Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice

Are you interested in crime and justice? Study Criminology & Criminal Justice at UNSW to examine the complex nature of crime, why people commit it and how society and the criminal justice system respond to it.

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. You’ll develop an understanding of historical and current issues, including drug and alcohol policy, sexual violence, organised crime and Indigenous over-incarceration. As you learn about policing, criminalisation, alternative systems of justice and crime theory from world-class scholars, you'll develop in-demand skills in qualitative and quantitative research, policy writing and analysis, and critical thinking.

Read about the Faculty Law & Justice.

ATAR Profile: Some UNSW offers were issued based on the UNSW Gateway Early Conditional Offer Scheme with a lower ATAR entry requirement. Refer to the Admissions Information for a complete ATAR profile by degree.

Areas of study

Criminology, social research and policy.

Career opportunities

Graduate career-ready with UNSW Law & Justice’s in-house careers service, dedicated to our students and alumni. The service includes a jobs board and a range of resources, presentations and workshops to maximise your employability.

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.

Our graduates work in diverse roles across criminal justice and related sectors, including research and policy across federal, state and local government, crime prevention, community safety, intelligence, law enforcement, corrective services, customs and border security, insurance and banking, and justice focused NGOs.

Practical experience

Translate what you learn in the classroom into practice. You’ll go beyond lectures through a range of experiential learning opportunities such as real-world case studies, visiting courts and prisons and hearing first-hand from the people involved in the justice system through guest presenters and other engagement opportunities. Alongside critical skills in research and policy, we have built career-readiness training into each level of our program. Our customisable internships and Work-Integrated Learning opportunities give you real-world experience as you study, ensuring you graduate ready to excel in your career.

Work-integrated Learning: Undertake an internship with a range of criminal justice agencies and not-for-profits through our Criminology Work-Integrated Learning Placement course. Opportunities include work experience placements with NSW Police, Corrective Services NSW, Department of Justice, Youth Justice, and various NGOs working with at-risk and criminal justice-involved people.

Honours

Available as an additional year to high achieving students.

Double degrees: Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice can be combined with 422403 Bachelor of Social Work (Hons), or 426000 Bachelor of Laws.

Fees and charges

Refer to UNSW current fee information.