The course will help to develop your critical thinking about policing, policy and practice through complementary modules encompassing the theory and principles of operational policing, legislation and police powers, structured interviewing skills and much more. To develop these skills, you will be involved in practical activities, events and will be exposed to a range of guest speakers. These speakers will be from a range of criminal justice and public sector agencies as well as police officers of all operational levels.

The course will utilise a range of exciting and innovative forms of assessment which match the working practices within policing. You will also be supported in applications for job roles within policing and will have opportunities to take part in mock assessment centres, fitness and team building exercises. You will take part in mock criminal investigations and be required to create relevant paperwork and understand current legislation and police powers in practice.

You will also benefit from a working arrangement between the university and West Midlands Police (WMP). The organisation has agreed to support with the training of 25 special constables both within the service settings and on campus. WMP will provide support and guidance through both the assessment and training stages so as to ensure you feel capable and equipped to face a variety of incidents and issues. You will be encourage to participate in a range of work within a variety of regional forces to improve subject knowledge and understanding.

This course will combine all of these elements together while offering you the opportunity to take part in a work placement which could be within a variety of areas in the field community safety and criminal justice. You will be encouraged to take part in to visit courts, police training establishments and prisons.

The course will develop a professional focus and real world experience, ensuring that when you gradate you are equipped to make an impact in your chosen career. The course teaching team will also provide additional support sessions to refresh students on academic and research skills so as to ensure students are fully prepared to carry out independent research projects throughout the course.

The course will also discuss the international dimension to law enforcement and how criminal activities are not just domestic in their construction. Module content will explore this in greater detail and through the use of guest lecturers from around the world, the professional relationships between various policing agencies around the world will be discussed.

Successful attainment of the BSc in Professional Policing does not in itself provide any guarantee of recruitment as a trainee Police Constable. Each police force within England and Wales sets out its own recruitment process and selection policy and entry requirements vary from force to force. You are therefore strongly advised to check the specific requirements of their chosen force prior to undertaking study. It is also important to contact local force areas and the college of policing to ensure that you are fully familiar with the eligibility criteria and any barriers which may inhibit you becoming a police officer. 

The BSc in Professional Policing is an academic knowledge-based degree, based upon the national curriculum for the police constable role. It will provide you with an entry route into policing if you wish to study before you apply to join a police force.

Your education will continue in force if you become a probationary police constable (see below). If you wish to use a pre-join degree as your entry route to the police service, you must apply to join a police force within five years of your graduation.

The pre-join degree may also be of interest or benefit to those considering a career in other roles within policing, for those seeking to understand how society is policed, for those who have an interest in law enforcement or for those want to enter the wider justice sector.