Everything you need to know...
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What is the fee?
Home: See fees section below
International/EU: £17,155 per year -
How long will I study?
3 / 4 Years
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Where will I study?
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What are the entry requirements?
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What is the UCAS code?
B005
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When do I start?
September 2025
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Placement year available?
Yes
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.
Come to an open day
Visit us to learn more about our gold-rated teaching and why we were awarded the highest possible rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework.
How you learn
At Sheffield Hallam, all our courses are designed to engage you with the world and challenge you to think in new ways. You’ll get to collaborate with others, and you’ll be taught in a supportive environment where 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.
You learn through:
- Online lectures
- Seminars and workshops on campus
- Online support through Hallam's virtual learning environment
- Teaching input from policing experts
- Peer support
- Self-reflection
- Guided reading
- Student presentations
- Individual student reflection on learning
- Exams, presentations and reports
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.
Course Support
You’ll be supported in your learning journey towards highly skilled, graduate level employment through several key areas. These include:
- Access to our unique student support triangle to help with your personal, academic and career development.
- Access to our Skills Centre with one to ones, webinars and online resources
- Engagement in societies that support your academic journey with students across the subject group.
- Consideration of your next steps following your degree, accessing information and support linked to employability and criminal justice.
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.
Future careers
This course prepares you for a career in:
- Police services
- The criminal justice system
- Criminology and law-related careers
- Public service
- Investigations
- Intelligence
- Data analysis
- Social justice
- Victim support
- Civil service and local government
- Voluntary work
- Research
Previous graduates of this course have gone on to work for:
- Greater Manchester Police and other Police forces
- The Probation Service
- Teaching within education
*Completion of this degree does not guarantee employment as a police officer or police staff
Where will I study?
You study at City Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.
City Campus
City Campus is located in the heart of Sheffield, within minutes of the train and bus stations.
City Campus map | City Campus tour
Adsetts library
Adsetts Library is located on our City Campus. It's open 24 hours a day, every day.
Learn moreEquipment and facilities
Our seminar teaching is conducted in small teaching rooms while lectures are delivered online.
You’ll have access to:
- Innovative digital teaching and learning platforms and apps
- Specialist software
- Data analysis packages
- Data collection tools
We’ve invested over £100m in new facilities to help you study how and when you want. This means 24-hour libraries and study spaces designed by our students.
Entry requirements
All students
UCAS points
- 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.
You can find information on making sense of UCAS tariff points here and use the UCAS tariff calculator to work out your points.
GCSE
- English Language grade C/4 or above.
- Mathematics grade C/4 or above.
Access: at least 45 credits at level 3 from a relevant Open College Network accredited course.
For students whose first language is not English, IELTS 6.5 is required in reading and writing with a minimum of 5.5 in all other skills. If your English language skill is currently below IELTS 6.5 we recommend you consider a Sheffield Hallam University Pre-sessional English course which will enable you to achieve an equivalent English score.
We consider other qualifications from the UCAS tariff. Applicants with alternative qualifications or a combination of qualifications and work experience are also considered. This must show that the applicant would benefit from, and has the potential to, complete the course successfully. Decisions regarding non-standard entrants will be considered on an individual basis by the Programme Leader. Applications are welcomed from people of any age. We also accept applicants who may have prior certificated credit or prior experiential credit (APCL/APEL) although with regard to the PJD this is likely to be limited in nature.
It is important to emphasise that completion of this degree does not guarantee employment as a police officer or police staff.
Every police force in England and Wales sets its own recruitment process and selection policy, and entry requirements vary from force to force. Candidates are advised to check their eligibility against the force website, this may assist in deciding whether to undertake the pre-join Degree course and/or pursue a career in policing.
The recruitment process to study for the pre-join Degree is separate to the recruitment process for joining a force.
Additional information for EU/International students
If you are an International or non-UK European student, you can find out more about the country specific qualifications we accept on our international qualifications page.
For details of English language entry requirements (IELTS), please see the information for 'All students'.
Modules
Important notice: The structure of this course is periodically reviewed and enhanced to provide the best possible learning experience for our students and ensure ongoing compliance with any professional, statutory and regulatory body standards. Module structure, content, delivery and assessment may change, but we expect the focus of the course and the learning outcomes to remain as described above. Following any changes, updated module information will be published on this page.
You will be able to complete a placement year as part of this course. See the modules table below for further information.
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
Year 3
Optional modules
Placement Year
Final year
Compulsory modules
Applied Investigation & Interviewing Skills
Evidence-Based Policing Project
Large Scale Incidents & Specialist Response
Personal & Professional Development
Fees and funding
Home students
Our tuition fees for UK students starting full-time undergraduate study in 2025/26 are regulated by the UK government and are yet to be confirmed. For an indication, our tuition fee for UK students starting full-time undergraduate study in 2024/25 is £9,250 per year.
If you are studying an undergraduate course, postgraduate pre-registration course or postgraduate research course over more than one academic year then your tuition fees may increase in subsequent years in line with Government regulations or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published fees. More information can be found in our terms and conditions under student fees regulations.
International students
Our tuition fee for International/EU students starting full-time study in 2025/26 is £17,155 per year.
Financial support for home/EU students
How tuition fees work, student loans and other financial support available.
Additional course costs
The links below allow you to view estimated general course additional costs, as well as costs associated with key activities on specific courses. These are estimates and are intended only as an indication of potential additional expenses. Actual costs can vary greatly depending on the choices you make during your course.
General course additional costs
Additional costs for Sheffield Institute of Law and Justice (PDF, 141.3KB)Legal information
Any offer of a place to study is subject to your acceptance of the University’s Terms and Conditions and Student Regulations.
