Bachelor of Human Services/Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Dual Degree)

at Griffith University - Mount Gravatt Campus Australia

Combining business with psychological science can give you the skills and knowledge needed to work as a specialist providing advice to organisations on management and personnel issues, and helping them develop training programs, set policies, or manage organisational change.

Graduates will gain skills in providing professional counselling to assist others in resolving personal or professional problems. Working in the counselling profession involves guiding and empowering people to develop self-understanding and to make changes in their lives in order to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals. They assist people by offering them a structured and focused way of addressing their problems, and work with clients on developing strategies to overcome obstacles and personal challenges that they are facing.

Combining law with psychological science will give you a unique skill set that will prepare you for work either in the community sector or in commerce and industry. You will also develop analytical, research and communication skills.

Law Component
Griffith Law School offers a professional legal curriculum that focuses on core areas of legal practice and the legal skills that lawyers must have. You will have the opportunity to choose law electives based on your interests, including clinical courses that emphasise practical legal skills, insights and experience.

You will make connections between law and ethics, legal theory, Indigenous issues, and internationalisation. You will also develop interdisciplinary understandings of law and legal work.

You will take courses that cover areas such as Crime, Contracts, Property, Corporate Law, Torts and Theories of Law.

If you complete the five Canadian Law courses, you will eligible for entry into the legal profession in Canada's common law provinces, when accompanied by a Certificate of Qualification from the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada.

Psychological Science Component
You will learn how to apply psychological theories to topics such as thinking and perceiving, motivation, stress, health, criminal activity, and group behaviour. You will also learn how to evaluate and understand tests that measure intellectual, behavioural and emotional states. You will develop interpersonal and communication skills and learn about the principles of counselling and core areas of psychology. You will learn how to help people with personal, health, vocational and social difficulties.

The Graduate Diploma of Criminological Research Studies is an 80 credit point program designed to provide graduates in the criminology and criminal justice discipline with the opportunity to undertake advanced study in research methodology and to undertake supervised research work in the discipline area appropriate to their research trajectory.

The program provides the necessary preparation for entry into a higher degree research program (Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Master of Philosophy (MPhil) or equivalent program) for applicants who do not possess the required qualifications for direct admission into these programs. The program will also be available to students who wish to undertake advanced studies in the identified disciplinary fields but who may not wish to progress to MPhil or PhD study.

Upon successful completion of the program, students will be eligible to apply for admission to MPhil or PhD candidature subject to fulfilment of the requirements for candidature as specified in the Higher Degree Research Policy and successful completion of the confirmation procedure. The grade achieved will determine eligibility for admission to either a PhD or MPhil candidature.

The Program Director will be responsible for the overall supervision of students in the program and for monitoring their progress throughout the program.

Students may choose to exit the Graduate Diploma program (after successfully completing the specified courses) with the Graduate Certificate in Criminological Research Studies

The Honours year consists of supervised research and coursework available to suitably qualified graduates of Griffith University and other recognised tertiary institutions.

This program enables students to advance the knowledge and experience acquired at the undergraduate level and prepares them to undertake research work for postgraduate studies at this and other universities.

In this double degree, you'll develop an understanding of the vital importance of human services within Australia's legal and social systems.

Through the human services component, you'll learn how to build a better future for individuals and families. You'll also be empowered by a greater understanding of the principles of social justice and social inclusion. In the criminology and criminal justice component, you'll learn about the causes of crime and how society responds to them through the justice system.

Industry and expert connections
Your study will include courses about policing, working with offenders and victims, and analysing and preventing crimes. You'll hear from academic and professional experts about how crime can be prevented and reduced.

You'll also undertake a range of courses to prepare you as a human services practitioner to create a more socially just world.  

You'll receive plenty of hands-on experience in your final year of study. Within a genuine human services environment, you'll put theory into practice in a supervised setting. This experience will enhance your skills in the workplace and get you ready to graduate job-ready.

Graduate Outcomes
You may find opportunities in policing and security, intelligence, probation and parole, child protection, crime analysis, courts and justice services, crime prevention and regulatory agencies.

You will be prepared for a career in areas such as law enforcement, working directly with offenders in welfare and counselling roles and in criminological research and policy roles.

This degree integrates supervised placement experiences and coursework focused on psychological practice. You will learn how to practice professionally and ethically and to communicate and collaborate effectively as you gain skills in evaluating client needs, designing and implementing evidence-based interventions and evaluating outcomes.

This program has been designed to meet the requirements for the fifth year of a 5+1 pathway to general registration as a Psychologist. Enrolment in this program may allow you to register as a provisional Psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia as part of the requirements of a 5+1 pathway and prepares you for eligibility to complete a +1 internship as a provisional Psychologist.

With this degree, you'll be a part of the leading school of criminology in Queensland. You'll learn from internationally recognised experts and industry leaders who bring their authentic and compelling crime experiences to your study.

In your first year, you'll learn about the current trends in crime in Australia and overseas. Academic and professional experts will explain proven ways that crime can be examined, prevented and reduced. You'll participate in courses that include the police, courts and criminal law, forensic psychology and homicide.

In your second and third years, you'll narrow your focus into a key area of criminology and criminal justice based on your interests and desired career. You can choose from elective courses in policing, corrections, working with offenders and victims, counter-terrorism, or crime analysis and investigation.

Industry and expert connections
In your final year, you'll have the option to complete a professional placement and gain practical experience, which helps expose you to potential careers of interest and employers. You may also have the opportunity to study abroad and gain invaluable learning and experience that can increase employment opportunities.

You will also have the opportunity to gain experience in cutting-edge criminological research through the Criminology Undergraduate Research Internship Program. You'll be mentored one-on-one by criminology experts and can select an internship to suit your interests from a diverse range of research projects. Internship opportunities are offered on a competitive basis three times a year and usually last four to six weeks. It's a priceless opportunity only available through Griffith.

The Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Honours) is designed for students who want to hone their knowledge and skills through research.

You'll gain research training at a standard that will prepare you for postgraduate studies in justice administration, criminal justice or criminology. You'll also learn about advanced theoretical concepts and policy debates in contemporary criminology - setting you up to access a career at more than an entry-level position in the criminal justice system.

Your research will help to identify the social issues that lead to crime. You'll also learn to understand what makes criminals tick as well as how to minimise the negative impacts of crime on society.

Industry and expert connections
At Griffith, criminology has always had a strong industry connection and a high level of cooperation from police agencies and other crime related bodies. This Honours degree continues the tradition with a multitude of opportunities to meet with and hear from industry experts.

Graduate Outcomes
This degree sets you to enter the criminal justice system in a broader and usually higher range of rewarding roles such as an analyst or program design consultant - careers where the ability to do independent research is key. It also offers you a great pathway into a PhD, a Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Honours) puts you one step ahead.

This new double degree will combine the study of what makes criminals tick with an understanding of the justice system and policy making processes. With a better understanding of how policy is created and applied, plus an understanding of crime and criminal behavior, you will be equipped to influence the policy underpinning the justice system to ultimately deter crime rather than simply responding to criminal behavior.

This degree will give you a better understanding of the causes and consequences of complex crime and criminal justice issues and just how it is currently dealt with by government at local, national and global levels.