BA (Hons) Professional Policing Bachelor's degree at Sheffield Hallam University
BA (Hons) Professional Policing at SHU is taught in English and leads to a nationally recognised Bachelor's degree. Sheffield Hallam holds Gold for teaching quality in the Office for Students' TEF 2023, reflecting institutional commitment to educational standards.
About this course
<p>Prepare for the fast-paced world of policing in a department that has career development, industry experience, inclusivity and diversity at its heart.<p> From the provider’s course page.
BA (Hons) Professional Policing is a Bachelor's degree (BA (Hons)) at SHU, based in City Campus. It runs 3 years, studied full-time.
For Law graduates from this provider, typical earnings around £25,000. (HESA Graduate Outcomes / LEO, via Discover Uni.)
For the typical curriculum, specialisations, career paths and graduate earnings for Law, see the sections below.
Course evidence score
The arithmetic mean of the official measures available for this course: NSS satisfaction, graduate activity and continuation.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Published threshold met Discover Uni suppresses continuation data below its publication threshold. Cohort 2022-23. Continuation 71% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Curriculum & modules
Real modules published for this course, grouped only where the source gives a year, stage or level.
Year 1 4 modules
- Operational Policing: Counter-Terrorism & Digital PolicingCompulsory40 credits
Module details
This module provides an awareness of core policing legislation and police powers, exploring counter-terrorism provisions and describing the role of technology in crime and policing. Through a blend of 'online anytime' lectures and face-to-face seminars, you'll develop knowledge of the core areas of policing in roads, communities and investigations. You'll study topics such as: Opportunities and risks of globalised technologies in policing, Counter-terrorism governance, structures and objectives,
Assessment: Coursework (60%), Exam (40%)
- Police Problem-SolvingCompulsory20 credits
Module details
This module develops your knowledge and understanding of how research in policing can be applied to policing problems. You'll study topics such as: Defining evidence-based research and how it applies in policing, Identifying a range of problem-solving tools, Assessing how tools can be applied to policing problems, Examining domestic and international case studies, The impacts of policing research on a range of problems, The importance of partnership working to address policing problems, Differen
Assessment: Coursework (100%)
- Professional & Academic Skills In PolicingCompulsory20 credits
Module details
This module develops your academic skills for university level study, alongside personal reflection to encourage your personal and professional development. You'll learn through a blended approach of 'online anytime' lectures and face-to-face seminars. You'll study topics such as: An introduction to study and research skills, The structured development of essay writing, Referencing content and critical analysis, Models of learning and reflective practice, Searching library, internet and statisti
Assessment: Coursework (100%)
- The Role Of Police Officers, Operational Powers & LegislationCompulsory40 credits
Module details
This module provides you with an awareness of the role of a police constable, including core legislation and police powers. You'll learn through a blended approach of 'online anytime' lectures and face-to-face seminars. You'll study topics such as: Legislation applicable when dealing with policing incidents, Function and purpose of the criminal justice system, The police role within the criminal justice system, Influences on the police decision-making process, Information and intelligence in pol
Assessment: Coursework (60%), Exam (40%)
Year 2 4 modules
- Applied Police Problem-SolvingCompulsory20 credits
Module details
This module helps you to apply research and theory to policing problems. You'll study topics such as: Applying criminological theories to policing problems, Analysing crime problems through local, national and international case studies, How crime and policing problems are addressed by the criminal justice system, Critiquing the effectiveness of a range of problem-solving strategies, Application to policing problems in local, national and international contexts, Applying research skills to polic
Assessment: Coursework (100%)
- Applying Academic & Professional Standards In PolicingCompulsory20 credits
Module details
This module encourages you to consider the complexities of professional standards in policing, learning about communication models and theories to improve operational practice. You'll review the different elements of successful communication, the need to adapt communication for different audiences, and the risks and impact of poor communication. You'll study topics such as: Research planning, methodologies, analysis and evaluation, Comparisons of professional standards requirements, Thematic ins
Assessment: Practical (100%)
- Operational Policing: Core Policing PracticeCompulsory40 credits
Module details
This module provides the opportunity to build on the knowledge you've gained so far with the introduction of further legislation, key theoretical models and policing processes. You'll critically examine, consider and analyse the considerations, processes and impact on the five core policing areas – response, communities, roads, intelligence and investigation. You'll study topics such as: Responsibilities of first responders at a range of incidents, The importance of community engagement, Stakeho
Assessment: Coursework (100%)
- Operational Policing: Vulnerability & RiskCompulsory40 credits
Module details
This module introduces the concepts of risk in the context of criminal justice and public protection, expanding your knowledge of legislation, key theoretical models and processes. We'll explore issues of vulnerability – with reference to what makes an individual more vulnerable to victimisation in a variety of situations – and how this is linked with risk management practices. You'll study topics such as: Responsibilities of first responders at a range of incidents, Vulnerability in local, nati
