Policing and Investigation (Distance Learning)

Overview
Explore and analyse areas critical to policing and investigation – such as criminal justice, intelligence, major crime and public protection – that you can use to:

• qualify for the degree-holder entry programme to the police service in England or Wales

• level up from your current role to a senior or specialised role

• develop or enhance your general academic interest in policing and criminal investigation

This BSc (Hons) Policing and Investigation degree course is a part-time, distance learning course, which you can study around your other commitments, anywhere that suits you.

It's open to anyone with an interest in how policing works and the theory of investigation. If you're planning a career in policing, criminal justice or related areas (such as investigation, police oversight bodies, or financial investigation in banking), you'll develop the practical skills you'll need in your future career.

If you’re already a serving police officer, this relevant and flexible degree will enable you to enhance your contribution to your organisation, increasing your potential to level up in a new role and achieve a higher salary.

Course highlights

• Transform a passion for the criminal justice system into a rewarding career, with optional modules to suit your ambitions such as cybercrime, forensic psychology, contemporary terrorism and rehabilitation

• Have the freedom to choose a final year project topic that suits your career goals – previous students have focused on areas including human trafficking, domestic abuse, terrorism, county lines drug trafficking and the retention of special constables

• Be taught by leading academics from the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, whose research areas include forensic interviewing and science, economic crime and cybercrime

• Have the chance to use on-the-job experience as proof of relevant prior learning to complete the course quicker

Careers and opportunities

Society relies on the police force, and those that study effective policing, to keep communities safe.

This means there will always be a demand for the skills you develop on this course – whether you're just starting out, upskilling in your current role or planning to put your skills and knowledge to use through consultancy, investigation or research.

Careers in the police

If you want a career in the police in England or Wales, this degree qualifies you for one of the College of Policing’s entry routes to the police service.

If you're planning to stay with your current force after graduating, you could use this degree course to secure a more senior or specialised role.

But you could also apply the skills and knowledge you develop on this course to any number of roles across multiple industries. As well as equipping you to become a confident police officer, this course opens up a range of other opportunities.

What areas can you work in with a policing and investigation degree outside the police force?

You could join the public sector, working for organisations including:

• the Probation Service

• the National Crime Agency

• Department for Work and Pensions – investigating fraud

• HMRC– investigating smuggling

You could join the private sector, working for organisations including:

• banks and financial institutions – investigating fraud

• insurance companies – investigating false claims

• legal firms – assisting in legal cases

• loss prevention and private security companies

• private investigation firms

What jobs can you do with a policing and investigation degree?

You could take on various roles, both within and outside the police force, including:

• crime scene investigator

• police staff investigator within the Criminal Investigation Department (CID)

• intelligence analyst and researcher

• private investigator

• security analyst

The University of Portsmouth is passionate about creating career-focused modules that do more than support your studies, they empower your academic journey and prepare you for what comes next.
 
We design modules that have:
 
• Clear themes and skills development as you progress through each year
• Assessments that feel meaningful, often based on real-world tasks rather than isolated exams
• Career-enhancing opportunities such as placements, live projects, enterprise and volunteering
 
For a full list of the modules you will study on this course, please visit the link to the course page.

https://www.port.ac.uk/study/courses/undergraduate/bsc-hons-policing-and-investigation#modules

You’ll be assessed through essays and reports, with essay titles provided at the beginning of the academic year. You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.

You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.

The way you're assessed may depend on the modules you select. As a guide, students on this course last year were typically assessed as follows:

Stage 1 students: 100% by coursework
Stage 2 students: 100% by coursework
Stage 3 students: 100% by coursework