Bachelor of Criminology with Honours

Honours in Criminology is an intensive year-long program that enables students to research a topic they are passionate about.

Students will have the opportunity to develop their own original research project and conduct empirical or theoretical research under the guidance of a supervisor who is a specialist in the relevant field.

It is the final year of undergraduate study for most students and provides students with an avenue into postgraduate study or into a career as a professional researcher or academic.

Students who complete honours can demonstrate to future employees that they have important job skills such as the ability to produce high quality work with minimal supervision, the capacity to engage with criminal justice agencies and important project management skills.

Course Aims

The Bachelor of Criminology with Honours is concerned with understanding social constructions of crime and criminality. It provides graduates with a unique opportunity to develop both theoretical and practical skills and an understanding of criminology within a local and international context.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to: produce a 15,000-20,000 word dissertation that demonstrates original thinking, a high level of research skills and the ability to write critically; demonstrate the practical use of criminological research and study within the criminal justice system, through conducting empirical or theoretical research that contributes new knowledge to a particular criminological field of knowledge. Graduates will demonstrate the necessary skills to complete empirical research, and where applicable, will produce an ethics application; demonstrate an ability to understand and critically evaluate criminological and legal literature, including policy and government documents, legislation and media articles. Locate, evaluate and apply information from a variety of academic and non-academic sources in an appropriate manner; and apply advanced academic writing skills and communicate findings in an appropriate form and at an appropriate level.

Graduate Attributes

Knowledge of a Discipline Graduates will have coherent and advanced knowledge of one particular area of criminology that the student has selected to study. They will also appreciate that they are part of a community of scholars and recognise the cultural context of current knowledge. Students will gain a global perspective of their particular area of criminological study when conducting a literature review. Students will be guided by their supervisor to identify important resources that will be used as the basis for their dissertation. This knowledge will then be assessed throughout the degree through a range of written assessment tasks, including the dissertation. Communication Skills Graduates will have high level communication skills and be able to present a clear and coherent exposition of knowledge and ideas to a variety of audiences. Students' communication skills will be enhanced by their supervisor. Students will be required to demonstrate their high level of communication skills when completing ethics applications, contacting potential research participants, conducting empirical research and writing the results in a dissertation. These skills will include oral and written communication skills that are appropriate for students to use within the workplace. Problem Solving Graduates will have cognitive skills to review, analyse, consolidate and synthesise knowledge to identify and provide solutions to complex problems with intellectual independence. With initiative and judgement these skills will enable students to adapt knowledge and skills in diverse contexts. During the course of their studies, students will need to locate, evaluate and apply information from a variety of sources throughout their degree. Students will be taught how to evaluate and interpret information in a useful manner. Students will be assessed on their ability to deconstruct relevant literature and how to integrate theory and literature into their work. Information Literacy Graduates will be directed to relevant criminological literature and taught how to assess its validity. Students will be assessed on their ability to identify relevant literature and on their ability to critically analyse the literature. Ethical Conduct and Social Responsibility Graduates will be aware of their professional responsibilities as a researcher to provide balanced and accurate research and data. In addition, students will be taught that they have a social responsibility to question and challenge some 'facts'. Lifelong Learning The development of intellectual capacity and critical thinking skills will be fostered throughout the honours program. Through completing the assessments and dissertation, students will be provided with the necessary lifelong skills to be able to research, write and discuss social issues. These skills can be transferred to any discipline and will be useful in any research positions. Independence and Collaboration Graduates will be able to exercise responsibility and accountability for their own learning and professional practice as well as the ability to work collaboratively with others within broad parameters. Students will be required to participate in professional, respectful and ethical discussions with their supervisor on issues associated with criminology. In addition, students who will be conducting empirical research will need to work with various criminal justice agencies and practitioners to collect and present their research.