Bachelor of Criminology & Criminal Justice

The UNSW Bachelor of Criminology & Criminal Justice is a three-year full-time, or six-year part-time equivalent, undergraduate degree designed to critically explore the causes of crime, deviance, criminal behaviour, social control and the legal system.

This degree looks at the big picture of crime by bringing together cross-faculty knowledge from the School of Law, Society and Criminology and School of Social Sciences. Through innovative teaching that focuses on real-world case studies and experiences outside the classroom, you’ll gain critical insights into all aspects of the justice system.

Criminology and criminal justice are growing fields with increasing opportunities to create change in communities affected by crime and the social structures and systems in place that influence and respond to it. You’ll develop an understanding of historical and current issues, including drug policy, sexual and alcohol-related violence, organised crime and Indigenous mass incarceration. You’ll also learn about key institutions of criminal justice including the police, courts and prison, and the impact they have in the community.

You’ll graduate with interdisciplinary skills applicable to a diverse range of career opportunities in government agencies, private corporations and the education sector. You’ll learn to think expansively about issues and develop skills such as ethical and social responsibility, policy analysis and research methods that are critical to success across many fields.

As a criminologist, you can apply your skills to make a difference in crime prevention, law enforcement, corrective services, terrorism, cybercrime, policy design and more.

The Bachelor of Criminology & Criminal Justice integrates career readiness training through our Criminology Capstone course, Criminology in Practice, alongside mentoring programs, job-seeking modules, and professional career support opportunities. In this course, you’ll draw together key concepts, themes and debates in criminology and apply them to current issues. You’ll graduate with a portfolio of work that touches on eight current themes within criminology.

Potential careers

Research and analysis
Policy design and advising
Project management
Crime prevention
Courts and Corrective Services
Federal and State Police
Security and intelligence
Insurance
Finance
Risk assessment and management