Professional Policing BSc Hons | University of Chester

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Course Summary

This course is a national pre-join degree licensed by the Policing Professional Body, the College of Policing. The course is delivered by subject-matter experts and experienced practitioners (including retired police officers) with a wealth of subject expertise to prepare you with key transferable skills required for the role of Police Constable.

Getting into any of the 43 Police Forces in England and Wales has changed and is something to consider if you are thinking of pursuing a career as a Police Officer. Since 2020, you need a professional educational qualification to be confirmed in post, as a Police Constable.

On our course, you will cover all the learning content of the College of Policing’s Degree in Professional Policing, as well as receive additional detailed inputs on specialist subjects like Counter Terrorism and Digital Crime. You will gain a grounded knowledge of the key aspects of policing like legislation, police powers, and investigative interviewing skills.

Our excellent simulation facilities for role-play scenarios will allow you to put your knowledge into practice in a safe learning environment. Our Policing Skills Labs comprise an immersive learning suite, interview rooms, crime scene houses, road policing scenarios, a custody office, and a mock courtroom.

Through our relationships with police colleagues, we can help you obtain an opportunity to apply to be a special constable, allowing you to put your knowledge and skills into practice with on-the-job experience, and providing evidence to support your CV.

Why you'll Love it

Authentic assessments

A female and male are standing outside in police line.

Teaching, Facilities and Location

Role play activities and Learning facilities

Police woman walking alongside crowds in street during pride parade.

BSc (Hons) Degree in Professional Policing

BSc Degree in Professional Policing at the University of Chester

What you'll Study

This degree is designed to give you the skills and abilities you will need to progress in a career in policing and wider law enforcement.

You will study a wide range of modules that give you a thorough understanding of the key areas of policing with practical employability skills appropriate for a career in a Police force or wider law enforcement agencies such as the National Crime Agency.

The first year of study is designed to provide students with the knowledge and practical skills required to become a Special Constable if they so wish. Students will study criminal law and police powers and procedures. In addition they will gain invaluable knowledge in relation to intelligence, road traffic policing and response policing

The second year of the degree builds upon this knowledge studying evidence-based policing, criminology theory and community policing. There is also a practical-based module where students will investigate a crime from the initial report to giving evidence in court. This includes investigative interviewing, investigation skills, forensics and intelligence gathering and understanding.

In the third year of study, students will study digital policing and leadership skills together with undertaking an academic project in an area of policing or law enforcement that they are interested in or an area of policing in which they wish to pursue as a career. There is a final module where they will apply skills, abilities and experiences they have gained throughout the degree to investigate a complex criminal investigation.

The University is licensed by the College of Policing, the professional body of the police, to deliver the professional degree course which is one of the pathways into a police force. However, the skills and abilities you will gain provide a wide range of employment opportunities and potential in law enforcement and wider employment.

The information listed in this section is an overview of the academic content of the course that will take the form of either core or option modules and should be used as a guide. We review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects. If during a review process, course content is significantly changed, we will contact you to notify you of these changes if you receive an offer from us.

This course is taught in three terms of ten weeks each.

Scheduled contact hours will be approximately 12 hours per week. Teaching takes place on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.

This course is delivered with the majority being in-person learning, however, there may be elements of online learning. Students can expect to take part in lectures, workshops and peer-led seminars.

Students should expect to spend an average of 10-20 hours per week on independent study which might include following asynchronous learning material on the University’s VLE, tutorial time with staff, using the University’s library, working with peers and preparing work for assessment.

Teaching will be delivered by experienced academics and practitioners in the subject. This will be supplemented by occasional guest lecturers and speakers.

The assessment strategy for this course was developed in accordance with the requirements of the College of Policing to provide students with the necessary skills, abilities and experience to be an effective candidate for the Police.

Students will be assessed using a variety of methods, incorporating practical elements where applicable. Formative and summative assessments have been designed to authentically reflect professional policing through the production of material utilised within policing, thereby developing effective and robust transferable skills in graduates.

