BA (with Honors) in Criminal Justice

Key Points

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Are you interested in crime and the workings of the criminal justice system? Would you like to work in law enforcement, security, court administration or other civil service roles or in non-governmental organizations related to the criminal justice sector?

Bachelor of Criminal Justice students have an inquiring mind and want to develop a foundation in a number of key disciplines to fully understand the complexities of crime and justice in modern society .

Program description

The BA (Criminal Justice) is a four-year interdisciplinary degree program. In each semester, you will study a combination of Law, Sociology, Politics and Public Administration modules. An exposure to each of these disciplines ensures that you will develop a comprehensive understanding of the criminal justice system and how the society in which it operates reacts and regulates. To further enhance your learning during the program, you will study some Psychology modules that will help to understand human behavior and the motivations of those who commit crimes along with the behaviors of other actors in the criminal justice system, such as the police, judges and criminals. juries. The modules in administration will also provide you with basic skills that are essential for future administrative roles within the criminal justice sector.

A key learning experience within the program is the eight-month cooperative job placement that you will undertake at the end of Year 2. The cooperative will provide you with a unique and invaluable opportunity to gain experience. Practice working on social impact and community work. Through these placements, you will put your learning into practice and network with potential future employers. It is also possible to spend part of this internship abroad.

In your final year of studies, you will have the option of completing a final year project under the supervision of one of the faculty members within the Faculty of Law on a topic criminal justice of your choice. This will give you the opportunity to work independently on a criminal justice topic that is of particular interest to you, under the supervision of an expert in that specific area.

Program structure

At the end of Year 2, BA (Criminal Justice) students will complete an eight-month period of Cooperative Education (June through January) that provides students with the opportunity to apply the knowledge they have already acquired. Typically this will take the form of a job position that is relevant to the program, such as within the Court Service, local authorities, law firms, or community and non-governmental organizations. Every year, there will also be some opportunities to complete a job abroad. Additionally, there are a limited number of academic placements available, either through an exchange program with a European law school or with one of our partner law schools around the world.

Admission requirements

• Applicants will require a baccalaureate degree officially translated into English.
• IELTS 6.0 or higher (or its internationally recognized equivalent).
• TOEFL 580 (on paper) or 90 (on the internet).
• UL has approved the use of the Duolingo English Test (DET) as a temporary measure for the 2021/2 admission (due at the closing of the exam centers). The minimum requirement will be a DET score of 110. An interview may be required in conjunction with this for certain programs.

Applicants must possess at the time of enrollment the established Certificate of Completion (or an approved equivalent) with a minimum of six subjects that must include: two H5 grades (higher level ) and four O6 (ordinary level) or four H7 (upper level) Level) grades. Subjects must include math, Irish or other language, and English.

Note: The F6 grade in Foundation Mathematics also meets the minimum entry requirements. Foundation Maths is not considered for scoring purposes. For certain electives, the respective departments may determine additional special grades specific to individual subjects or disciplines in accordance with Academic Council regulations.

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