BSc (Hons) Professional Policing Practice (Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship)

Protect, Learn, Serve

Make a world of difference in your community whilst earning and learning.

Start your career

Access a wealth of rewarding career paths with the police.

Learn from experts

Benefit from the teaching, learning and operational expertise of our academics and police colleagues.

Our degree-level apprenticeship programme allows you to earn while you learn through a combination of work and study, preparing you to launch your life-changing career with the police.

Few careers can be more rewarding than that of a police officer and from 2020, all new police officers will be required to have a degree-level qualification. Our Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship gives you the opportunity to achieve that qualification while you’re helping to fight crime and protecting people from harm as a Student Officer.

University of Staffordshire is partnered with three regional police forces, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and West Mercia, to provide you with expert teaching and support you throughout your policing career. During the three years of your apprenticeship, you will be on probation with your chosen police force.

On successful completion of study, we will issue the following award: BSc (Hons) Professional Policing Practice

Location
Duration
3 years
Start date(s)

Multiple start dates throughout the year.

Enquire now

Course content

Our three-year ­work-based learning programme will see you earning and learning whilst studying towards a University of Staffordshire degree in Professional Policing Practice. You'll have a student card and have access to all of our University facilities, as well as the support of a virtual community.

The Professional Policing Practice Degree Apprenticeship programme has been designed to ensure that our student officers meet the national standards set by the College of Policing (CoP), the professional body for all those working in the Police Service, and ESFA (Educational Skills Funding Agency) who are the governing body for apprenticeships in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Modules

In year one, you will complete the following modules:

  • Introduction to Policing Practice and Professional Development
  • Introduction to Response, Roads and Community
  • Introduction to Investigation and Intelligence
  • Understanding Crime and Crime Prevention
  • Independent Patrol Status

In year two, you will complete the following modules:

  • Policing Practice and Research Methods
  • Information and Investigation
  • Response, Roads and Community Policing
  • Crime and Society
  • Operational Competence

In year three, you will complete the following modules:

  • Advanced Response, Roads and Community
  • Advanced Investigation and Intelligence
  • Advanced Policing Practice
  • Evidence Based Research Project

Entry requirements

Level 2 qualifications in Maths and English e.g. GCSE (Grade A*-C/ 9-4), Functional Skills
and
Level 3 qualification equal to 64 UCAS points.

Qualifications listed in your application must be evidenced with a certificate.

Calculate your UCAS points at the UCAS website (new window)

What if I don't meet the requirements?

If you don’t have the relevant level 2 or 3 qualifications, you can usually complete these online or at your local college.

We now offer a 10-week Step Up to Policing course for people who don't meet the level 3 entry requirements. 

To find out more about the police recruitment process, including the assessment centre and interviews, entry requirements, or eligibility checks, please visit your chosen force's website.

Fees

Apprenticeships are paid for by your employer and the government. But that's nothing for you to worry about. You just have to choose your police force and apply for the role.

Delivery and assessment

Delivery

We are committed to supporting you to learn while you earn and have developed a blended learning approach to support this.

During your time as a student officer, the apprenticeship regulations state that 20% of your time will be dedicated to off the job learning. The rest of your time will be spent deployed operationally where you will be putting that learning into practice.

Your learning will be delivered by a combination of University of Staffordshire academics and police colleagues. You won’t need to travel to our Stoke-on-Trent campus for lectures, we’ll deliver academic excellence in locations across the region.

From week one you will be a probationary police officer, receiving your uniform ahead of your induction and attestation. You will undergo a period of in-force training and a University protected learning block to prepare you for your first operational deployment. These depend upon force structure and during initial deployments you will be coached by one of our experienced tutor constables. They will support you to put theory learned during protected learning blocks into practice in an operational setting.

*Module content is the same across all of our forces but there is a slight variation in the order in which they are delivered. You’ll receive a course handbook relevant to your force at your induction.

