The Bachelor of Criminology requires three years of full-time study (or the equivalent part-time). The course is offered by the College of Business, Government and Law.
Students wishing to continue on to Honours may apply for admission to the Bachelor of Criminology (Honours), provided they meet the admission requirements.
Admission requirements
The minimum requirements for consideration for entry to all undergraduate courses are specified in detail in the University Entry Requirements.
Course aims
The course aims to provide students with:
- a broad understanding of criminological theory and its application in criminal justice contexts;
- the skill of applying criminological knowledge in educational and professional settings;
- the ability to communicate effectively in justice-related contexts;
- the skills of working independently and collaboratively in projects of criminological significance;
- an appreciation of the ways that ethical behaviour improves justice outcomes;
- an understanding of concepts central to the structure and functioning of a just society, such as rights, laws, freedom, power and rules;
- an overview of how modern society works, as well as different conceptions of justice;
- the skills to research and analyse social issues and assess proposals for social change;
- a specific understanding of social policy, including how public policy is developed, implemented, reviewed and reformed within society.
Learning outcomes
Upon graduating, students will be able to demonstrate:
- a comprehensive understanding of both classic and contemporary criminological theories;
- a nuanced understanding of the ways that criminal justice systems function to deliver justice both in Australia and abroad;
- the ability to apply criminological knowledge in educational and professional settings;
- the ability to communicate effectively in justice-related contexts;
- the skills of working independently and collaboratively in projects of criminological significance;
- an appreciation of the ways that ethical behaviour improves justice outcomes;
- the ability to connect across boundaries, having been exposed to international perspectives, case studies and examples in the curriculum;
- an understanding of the function of justice representatives in contemporary society;
- an ability to reason and argue clearly;
- an understanding of complex positions and their implications;
- an ability to recognise and resolve issues involving values;
- the skills required to understand and constructively criticise contemporary life.
Program of study
To qualify for the Bachelor of Criminology, a student must complete 108 units with a grade of P or NGP or better in each topic, according to the program of study detailed below.
No more than 45 units of First Year level topics may be included in the 108 units for the degree.
Not all topics are necessarily available in a given year.
Core - Year 1 topics
22.5 units comprising
COMS1001 Academic and Professional Communication (4.5 units)*
CRIM1101 Crime and Criminology (4.5 units)
CRIM1102 Criminal Justice System (4.5 units)
LEGL1201 Law in Australian Society (4.5 units)
SOCI1001 Issues in Sociology (4.5 units)
* Under certain conditions the core topic COMS1001 may be replaced with an alternative topic. See COMS1001 for further details.
Option - Year 1 topics#
Choose 13.5 units from:
HIST1704 History's Killing Fields (4.5 units)
INNO1001 Innovative and Creative Thinking: Recognising Opportunities (4.5 units)
POLI1003 Introduction to Democracy and Government (4.5 units)
GOVT1001 Fundamentals of Public Policy (4.5 units)
PSYC1101 Psychology 1A (4.5 units)
PSYC1102 Psychology 1B (4.5 units)
#Students who want to study Psychology (PSYC) option topics in year 2 must enrol in both PSYC1101 and PSYC1102 in year 1.
Core - Year 2 topics
18 units comprising
CRIM2201 Punishment and Society (4.5 units)
CRIM2202 Policing and Society (4.5 units)
CRIM2301 Criminal Law in Context (4.5 units)
CRIM2205 Basics of Research Design and Methods (4.5 units)
Option - Year 2 topics
Select 18 units from:
CRIM2206 Cybercrime and Society (4.5 units)
CRIM2304 Violent Crime (4.5 units)
FACH1701 Introduction to Forensic Science (4.5 units)
HIST2043 Terrorism and Society in Modern Europe (4.5 units)
INDG2004 Reconciliation and Indigenous Knowledges (4.5 units)
LEGL2117 Crimes Against Populations (4.5 units)
POLI2011 Australian Public Policy: Applications, Issues and Dilemmas (4.5 units)
PSYC2019 Personality and Social Psychology (4.5 units)
PSYC2021 Human Development (4.5 units)
WMST2015 Sex, Gender and the Law (4.5 units)
Core - Year 3 topics
9 units comprising:
CRIM3401 Criminology in Practice (4.5 units)
CRIM3402 Advanced Research Methods and Analysis (4.5 units)
Option - Year 3 topics
Select 27 units from:
CRIM2206 Cybercrime and Society (4.5 units)
CRIM3011 Current Issues in Criminal Justice (4.5 units)
CRIM3203 Corporate Crime (4.5 units)
CRIM3301 Crime, Law and Trauma (4.5 units)
CRIM3302 International Criminal Justice (4.5 units)
CRIM3303 Psychology, Crime and the Law (4.5 units)
CRIM3304 Criminal Networks (4.5 units)
CRIM3306 Encountering Crime (4.5 units)
ITAL3215 The Italian Mafia: Origin and Representations (4.5 units)
LLAW3256 Socio-Legal Theory (4.5 units)
LLAW3271 Miscarriages of Justice - Australia, Canada, Britain (4.5 units)
POLI3010 Advanced Perspectives on Public Policy (4.5 units)
POLI3103 Politics and the internet (4.5 units)
Honours
A student who has completed all the requirements of the Bachelor of Criminology, or another qualification which the Dean (Education) agrees is equivalent, may be accepted as a candidate for the honours degree providing a sufficiently high standard has been achieved in fulfilling the requirements for the Bachelor degree.
Refer to Bachelor of Criminology (Honours)
Combined degrees
The Bachelor of Criminology may also be studied in a combined degrees program with a:
