Professional Policing

Professional policing has become an increasingly graduate-level profession, and degree programmes aligned with the College of Policing's National Police Curriculum prepare students for both the intellectual and the practical demands of a career in the police service. At the University of Portsmouth, the BSc Professional Policing is a three-year full-time programme that follows the National Police Curriculum and includes a sandwich year, a year abroad, and work placement, preparing graduates for the emotional, physical, and mental demands of policing and related fields.

The programme develops your knowledge of criminal law and procedure, investigative techniques, evidence and its legal significance, policing ethics and professional standards, and the social and community contexts in which policing is conducted. Psychology, criminology, and the sociology of crime provide the contextual understanding that effective policing requires, while the practical dimensions of the programme develop the professional skills and judgment that operational policing demands. The sandwich year and work placement give you direct engagement with policing environments, developing the practical competence and professional resilience that the career requires.

The year abroad provides an international perspective on how different policing systems and criminal justice frameworks operate, which is increasingly relevant as policing addresses transnational crime and terrorism.

Graduates of professional policing degrees are well placed for direct entry to the police service, where degree-level qualification is now standard. The programme is aligned with the College of Policing's entry requirements, and completion provides the academic foundation for a career that can progress through detective, specialist investigation, public protection, and leadership roles. Beyond direct entry to policing, the knowledge and professional skills developed are valuable in related careers in probation, prison service, border force, immigration enforcement, private security, and intelligence.

Some graduates go on to postgraduate study in criminology, policing, or public policy. The combination of academic rigour, professional training, and experiential learning that Portsmouth's programme provides prepares graduates for careers in criminal justice from the point of graduation.