Assessment: Coursework (60%), Exam (40%)
Year 3 1 modules
- Undergraduate Sandwich Placement Applied Professional DiplomaCompulsory
Module details
The aim of this module is to enhance students' professional development through the completion of and reflection on meaningful work placement(s). A work placement will provide students with opportunities to experience the realities of professional employment and experience how their course can be applied within their chosen industry setting. The placement will: Allow student to apply the skills, theories and behaviours relevant and in addition to their course, Enable students to enhance their in
Final year 4 modules
- Applied Investigation & Interviewing SkillsCompulsory40 credits
Module details
This module uses your practical knowledge of procedures, legislation and policies to carry out an effective investigation and interview in a safe learning environment. This process helps you develop an understanding of how to investigate a crime and obtain witness and suspect accounts using interviewing skills. You'll apply learning and skill such as: The investigation process and an effective investigative mindset, Relevant investigation legislation, powers and ethical considerations, Volume an
Assessment: Coursework (50%), Practical (50%)
- Evidence-Based Policing ProjectCompulsory40 credits
Module details
This module will prepare students to apply their research skills to a contemporary policing and/or criminal justice problem. Blended approach comprising 'online anytime' lectures and face-to-face seminars. Indicative content: Research methods and data analysis, Identifying and using appropriate sources to support arguments, Citing and referencing information, Communication & presentation skills, Recalling key information and knowledge, Identification and exploration of themes and topics relevant
Assessment: Coursework (100%)
- Large Scale Incidents & Specialist ResponseCompulsory20 credits
Module details
This module provides you with knowledge and understanding of specialist operational functions within policing. This includes how local, national and international contexts shape policing responses, as well as the importance of partnership working in response to large scale incidents and operations. You'll study topics such as: Responsibilities of first responders at a range of incidents, The importance of understanding communities, How historical events can affect trust in policing, Local, natio
Assessment: Practical (100%)
- Personal & Professional DevelopmentCompulsory20 credits
Module details
This module prepares you for employment through the demonstration of continuing professional development and an awareness of future opportunities. You'll learn and reflect through a blend of 'online anytime' lectures and face-to-face seminars. You'll study topics such as: Ethical considerations
Assessment: Practical (100%)
Source: provider course page. Modules can change; required/optional status, credits, descriptions and assessment are shown only when explicitly published.
Course in depth
What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.
What you'll study
This course centres on preparing you for the demanding world of policing, with emphasis on career development, industry experience, inclusivity and diversity. You'll typically begin with foundational law covering Contract Law, Public Law and Criminal Law, building understanding of legal principles and criminal liability. In your second year, you'll progress through Tort Law, Land Law and broader legal frameworks. By your final year, you'll specialise in areas such as Commercial law, Human rights, Criminal justice, Family law, Employment law, or Legal practice (SQE), often completing independent research or supervised practical work. A course like this normally moves from core legal knowledge towards applied, specialist study relevant to policing contexts.
Who it's for
Most students entering this course held A-levels or equivalent qualifications. The typical UCAS tariff band among accepted students was 96–111 points.
University & format
The BA (Hons) Professional Policing is studied full-time over 3 years at Sheffield Hallam University, a university founded in 1992, based at its City Campus. Instruction is in English. The degree is a nationally recognised qualification from a UK degree-awarding body, and Sheffield Hallam holds Gold in the Office for Students' Teaching Excellence Framework (2023).
Student satisfaction
How students on this course answered the National Student Survey, by theme.
Share of students responding positively.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Applicant information
The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.
- 2027 entryCompleted applications can be submitted
Your application needs a reference before you can send it.
- 2026 entryFinal date for 2026 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2026 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
- 2027 entryEqual-consideration deadline
18:00 UK time for most undergraduate courses.
Show 5 later dates
- 2027 entryUCAS Extra opens
Applicants who used all five choices and hold no offer may be able to add another choice.
- 2027 entryLast day applications go directly to providers
Applications received after 18:00 UK time are entered into Clearing.
- 2027 entryClearing opens
Eligible applicants can see vacancies and release themselves into Clearing.
- 2027 entryFinal date for 2027 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2027 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
Provider-published requirement; check the linked course page before applying.
Placement year. Availability, selection and pay can vary.
See and book current events. Dates can fill or change.
Entry & how to get in
Who gets in
What recently admitted students actually held, official admissions data, not a stated requirement.
UCAS tariff of entrants
Grades are the A-level equivalent of each points band. Tap a band to check your own chances below.
