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Bachelor of Criminology

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.

Elective - Year 1 topics#

Select 13.5 units from the following suggested elective topics or any other Level 1 elective topics from across the University where requisites are met:

 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) elective 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)

Elective - Year 2 topics

Select 18 units from the following suggested elective topics or any other Level 2 elective topics from across the University where requisites are met:

 BUSN2034  Interpersonal Skills for Professionals  (4.5 units)
 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: Policy Design  (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)

Elective - Year 3 topics

Select 27 units from the following suggested elective topics or any other Level 3 elective topics from across the University where requisites are met:

  CRIM2206  Cybercrime and Society  (4.5 units)
  CRIM3011  Current Issues in Criminal Justice  (4.5 units)
  CRIM3020  Victims of Crime  (4.5 units)
  CRIM3021  Industry Project: Crime and Justice  (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)
  GOVT3001  Critical Approaches to International Relations  (4.5 units)
  GOVT3002  Digital Governance, Cyber Security & the Future of Democracy  (4.5 units)
  HIST3005  The Holocaust  (4.5 units)
  ITAL3215  The Italian Mafia: Origin and Representations  (4.5 units)
  LLAW3256  Socio-Legal Theory  (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:

Every effort has been made to ensure the information published on the Course Rule pages is accurate at the time of publication. Flinders University reserves the right to amend its curriculum without prior notice, and will update the Course Rules to reflect any amendments at the earliest opportunity.

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