Assessment

There are a number of elements that make up the assessment for the Degree Apprenticeship Standard, including:

  • Degree assessment i.e. formal assessment of the degree modules
  • ‘On-programme’ assessment of operational competence
  • A work-based project i.e. part of the degree and an important element of the apprenticeship’s ‘end-point assessment’
  • A summative ‘end-point assessment’, which includes a review of the work-based project and the evidence produced as part of the ‘on-programme’ assessment of operational competence

Learning support

In addition to the excellent support you will receive from your course teaching team, our central Academic Skills team provides group and one-to-one help to support your learning in a number of areas. These include study skills (including reading, note-taking and presentation skills); written English (including punctuation and grammatical accuracy); academic writing (including how to reference); research skills; critical thinking and understanding arguments; and revision, assessment and examination skills (including time management).

Additional support

Our AccessAbility Services support students with additional needs such as sensory impairment or learning difficulties. You will also have full access to our support services such as Student Guidance.

Feedback

Examination feedback may take a variety of formats. However, as a minimum, generic feedback will be made available to all students who take written examinations.

Responsibilities

The employer will:

  • Not ask the student officer to contribute financially to the direct cost of learning (i.e. tuition fees)
  • Ensure the student officer spends at least 20% of their time in off-the-job training
  • Enter into a contract with University of Staffordshire
  • Participate in reviews with the student officer and university, providing evidence and feedback on progress at work and success in meeting apprenticeship milestones
  • Provide a safe, healthy and supportive environment, which meets the needs of the student officer
  • Employ student officers for the duration of the apprenticeship and pay them at least a wage consistent with the law for both the time they are in work and in off-the-job learning
  • Provide the student officer with paid time to attend off-the-job training, or support access for learning difficulties and/or disabilities
  • Recognise that the student officer must complete the apprenticeship within their working hours
  • Support the student officer to gain new skills

The student officer will:

  • Be a citizen of a country within the European Economic Area (EEA**) or have the right of abode in the UK and have been ordinarily resident in the EEA for at least the previous three years on the first day of learning
  • Be able to complete the apprenticeship in contracted working hours
  • Be an employee on the first day of their apprenticeship and be paid at least a wage consistent with the law for both the time they are in work and in off-the-job learning
  • Be in full-time employment for at least 30 hours a week
  • Have the right to work in England
  • Maintain a safe, healthy and supportive environment, which meets your needs
  • Not be enrolled on another apprenticeship at the same time
  • Participate in reviews with the employer and university, providing evidence and feedback on progress at work and success in meeting apprenticeship milestones

Staffordshire University will:

  • Administer the funding and running of the Apprenticeship Standard to an acceptable standard of quality and in compliance with the ESFA’s requirements
  • Agree jointly between the University, the Employer and Student Officer, an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) ensuring that satisfactory progress is achieved and to ensure that the contents of the ILP fulfil the requirements of the Apprenticeship Standard
  • Provide a safe, healthy and supportive learning environment, which meets the needs of the Student Officer
  • Provide off-the-job learning and assessment and oversee the on-the-job skills development as detailed in the ILP

Careers

You will be supported with professional development throughout your career by both your Police Force and the University. A career in policing offers a wealth of opportunities including promotions through the ranks or lateral moves into specialist teams such as Counter-Terrorism, Firearms, and Dog Unit.

You can find out more about policing career pathways on the College of Policing's website.

Enquire

You can apply directly to the partner police force that you wish to join using the links below. You can also use the corresponding email address to get in touch with us if you have any questions.

Staffordshire Police

StaffordshirePCDA@staffs.ac.uk

Find out more about Staffordshire Police

Warwickshire Police

WarwickshirePCDA@staffs.ac.uk

Find out more about Warwickshire Police

West Mercia Police

WestMerciaPCDA@staffs.ac.uk

Find out more about West Mercia Police

     
in the UK for Quality Education

Sustainable Development Goal 4, Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2024

for Career Prospects

Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023

for Facilities

Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023

for Social Inclusion

The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023

of Research Impact is ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Very Considerable’

Research Excellence Framework 2021

of Research is “Internationally Excellent” or “World Leading”

Research Excellence Framework 2021

Four Star Rating

QS Star Ratings 2021