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Course code C25

Associate Degree in Criminology and Justice

Creative thinkers made here.

Creative thinkers made here.

Why study at ECU?

Important

This course is not offered for study on-campus to international students with a student visa.

About this Course

Adopts a contemporary approach to the education of practitioners in the areas of policing and corrections.

Students will develop an understanding of the theory and research that informs policing practice and offender management, as well as excellent academic literacy skills, including cultural awareness. The course facilitates students' practical skills and provides opportunities to apply learning.

Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) level

This course has been accredited by ECU as an AQF Level 6 Associate Degree Award.

Course code C25

Entry requirements

70 Indicative ATAR

ECU admission and English language requirements apply.

See Course Entry for further information.

Fees

Commonwealth supported - estimated 1st year indicative fee AUD $16,350

See Fees and Scholarships for further information.

Duration

2 years full-time or part-time equivalent

See Course Details for further information.

Availability & Campus

Location Semester 1 Semester 2
Joondalup FT PT FT PT
Mount Lawley
South West
Online FT PT FT PT
*FT = Full-time study PT = Part-time study

Course Entry

Admission requirements you'll need to meet for this course.

  • The following course-specific admission requirements are mandatory and must be satisfied by all applicants. These requirements are in addition to or supersede the minimum requirements outlined within the Academic admission requirements band section below.

    All applicants are required to meet the admission requirements of the Western Australian Police or the Department of Corrective Services. Applicants who have previously completed equivalent police or corrections training in another jurisdiction will be considered for entrance.
    Admission requirements for WA Police can be found at www.stepforward.wa.gov.au.
    Admission requirements for Corrective Services (Community Corrections Officer, Youth Custodial Officer, Youth Justice Officer or Prison Officer) can be found at https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-justice/working-corrections.

    All applicants must meet the academic admission requirements for this course. The indicative or guaranteed ATAR is as published (where applicable) or academic admission requirements may be satisfied through completion of one of the following:

    • AQF Cert IV;
    • Successfully completed 0.25 EFTSL of study at bachelor level or higher at an Australian higher education provider (or equivalent);
    • Undergraduate Certificate;
    • Special Tertiary Admissions Test;*
    • University Preparation Course;*
    • Indigenous University Orientation Course;*
    • Aboriginal University Readiness Assessment; or*
    • Experience Based Entry Scheme.*

    * Further information can be found on the Study course entry page.

    For international students, requirements include your secondary school results.

  • English competency requirements may be satisfied through completion of one of the following:

    • Year 12 English ATAR/English Literature ATAR grade C or better or equivalent;
    • Special Tertiary Admissions Test;*
    • IELTS Academic Overall band minimum score of 6.0 (no individual band less than 6.0);
    • Successfully completed 1.0 EFTSL of study at bachelor level or higher in the UK, Ireland, USA, NZ or Canada;
    • University Preparation Course;
    • Indigenous University Orientation Course;*
    • Aboriginal University Readiness Assessment;*
    • AQF Diploma, Advanced Diploma or Associate Degree;
    • Successfully completed 0.375 EFTSL of study at bachelor level or higher at an Australian higher education provider (or equivalent); or
    • Other tests, courses or programs defined on the English Proficiency Bands page.

    * Further information can be found on the Study course entry page.

Course Details

Semester availability

Semester 1: Study full-time at Joondalup or Online

Semester 1: Study part-time at Joondalup or Online

Semester 2: Study full-time at Joondalup or Online

Semester 2: Study part-time at Joondalup or Online

Course Structure

Year 1 - Semester 1
Unit Code Unit Title Credit Points
CRI1107The Criminal Justice Process15
CRI1103Criminology15
Elective Unitx 115
Elective Unitx 115
Year 1 - Semester 2
Unit Code Unit Title Credit Points
CRI1104The Psychology of Criminal Behaviour15
CRI1208Research Methods I15
CRI2103 ^Correctional Studies - Theory and Practice15
or
CRI2201 ^Critical Aspects of Policing15
and
Elective Unitx 115
Year 2 - Semester 1
Unit Code Unit Title Credit Points
CRI2115Psychology and Criminal Justice15
CRI2110Research Methods II15
CRI3120Aboriginal Australians in the Criminal Justice System15
Elective Unitx 115
Year 2 - Semester 2
Unit Code Unit Title Credit Points
JUS2100 ^Police Academy Practicum
Or
CRI2700 ^Corrective Services Practicum

^ Core Option

C25|5

For more detailed unit information for this course take a look at our Handbook. To organise your life for next semester visit the Teaching timetable.

Student handbook

Course notes

Important course notes

  • Students are required to complete training at the WA Police Academy of the Corrective Services Academy. This training occurs following successful recruitment into WA Police as a police recruit, or through successfully applying for a role in the Department of Justice as an adult or youth custodial officer, a community corrections officer, or a youth justice officer. The recruitment and selection processes are governed by WA Police and the Department of Justice. ECU does not arrange this practicum.

    Upon successful completion of the WA Police Academy or Corrective Services Academy Training, students apply for Recognition for Prior Learning for the practicum unit (either JUS2100 Police Academy Practicum or CRI2700 Corrective Services Academy Practicum), using their completion certificate as evidence.

    Attendance requirements

    For successfully selected students, full-time attendance, Monday to Friday, is required at either training academy. The duration is approximately 12-weeks for the Corrective Services training, and 6-months for the Police Academy training.

    Clearances and/or Risk Management Protocols Required

    Students will be subject to a national police clearance and agency-specific security clearance as part of the application process.

