learn about the Criminal Justice System, how to run an investigation, preserve a crime scene, protect vulnerable adults and children, and use criminal intelligence? Do you want to develop your skills in teamwork, leadership, communication, empathy, negotiation, inclusion, and decision-making? Do you want a degree that will grant you access to a host of different careers and opportunities, and is one of the recognised pathways into policing in England and Wales?
Our BSc (Hons) Professional Policing degree does all this and more. It is accredited by the College of Policing and taught by a mix of academics, pracademics and practitioners with a wealth of experience in policing, law enforcement and academic research.
You will benefit from being taught by our expert team of internationally recognised academics and former Chief Superintendents, Detective Chief Superintendents, Directors of Intelligence, Criminal Intelligence Analysts and Cyber Crime specialists, and can take advantage of our extensive industry links.
Joining our Policing programme means you’re embarking on an immersive learning experience, with opportunities to put your learning into practice in our on-campus Moot Court Room and our Police Training and Simulation Facility (‘Crime House’). In our crime house, you can undertake crime scene work, investigative interviewing, arrest, custody, and suspect welfare work utilising our state-of-the-art simulation suite.
At our School, we pride ourselves on providing not only an excellent academic experience but also a supportive environment where you can thrive. Our programme is not just for police or policing and offers a range of opportunities for students interested in many different career pathways. We offer a broad range of extra-curricular activities to enhance your university experience, which includes work placement opportunities, guest speakers, Careers Fairs, Alumni Panels, our student-led Policing Society, wellbeing weeks, insight days at Police Force Headquarters (e.g. Merseyside, Cumbria and Greater Manchester), educational visits to, for example, prisons and Liverpool Football Club – to learn about policing crowds – and specialist on-campus workshops.
Licensed by the College of Policing, our Professional Policing degree is ideal preparation for a career as a police officer, enabling you to focus on key policing competencies as outlined in the National Policing Curriculum.
Course features
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Work placement opportunity
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International students can apply
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Sandwich year option available
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Studying abroad option available
What you'll study
During the first year of the BSc (Hons) Professional Policing degree, you’ll build a solid and comprehensive foundation in the knowledge and skills that are at the heart of good policing and academic learning. You’ll come to understand the role of policing in society and be introduced to the criminal justice system. You will also cover what motivates people to commit a crime, along with modules in evidence-based policing, response policing, and how police help protect society’s most vulnerable.
In the second year of the BSc (Hons) Professional Policing degree, you’ll study community policing, roads policing, policing crime, including exploring historical and contemporary challenges in policing like stop and search, diversity, and bias, and build your knowledge and expertise in public protection, vulnerability and risk. You’ll be introduced to the complexities of investigation and investigative interviewing, and you’ll start to learn how to access, use and then create research on policing and law enforcement issues, ready to conduct an independent research project in the third year.
Building on the skills and knowledge you’ve gained in the first and second year, in the final year of the BSc (Hons) Professional Policing degree, you’ll get the chance to start to explore emerging and specialist fields like digital policing, cybercrime, and counter terrorism, along with further developing your investigation and intelligence knowledge and skills. You’ll also take a deep dive into ethics, integrity, and professional standards. You’ll have the chance to focus on your specific areas of interest through the policing research project and through the choice of an optional module, which might see you developing your employability skills and experience through work-placed learning.
How you'll study
The programme will be delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars and workshops. All students will also receive support in developing their academic skills, as well as transferable skills, through the programme, Uniskills workshops and Careers Team events.
How you'll be assessed
Assessment methods on the BSc (Hons) Professional Policing degree take account of both the need to develop and demonstrate academic skills and learning, and to demonstrate learning relevant to careers in policing, law enforcement, the wider criminal justice system, and graduate jobs market. Assessment methods include: report writing, essay writing, practice-based work, reflections, problem-based scenarios, posters, presentations, and some examinations.
All students will receive assessment support in each module and will have access to additional support via Uniskills. You will also receive timely feedback throughout the module and after each assessment.
Who will be teaching you
You will be taught by our highly qualified and experienced team composed of former Chief Superintendents, Detective Chief Superintendents, Directors of Intelligence, Criminal Intelligence Analysts and Cyber Crime specialists, as well as internationally recognised academics. Staff have practical and research experience across a number of relevant fields including homicide investigations, decision-making in policing, policing protests, intelligence and data analysis, international data sharing, multi-agency working, policing large-scale events, and violence.
Where your course includes optional modules, these are to provide an element of choice within the course curriculum. The availability of optional modules may vary from year to year and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed. Optional module selection may also be affected by timetabling requirements. Some restrictions on optional module choice or combinations of optional modules may apply.
Your future career
Whether you are planning a career in the criminal justice system, policing or a career in another field of expertise, our BSc Professional Policing programme will develop your transferable skills and inspire you to reach your career goals.
Recent Edge Hill Professional Policing students have gone on to have a wide variety of successful careers including: police officers in Forces across England and Wales; positions with the British Transport Police and the Civil Nuclear Constabulary; Policing and Law Enforcement Analysts; roles in Public Protection and Child and Youth Services and criminal and youth justice charities; for HM Prisons and Probation Service; and graduate training schemes in companies like Enterprise Cars.