Qualifications held on entry
| Qualification | Share |
|---|---|
| A-levels or equivalent | 100% |
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Accepted students came in with a broad spread of qualifications and UCAS points. If you're worried about grades, this course has historically taken a wide range, and contextual offers may apply.
Will you get in? Plot your grades
Pick your predicted A-levels and watch your UCAS points land on the real spread of students admitted to this course.
Each bar is the share of admitted students in that UCAS-points band (lower → higher). Grades show the A-level equivalent.
Based on the official admitted-student tariff distribution. Many universities make contextual (reduced-grade) offers, so a result below the range doesn’t rule you out.
How to apply
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Here’s what matters for this course, the right deadline, the grades to aim for, and the steps in order.
- 1Register on UCAS Hub
Create your UCAS application and add this course. One application covers up to five choices.
- 2Write your personal statement
A single statement covers all your choices, so keep it broad enough for similar courses while showing genuine interest in this subject.
- 3Submit by 13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time
UCAS equal-consideration deadline for most undergraduate courses. Source: UCAS 2027 dates.
- 4Reply to your offers
When decisions are in, pick a firm (first) choice and an insurance (back-up) choice with slightly lower grades.
- 5Results day & confirmation
On results day (mid-August) your place is confirmed if you meet the offer. Just missed? Talk to the university, or find a place through Clearing.
Fees & funding
What this course costs and how UK student finance covers it.
Tuition per year
Provider fee page (England 2026/27 cap where not stated).
Check fees at SHU →For students who normally live in England
2026/27 Student Finance England figures. Maintenance support is means-tested and this two-point view is not an entitlement calculator. The course total uses its published length and home fee where both are available; a missing full-time fee uses the clearly labelled England-cap scenario, while part-time fees and unknown lengths are never guessed. Use the official calculator. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use separate systems: SAAS, Student Finance Wales, and Student Finance NI.
Starting on or after 1 January 2027?
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement is a separate system. A new learner’s tuition entitlement is currently stated as £39,160 (about 480 credits at 2026/27 fee levels), subject to prior study and eligibility. Check the official LLE guide.
Paying for it
- Tuition Fee Loan: can cover eligible tuition up to the applicable limit and is paid straight to the provider.
- Maintenance Loan: up to £10,830/yr away from home outside London (England, 2026/27), means-tested on household income.
- Repayment: 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below it; written off after 40 years.
- Earn alongside: most students work part-time in term, part-time roles on the StudySmarter job board.
England figures shown; Scotland, Wales & NI run their own schemes, check gov.uk.
Scholarships & bursaries you could qualify for
That does not mean no funding exists. Check the university directory for current amounts, eligibility and application dates.
We only display a named award when its provider source identifies the award and who it is for.
Still deciding what to study?
StudyKit brings course choice, applications and funding together in one place, with a personal AI assistant. Find what really fits you and start your UCAS application step by step.
Careers & earnings
What Law graduates actually earn, from real outcome data, 15 months, 3 years and 5 years after graduating.
Graduate earnings: this course
| When | Median | Typical range | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 months after | £25,000 | £22,500 – £30,000 | 7975 |
| 3 years after | £21,000 | £18,500 – £25,000 | 225 |
| 5 years after | £26,000 | £22,000 – £33,000 | 260 |
Nominal earnings for graduates of this course/subject at this provider. Stronger evidence. Published sample: 7,975. Cohort 2021-22.
Graduate outcomes, 15 months on: this course
- 1Paralegal / TraineeTraining contract or pupillage route · 0–2 yrs
- 2Solicitor / BarristerQualified practitioner · 2–5 yrs
- 3Senior AssociateLeading matters and clients · 5–9 yrs
- 4Partner / In-house CounselPartnership or heading legal · 9+ yrs
How pay grows: this course vs Law nationally
National figures for Law graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes (15 months) and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset (3 & 5 years). These are national, not university-specific; actual pay varies by employer, region, role and experience. Different cohorts, so the bars are not one group over time.
Work out your pay
Headline figures hide a lot. Calculate realistic take-home pay for this field by role, region and experience, then check your CV before you apply.
What happened to 100 students?
Choose an outcome to translate the published percentage into a simple 100-person view. Each dot represents one percentage point, not an individual tracked student.
continued or completed
continued into the next year or completed their qualification
Source: Discover Uni, using Graduate Outcomes and continuation data. Cohorts: 2022-23. Stronger evidence. Published sample: 7,975. Cohort 2021-22. Each tab is a separate published measure; categories can overlap and should not be added together.
Value compared with similar courses
How this course’s 5-year median earnings compare with Law courses at the same study level.