Some of the assessments include:

coursework in the form of essays
academic posters
presentation
witness /suspect interviews
investigative decision logs
conducting a stop/search
a road traffic collision
and giving evidence in a courtroom.

The assessment methods are continuously reviewed so that they reflect the requirements of the College of Policing. They are created so that the teaching on this course adequately prepares students for graduate-level employment.

All teaching is delivered by experienced academics and practitioners, with the fundamental principles of the Chester Future Skills Curriculum at its core - building your subject competence, confidence, and key transferable skills to shape you into a world-ready Chester graduate.

Entry requirements

104UCAS points

UCAS Tariff	104 points
GCE A Level	Typical offer – CCC-BCC
BTEC	BTEC Extended Diploma: DMM
International Baccalaureate	26 points
Irish / Scottish Highers	Irish Highers - H3 H3 H3 H4 H4 Scottish Highers - BBBB
Access requirements	Access to HE Diploma, to include 45 credits at level 3, of which 30 must be at Merit or above
T Level	Pass (C or above on the core)
OCR Cambridge Technicals	OCR Extended Diploma: DMM
Extra Information	Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced and A level General Studies will be recognised in our offer. We will also consider a combination of A Levels and BTECs/OCRs. Students that have been out of education for a while or do not have experience or qualifications at Level 3 (equivalent to A-levels) will be considered on a case-by-case basis and consists of an interview with two members of the IoP to assess suitability to undertake the programme of study. The Police Service seek to represent the community that is serves and as such the University welcomes applications from students from ethnic minority groups who are underrepresented within the police service.

Fees and funding

£9,250per year for a full-time course (2025/26)

Our full-time undergraduate tuition fees for Home students entering University in 2025/26 are £9,250 a year, or £1,540 per 20-credit module for part-time study.

The University may increase these fees at the start of each subsequent year of your course in line with inflation at that time, as measured by the Retail Price Index. These fee levels and increases are subject to any necessary government, and other regulatory, approvals.

Students from the UK, Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey and the Republic of Ireland are treated as Home students for tuition fee purposes.

Students from countries in the European Economic Area and the EU will pay International Tuition Fees.

Students who have been granted Settled Status may be eligible for Home Fee Status and if eligible will be able to apply for Tuition Fee Loans and Maintenance Loans.

Students who have been granted Pre-settled Status may be eligible for Home Fee Status and if eligible will be able to apply for Tuition Fee Loans.

Your course will involve additional costs not covered by your tuition fees. This may include books, printing, photocopying, educational stationery and related materials, specialist clothing, travel to placements, optional field trips and software. Compulsory field trips are covered by your tuition fees.

If you are living away from home during your time at university, you will need to cover costs such as accommodation, food, travel and bills.

Where you'll study Wheeler, Chester

City centre location

On-site library

Social spaces

Your Future Career

Job Prospects

Graduates of this course cover all the learning content of the College of Policing’s Professional Policing Degree, as well as additional inputs on specialist subjects such as Counter Terrorism and Digital Crime all taught by subject matter experts. In essence, you will get a grounded knowledge of the key aspects of policing. This degree prepares you, not only for the role of Police Constable but provides essential transferable for many other diverse roles within the Criminal Justice System for example the National Crime Agency and private industry such as insurance investigators and intelligence analysts etc.

Careers service

The University has an award-winning Careers and Employability service which provides a variety of employability-enhancing experiences; through the curriculum, through employer contact, tailored group sessions, individual information, advice and guidance.

Careers and Employability aims to deliver a service which is inclusive, impartial, welcoming, informed and tailored to your personal goals and aspirations, to enable you to develop as an individual and contribute to the business and community in which you will live and work.

We are here to help you plan your future, make the most of your time at University and to enhance your employability. We provide access to part-time jobs, extra-curricular employability-enhancing workshops and offer practical one-to-one help with career planning, including help with CVs, applications and mock interviews. We also deliver group sessions on career planning within each course and we have a wide range of extensive information covering graduate jobs and postgraduate study.

Degree in Professional Policing BSc (Hons)