    A placement host may have vaccination and other requirements, including vaccination against Covid-19 unless you have a medical exemption. Students should consider this requirement before enrolling in this Course, and speak with the Course coordinator if this raises any concerns. Students may not be able to complete placement units if you are unable to meet the placement requirements, which may impact their ability to complete this course.

Course learning outcomes

  1. Apply specialised knowledge of criminology and justice issues to relevant technical and theoretical situations.
  2. Critically identify and analyse complex criminology problems.
  3. Creatively express ideas and formulate solutions in criminology situations.
  4. Use digital technologies and literacies to access and use relevant information from multiple sources.
  5. Communicate knowledge of criminology and justice, sharing perspectives and transferring knowledge and skills to others.
  6. Show independent judgement to demonstrate specialist knowledge in contexts that are subject to change.

Fees and Scholarships

Fees

  • AUD $16,350 - Commonwealth supported estimated 1st year indicative fee 1

Note

1 The 'estimated 1st year indicative fee' is provided as a guide only, based on a typical enrolment of students undertaking the first year of this course. At ECU, you pay for the individual units you enrol in, not an overall course fee, so the total cost of your course will vary, depending on what units you choose. An indicative fee will be provided with your course offer, however you can use our Course Fee Calculator to estimate the actual amount you'll need to pay. ECU fees are adjusted annually.

Some units require the payment of a fee for incidental goods or services required to complete those units. For more information and the full list of incidental fees for courses and units, visit What are Incidental Fees.

Scholarships

ECU has a scholarship program that provides many opportunities each year to students undertaking studies here.

Find a scholarship

Career Opportunities

This course links closely with the WA Police Academy and the Department of Corrective Services, giving students the opportunity to participate in relevant practical training and providing a career pathway into policing or corrections. The course also provides a unique career development opportunity for those working in the area of policing, security, public safety, custodial corrections or community corrections. Students are able to apply their existing knowledge of policing and/or offender management to their learning and develop their academic literacy skills with a high level of support. These skills include understanding and applying research, academic writing and critical thinking.

Possible future job titles

Police Officer, Community Corrections Officer, Parole Officer, Youth Justice Officer, Research & Policy Officer, Youth Custodial Officer, Prison Officer

Similar courses to consider

Courses you can consider if you are interested in progressing further in this area.

Need some help deciding what to study?

Our future student events include a mix of on-campus and online sessions designed to help you decide what to study at ECU.

Experiences

Explore your options

This course takes learnings from fields like Psychology, Social Science and Forensics and applies them to the world of crime. ECU Criminology & Justice student Declan Brooks-Crew tells us more.

Quick guide to uni-speak

    • The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is the national regulator of qualifications in the Australian education and training system. The AQF defines the essential characteristics, including the required learning outcomes, of the different types of qualifications issued across the higher education systems in Australia.

    • ATAR is the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank, the primary criterion for entry into most undergraduate university courses in Australia. The ATAR is a percentile score which denotes a student's ranking relative to their state-wide peers upon completion of their secondary education.

    • CRICOS is the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students. A CRICOS code is allocated to education institutions (like ECU) who are approved to recruit, enrol and deliver education to overseas students. Courses with a CRICOS code are available to international students who meet the entry requirements.

    • A major, or unit set, is your chosen area of in-depth study in an undergraduate course. It usually involves 8 units of study, or one-third of the units in a 3-year degree. Talk to your Student Information Office if you need help choosing a major subject.

    • Minors include between 4 and 6 study units in a specific discipline. Not all courses require you to complete a minor. Your minor subject doesn't appear on your printed degree (parchment), but is part of your academic transcript.

    • If you're enrolled in 3 or more units in a semester this is considered full-time study. To complete most 3-year degrees studying full-time you'll need to complete 4 units per semester, i.e. 24 units over 3 years.

    • If a course is available to study part-time you can generally expect it to take twice as long to complete as it would in full-time mode. Part-time students are enrolled in 1 or 2 units maximum per semester.

      Note: International students who hold a student visa can only choose the full-time study option for our courses. This is to ensure the course is completed within the duration of the student visa.

    • Most courses start in Semester 1 each year, usually in the last week of February. Some courses can be started in Semester 2 (we call this mid-year). There's a week of Orientation before each semester to help you get used to uni life.

    • A lot of our courses start in Semester 2 each year, usually in the last week of July. We call this mid-year. There's a week of Orientation beforehand to help you get used to uni life.

    • We use a points system to make it easier for you to understand your study progress. Most Bachelors degree study units are allocated 15 credit points. If you're studying a 3-year full-time degree you'll need to successfully complete 360 credit points - that's 24 units x 15 points per unit.

    • These are compulsory units you have to successfully complete as part of your course.

    • An elective is a unit you choose to study that counts towards your course requirements, but isn't compulsory. For some courses we recommend elective units. In some situations, a course coordinator may approve an elective unit as a replacement for a compulsory one.

Do you have any questions about the Associate Degree in Criminology and Justice?

The Important Things

Things you should know about if you're thinking about studying here.

Course Entry

There's more than one admission pathway into an ECU course. It depends on what you've studied already, or your work or life experience.

Fees & Scholarships

Course tuition fees can change, but we can give you an estimate of your costs. If you're eligible, a scholarship or student loan can help too.

Applying

Applying for a course is a fairly simple process, especially if you have scanned copies of qualifications, your resume or other paperwork, ready to upload.

ECU Experience

Starting a course is an exciting and sometimes daunting time, so we make a massive effort to ensure you get all the support you need to have a positive experience.