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Professional Policing

Entry requirements


Access: at least 45 credits at level 3 from a relevant Open College Network accredited course.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

English Language grade C or above. Mathematics grade C or above.

UCAS Tariff

112-120

This must include at least 64 points from two A levels or equivalent BTEC National qualifications excluding general studies. For example: BBC-BBB at A Level including a grade C in a relevant subject. DDM in BTEC Extended Diploma in a relevant subject. Merit overall from a T Level Qualification A combination of qualifications which must include a relevant subject and may include AS levels, EPQ and general studies.

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Policing

**Please check the Sheffield Hallam University website for the latest information.**

**Course summary**

- Join a course that’s licensed by the College of Policing.

- Learn from experienced policing professionals and academics.

- Make a positive impact at our Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice.

- Develop practical skills and theoretical knowledge for twenty-first century policing.

- Engage in lawful, safe, and effective front-line policing, exploring ethical practices, human rights and justice.

On this course, you’ll prepare for the fast-moving world of policing. Following a specially developed curriculum licensed by the College of Policing, you’ll study a wide range of theoretical and legislative subjects to help you develop into an excellent applicant for a career in policing.

**How you learn**

All our courses are designed around a set of key principles based on engaging you with the world, collaborating with others, challenging you to think in new ways, and providing you with a supportive environment in which you can thrive.

You’ll learn from expert academics who have a breadth of knowledge and experience in professional policing and criminal justice – and who are active in scholarly and professional multi-disciplinary research and practice.

You’ll learn in our internationally-recognised research centre, the Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice – with opportunities to benefit from collaboration with local, national and international policing partners.

**Key Themes**

As the curriculum aligns to the College of Policing knowledge base for Professional Policing, you’ll study topics relating to core policing practices while engaging in professional development. You’ll also focus on key areas linked to policing – including counter terrorism, digital policing and modern slavery.

During the course you’ll gain industry experience by working with policing and criminal justice partners and placements opportunities.

**Applied learning**

Throughout the course, you’ll have the opportunity to apply your developing knowledge of policing to police practice – with class-based activities, professional projects and engagement with policing professionals.

**Work Placements**

You’ll have the opportunity to arrange a year-long work placement in between your second and third years. This gives you valuable work experience to prepare you for your future career – and allows you to graduate with an Applied Professional Diploma to add to your CV.

You’ll also be encouraged to seek work-based opportunities through membership of the Special Constabulary, as well as other virtual and in-person voluntary opportunities, in our local area and across the globe.

**Live Projects**

We have strong relationships with local and national criminal justice stakeholders – including the police, probation service and third sector agencies. They support learning and knowledge generation in Sheffield and the South Yorkshire region through our local, national and international networks.

These professional links enable us to provide opportunities for you to undertake a range of live research projects, and to learn about police practice with professionals from across the world. These opportunities include international placements, as well as incoming and outgoing international study tours.

**Networking Opportunities**

You’ll have the opportunity to network with professionals through seminars, internal and external speaker programmes, our student-led policing society, and our guest lecture programme. These opportunities include working within The Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice on local, national and international events and activities.

The course also offers opportunities to learn about policing in other countries through our partnerships in the United States, India and Brazil – plus the regular engagements we host between practitioners, policy-makers and our academic community.

Modules

Module and assessment information for future years is displayed as currently validated and may be liable to change. When selecting electives, your choices will be subject to the core requirements of the course. As a result, selections may be limited to a choice between one of two or more specified electives in some instances.

**Year 1**

**Compulsory modules**

Operational Policing: Counter Terrorism & Digital Policing
Police Problem-Solving
Professional & Academic Skills In Policing
The Role Of Police Officers, Operational Powers & Legislation

**Year 2**

**Compulsory modules**

Applied Police Problem-Solving
Applying Academic & Professional Standards In Policing
Operational Policing: Core Policing Practice
Operational Policing: Vulnerability & Risk

**Final year**

**Compulsory modules**

Applied Investigation & Interviewing Skills
Evidence-Based Policing Project
Large Scale Incidents & Specialist Response
Personal & Professional Development

Assessment methods

Coursework, Exam, Practical

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£16,655
per year
International
£16,655
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

Extra funding

Scholarships, discounts and bursaries may be available to students who study this course.

The Uni


Course location:

Sheffield Hallam University

Department:

College of Social Sciences and Arts

Read full university profile

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.

74%
Policing

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

73%
Staff make the subject interesting
79%
Staff are good at explaining things
71%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
73%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

72%
Library resources
78%
IT resources
83%
Course specific equipment and facilities
57%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

100%
UK students
0%
International students
59%
Male students
41%
Female students
74%
2:1 or above
11%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

D
C
D

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.

£17,000
low
Average annual salary
94%
low
Employed or in further education
42%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

31%
Legal associate professionals
8%
Public services and other associate professionals
6%
Customer service occupations

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.

£18k

£18k

£21k

£21k

£26k

£26k

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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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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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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