If you are wishing to pursue a career in policing, whilst successful completion of this programme does not guarantee recruitment to a police force in England and Wales, the degree will greatly enhance your prospects in securing a role as a police constable via the College of Policing’s dedicated Pre-Join route. The programme has a currency of five years following graduation for recruitment into policing.
As a School, we are committed to enhancing your employability and helping you to find the right career path for you. Professional development opportunities are embedded into your programme or offered through extra-curricular activities, such as:
- Practice-focused modules – develop your practical skills through our practice focused modules and state-of-the art Police Training and Simulation Facility (‘Crime House’), learning how to conduct interviews and investigate crime scenes.
- Work placement opportunities – whether taken as part of our work placement modules or as an extra-curricular activity, there are numerous opportunities to undertake work experience.
- Careers fairs, alumni panels, site visits – benefit from our extensive networks with the Probation Service, Home Office and Police Forces in England and Wales, grow your network and build connections with our specialist School Careers Fair and Alumni Panel events.
Entry criteria
Typical offer 112-120 UCAS Tariff points. No specific subjects are required.
Example offers
| Qualification | Requirement |
|---|---|
| A Level | BBC-BBB. |
| BTEC Extended Diploma (or combination of BTEC QCF qualifications) | Distinction, Merit, Merit (DMM). |
| T Level | Overall grade of Merit. |
| International Baccalaureate (IB) | We are happy to accept IB qualifications which achieve the required number of UCAS Tariff points. |
| Access to Higher Education Diploma | 45 credits at Level 3, for example 15 credits at Distinction and 30 credits at Merit or 24 credits at Distinction and 21 credits at Merit. The required total can be attained from various credit combinations. |
Please note, the above examples may differ from actual offers made. A combination of A Level and BTEC awards may also be accepted.
If you have a minimum of two A Levels (or equivalent), there is no maximum number of qualifications that we will accept UCAS points from. This includes additional qualifications such as Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), AS Levels that haven't been continued to A Level, and General Studies AS or A Level awards.
English language requirements
International students require IELTS 6.0, with a score no lower than 5.5 in each individual component, or an equivalent English language qualification.
If your current level of English is half a band, one band, or one-and-a-half bands lower, either overall or in one or two elements, you may want to consider our Pre-Sessional English course.
Fair Entry Criteria
Our new Fair Entry Criteria is a Contextual Admissions Policy that takes an applicant’s personal and educational background into account. This policy will allow eligible applicants to receive up to a two-grade reduction in their entry requirements for this course. Find out more and see if you qualify.
How to apply
Apply full-time
Read our guide to applying through UCAS to find out more about the application process.
International
Please see our international student pages for further information about how to apply as a prospective international student.
Part-time applications require a direct application to Edge Hill. Please select the year of entry that you wish to apply for.
Should you accept an offer of a place to study with us and formally enrol as a student, you will be subject to the provisions of the regulations, rules, codes, conditions and policies which apply to our students. These are available at www.edgehill.ac.uk/studentterms.
If you join a full time undergraduate degree at Edge Hill University, we will guarantee you the offer of a room in our halls of residence for the first year of your course.
Discover our accommodation
Facilities
The £6m Law and Psychology building provides contemporary teaching and learning facilities for students in the School of Law and Criminal Justice.
The three-storey building includes a 265-seat lecture theatre, seminar and tutorial rooms, and social learning areas which encourage a more informal and interactive style of learning.
It is also where our moot court room and law clinic are located. Law, Policing and Criminal Justice students can train and practice their advocacy skills and cross-examination techniques as well as preparing for giving evidence in court.
Our Police Training and Simulation Facility know as the ‘Crime House’, part of which is furbished as a police station, is used to simulate a wide range of crime scenes, providing students with an immersive learning experience. The ‘Crime House’ includes a mock custody suite, mock living areas, interview rooms, a control room, and a state-of-the-art simulation suite.
This enables Policing, Criminal Justice and Law students to work together on practical exercises, developed by our expert staff and based on real-life scenarios, in areas such as gathering and analysing evidence, (including forensic evidence at crime scenes), practicing interview techniques and supporting mock clients during a police interview.
Where you'll study
Finance
Tuition fees
UK Full-Time
£9,535
a year
UK Part-Time
£79 per credit
for 360 credits
International
£17,000
a year
EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, as well as Irish nationals, may be eligible for the UK tuition fee rate.
Financial support
Subject to eligibility, UK students joining this course can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan from the Government to cover the full cost of tuition fees. UK students enrolling on the course may also be eligible to apply for additional funding to help with living costs.
Scholarships
We offer a range of scholarships, which celebrate the determination, commitment and achievement of our students. Many of our scholarships are awarded automatically. There are some however, where you will need to be involved in an application or nomination process. To find out more about our scholarships and check your eligibility, please visit our dedicated scholarships pages.
Money Matters
Please view the relevant Money Matters guide for comprehensive information about the financial support available to eligible UK students.
EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme may be eligible to apply for financial support. Irish nationals can ordinarily apply to Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI). If you are an EU student who does not have settled or pre-settled status, or are an international student from a non-EU country, please see our international student finance pages.
Course changes
Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this information, however our courses are subject to ongoing review and development. Changing circumstances may necessitate alteration to, or the cancellation of, courses.
Changes may be necessary to comply with the requirements of professional bodies, revisions to subject benchmarks statements, to keep courses updated and contemporary, or as a result of student feedback. We reserve the right to make variations if we consider such action to be necessary or in the best interests of students.
