Professional Policing with Foundation Year
About this course
The police constable is the heartbeat of effective policing and this degree will give you all the knowledge required to start a career in this role. The course would also suit those who have an interest in other areas within the wider policing area, such as local government, civil service, the Home Office and risk management, amongst many others. This College of Policing accredited course offers a policing standard, knowledge-based examination of policing challenges and criminal justice processes and will help you to be able to make an informed choice about your future career destination within policing.
This course is offered as a four-year programme. The Foundation Year will allow you to develop your academic study skills and build confidence in your abilities, identifying your own strengths and development needs for progression onto an undergraduate programme.
**Why study this subject?**
The College of Policing has indicated the qualifications to be a police officer include having a recognised apprenticeship or a degree, and our Professional Policing degree meets the requirements for the latter of these choices. Upon graduating from this degree, you’ll be able to join any police force in England and Wales within 5 years to put into practice the knowledge that you have learnt throughout your time with us.
**Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?**
We’ve designed this pre-join course to help you become part of the exciting and demanding policing sector. Throughout the course you’ll hear from experienced practitioners delivering guest talks that cover contemporary policing topics and what they’ve experienced in their careers.
You will be able to jump straight into the heart of policing matters with a programme that champions an ethical, values-based approach to policing through a high-quality, evidence-based educational course that encourages personal reflection and critical thinking whilst preparing learners for employability and continual professional development. The curriculum for this degree is rigorously mapped against the national learning standards defined by the College of Policing that have been identified as critical to 21st century policing.
**What facilities can I use?**
You’ll get to hone your professional skills in our Police Code of Practice Suite. This regularly updated facility includes a mock bedsit, custody desk and suspect interview room, as well as adjoining seminar rooms with a live audio and video feed. You’ll observe and understand theory by practising core policing processes such as arrest and interview of suspects, and searching premises, in a safe, controlled environment.
**What will I study?**
The curriculum for this degree has been rigorously mapped against the national learning standards defined by the College of Policing ensuring that our teaching is up-to-date and in line with the current policing landscape.
In year one, you will be introduced to the significant legal and ethical responsibilities of a police constable through a thorough introduction of core professional policing principles. You will examine theoretical criminological concepts with a focus on practical application, alongside the growth of ‘plural policing’.
In year two, you will cover topics such as community policing, risk, professional standards and public protection which will guide you towards ever more ethical professional policing practice. You’ll develop your understanding of more complex and serious criminal investigations, as well as operational policing priorities.
In year three, you will explore complex and strategic policing issues, alongside operational policing challenges that front-line policing teams are typically responding to, and the conduct of ethical criminal investigations including the moral and legal considerations. You will also get to undertake a research policing project.
Modules
**Foundation year**
Ways of Learning about the Social World
Preparing for Success Knowledge and Creativity
Preparing for Success Self-development and Responsibility
Inquiry Based Learning
**Year one**
**Core Modules**
Introduction to Professional Policing
Criminal Justice Legislation
Professional Policing Standards
Pluralised Policing
Policing Processes
Policing Concepts
**Year two**
**Core Modules**
Professional Standards and Community Policing
Public Protection
Operational Decisions, Risk & Crime
Operational Policing Priorities, Performance and Delivery
Evidence Based Policing
Evidence Based Policing Research Methods
**Year one**
**Core Modules**
Conducting ethical criminal investigations – best practice
Conducting ethical criminal investigations - professionalisation
Operational policing challenges
The strategic context of policing & complex challenge
Evidence-based policing research project – preparation and implementation
Assessment methods
Modules are delivered through a blended learning approach comprised of:
lectures
seminars
simulated role play type scenarios carried out in our Police Code of Practice Suite
research-based activities
classroom-based discussion
individual tutorials
workshops.
Formative assessment is a key feature of the programme, enabling early feedback to be given on progress and to help students improve their performance. Formative exercises may be conducted as a group or individually and may include poster presentations and simulated tasks within our Police Code of Practice Suite.
Academic achievement will normally be demonstrated through completion of pieces of coursework such as essays, reports, presentations, portfolios and projects, or by sitting formal examinations and time-constrained assessments.
The University also has a dedicated academic skills centre, Student Learning and Achievement, which can provide additional support in areas such as presentations skills, time-management, academic reading, referencing or academic writing, research for essay preparation and how to prepare effectively for examinations in addition to being assigned a personal tutor from the academic team.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
Extra funding
Buckinghamshire New University offers a range of bursaries and scholarships. For more information, please visit https://www.bucks.ac.uk/study/fees-and-funding/financial-support-bursaries-and-scholarships
The Uni
Buckinghamshire New University
School of Aviation and Security
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Law
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Law
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
Law graduates tend to go into the legal industry, and they usually take similar routes. Jobs are competitive — often very competitive - but starting salaries are good and high fliers can earn serious money - starting on over £24k in London on average. Be aware though - some careers, especially as barristers, can take a while to get into, and the industry is changing as the Internet, automation and economic change all have an effect, If you want to qualify to practise law, you need to take a professional qualification — many law graduates then go on to law school. If you want to go into work, then a lot of law graduates take trainee or paralegal roles and some do leave the law altogether, often for jobs in management, finance and the police force. A small proportion of law graduates also move into another field for further study. Management, accountancy and teaching are all popular for these career changers, so if you do take a law degree and decide it’s not for you, there are options.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Law
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£22k
£25k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
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Graduate field commentary:
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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