Compared with 1,352 courses with compatible official earnings data. This is a course-value comparison, not a quality ranking.
Is BA (Hons) Professional Policing worth it?
Weigh it carefully. On these figures graduates of BA (Hons) Professional Policing earn close to non-graduate pay, so on cost alone the course is slow to pay off.
Cumulative earnings vs. going straight to work at 18, counting tuition and 3 years of wages given up while studying. The model remains below break even after 30 years. This is a simplified gross-earnings comparison, not a forecast of cash loan repayments.
Model: this course’s own median graduate earnings (Graduate Outcomes / LEO) above the £24,000 non-graduate baseline (ONS), net of £9,790/yr over 3 years (published course home fee). Eligible England-domiciled students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan; repayments are 9% only on income above the threshold, with anything left written off after 40 years. That makes the cash flow different from conventional commercial debt. Opportunity cost assumes £18,000 gross earnings forgone in each study year; figures are nominal and exclude tax, living costs, investment returns and loan interest. A simplified estimate. Earnings and actual fees vary by graduate, provider, fee status and UK nation.
Job market & outlook
How Law graduates fare in the labour market, and how AI is reshaping the work.
How AI is changing the work
AI doesn't replace the profession, it shifts it: routine tasks get automated, while judgement, working with people and using AI well become more valuable.
What AI takes off your plate
- First-pass document review
- Standard contract drafting
- Legal research summaries
- Routine due diligence
More human than ever
- Advocacy and negotiation
- Judgement on ambiguous facts
- Client trust and ethics
- Strategy in disputes and deals
The strongest graduates pair subject depth with the ability to use AI tools critically.
Roles & employers
Where Law graduates typically go, indicative destinations from graduate career data. Each role links to live openings on the StudySmarter job board.
Roles graduates go into
Where they work
- Law firms
- Barristers' chambers
- In-house legal teams
- Government Legal Service
Jobs after this course
Current roles from the StudySmarter job board that suit Law graduates.
Law Firm Associates of all Practice Areas: Discuss your Overseas Relocation with Duke and Rawson – Australia/Asia/Middle East/Europe/Offshore/UKDuke and RawsonLaw Enforcement Success SpecialistAurorLaw Firm HR & Operations Lead - 12-Month ContractCharalle GroupLaw Firm Finance & Practice Manager, Leadership & OpsMcKinlay LawLaw Internship: Disputes & IBC – In-OfficeCanon SphereLaw Firm Front Desk & Guest Services (Oxford)Owen ReedIs this course right for you?
The essentials UK applicants ask about: finance, outcomes, entry and quality.
Student finance
Published home tuition is £9,790/year for this course. If you normally live in England, eligible students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan, plus a Maintenance Loan for living costs. Under Plan 5 you repay 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below that, and the balance is written off after 40 years.
Where graduates go
Most graduates were in work or further study, with a median salary of £25,000. See the full breakdown in Careers & earnings above.
Your entry chances
Use the UCAS points calculator above to see how your predicted grades compare with admitted students, and whether a contextual offer could apply.
Official-data snapshot
Averaging the official measures published for it, this course scores 7.8 out of 10: NSS 83.9% · continued 71%.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
Sheffield Hallam University
Law across the UK
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Local crime-data context
A neutral snapshot around the published teaching location.
Around City Campus
3,427 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.
Police.uk street-level API. Approximate locations, not confined to campus. England, Wales and Northern Ireland; not Scotland.
Is Law right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
International students
What applying to SHU from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is £18,000 / year for this course (from the provider’s fee page). You’re not eligible for UK Tuition Fee or Maintenance Loans, so plan for fees plus living costs upfront.
English language
Most UK undergraduate courses ask for around IELTS 6.0–6.5 (no band below 5.5–6.0), or an accepted equivalent. If you’re just short, most universities run a pre-sessional English course that counts towards the requirement.
Student visa
You’ll usually need a Student visa (Student Route). After you accept an offer the university issues a CAS; you then show funds for fees plus about £1,023–£1,334/month living costs and pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS access.
Scholarships & funding
Many universities offer international/global scholarships (often £2,000–£6,000/yr), check SHU’s funding pages.
Living costs
Budget roughly £1,100–£1,400/month outside London and £1,400–£1,800/month in London for rent, food and travel; the figure also matters for your visa.
Working while you study
A Student visa usually allows up to 20 hours/week in term time and full-time in holidays, useful alongside study, though not something to rely on for fees.
Visa rules and fees change. Always confirm the current requirements with SHU and gov.uk before you apply.
Related courses
More at SHU
Common questions
How competitive is entry?
What are the entry requirements?
What do graduates go on to do?
What will it cost me?
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