Bachelor of Human Rights/Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice

Course information for - 2024 entry

Offered at 4 locations

Duration
5 years full-time or equivalent part-time
QTAC code
112091
ATAR
New
Fees (first year)*

$16320 CSP

Start dates
Semester 1 intake: Beginning February 2024
Applications open August 2023
Midyear (Semester 2) intake: to be advised

Overview

Human rights advocacy has never been more important.

Human rights is a highly significant and swiftly growing field of domestic and global research and practice within law, criminal justice, history, philosophy and politics. This new cross-disciplinary Bachelor of Human Rights degree will be attractive to the committed altruists who want a specialist qualification that will prepare them to be the leading human rights advocates of the 21st century.

Our Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice explores the causes of antisocial behaviour and develops the knowledge and expertise you’ll need to make a valuable contribution in the criminal justice sector. By studying this degree, you’ll understand the complex causes and impact of crime, and the legal and social policies that keep us safe. The course includes studies in forensic psychology, forensic science, cybercrime, border protection and biosecurity, understanding violence and trauma. 

 Studying a Bachelor of Human Rights/Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice will prepare you for a rewarding career in human rights and in the criminal justice sector, both in Australia and globally. 

You can also study the Bachelor of Human Rights or the Bachelor of Human Rights/ Bachelor of Laws.

  • Top 2% universities worldwide

  • Top 10 Catholic universities globally

  • Top 40 young universities worldwide

Professional experience

For the criminology and criminal justice component of this double degree you will undertake a 40-hour placement associated with the criminal justice sector. You’ll receive intensive training in workplace approaches, practices and more before starting your placement, followed by a debriefing with a clinical education specialist.

Careers

Graduates can pursue careers in:

  • NGOs, both domestic and international
  • advocacy: domestic and international advocacy, humanitarian services, disaster relief, policy development, volunteer co-ordination
  • social services: human services provision, public health, economic development, policy development
  • policy advising
  • reintegration consulting
  • police (state, territory or federal)
  • immigration and border protection
  • community corrections
  • communications: foreign news reporting/correspondence, investigative journalism, research 

Course details

Course structure

Course map

Open all

Please note: Course maps are subject to change.

Commencing Semester 1

  • Law Prescribed UnitsLAWS104Foundations of Law and Legal Research10 cp
  • Criminology Specified UnitsLCRM101Introduction to Criminology10 cp
  • Criminology Specified UnitsLCRM105Violent Crime and Society10 cp
  • Thomas More Law School Specified UnitsLHRG103Legal Institutions and Human Rights10 cp
  • Law Prescribed UnitsLAWS107Introduction to Australian Public Law10 cp
  • Criminology Specified UnitsLCRM104Juvenile Justice10 cp
  • Criminology Specified UnitsLCRM106Introduction to Criminal Justice System and Policy10 cp
  • Human Rights Specified UnitLHRG111Human Rights and Indigenous People10 cp

AQF framework

Double Bachelor - Bachelor/Bachelor - AQF Level 7

Entry requirements

An applicant must also comply with the Admission to Coursework Programs Policy.

International applicants must also meet the English Language Proficiency requirements as defined in the Admission to Coursework Programs Policy.

StatePrerequisites

Disclaimer: The course entry requirements above are for 2024 Admission.

Adjustment factors

If you’re currently completing Year 12 you may be eligible for adjustment factors that can boost your rank and help you get into your desired course.

Adjustment factors may be applied to your TAC application if you study particular subjects, attend schools geographically close to our campuses or in certain regional areas, apply as an elite athlete or performer or meet certain other criteria.

Learn more about adjustment factors

Inherent requirement

There are essential components of a course or unit that demonstrate the capabilities, knowledge and skills to achieve the core learning outcomes of that course or unit. You will need to be able to meet these inherent requirements to complete your course.

Learn more about inherent requirements for your course and how they affect you

Fees

Course costs

Average first year fee*

$16320 CSP

Payment options

You should be able to concentrate on getting good marks instead of worrying about how you’ll pay your fees. We have a number of options that can help you ease the financial burden, including government assistance, scholarships and income support.

Explore your options

Scholarships

You could be eligible for one of the hundreds of scholarships we award each year to help students from across the university with the cost of studying, accommodation or overseas study opportunities. Some of our scholarships are awarded on the basis of merit, but these aren’t just for the academically gifted; ACU also recognises excellence in community engagement and leadership. We also offer a range of scholarships for those who may be struggling financially or who have faced other barriers to accessing education.

Search our scholarships

How to apply

Domestic applicants

Brisbane

Apply through QTAC

QTAC code 112091

Direct application

Apply now

Staff Profile

Professor Patrick Keyzer

Dean, Thomas More Law School

After graduating from the University of Sydney with honours degrees in arts and law, Professor Keyzer worked as Executive Associate to the Chief Justice of Australia, Sir Gerard Brennan. Keyzer was then called to the Bar and has appeared in trials and appeals in many of Australia’s superior courts, including the High Court of Australia. Keyzer has represented several convicted offenders in communications to the United Nations Human Rights Committee. In one of these cases, the Human Rights Committee accepted Professor Keizer’s submission that it is a principle of international law, under Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, that a person should only be incarcerated in a prison following a finding of criminal guilt. Keyzer was shortlisted for an Australian Human Rights Award in 2010 for his pro bono advocacy for people with disability, prisoners, and Indigenous Australians in the Australian legal system. He has written or edited thirty books and near to a hundred refereed journal articles and book chapters, which are extensively cited.

Dr Shannon Dodds

Lecturer in Criminology, Thomas More Law School

Shannon Dodd is a Lecturer in Criminology in the Thomas More Law School, at Australian Catholic University. Her research background includes examining issues in Australia’s correctional system, including the use of body-worn cameras by custodial officers, people with disability in prisons, public support for the release of offenders on parole, and the increasingly punitive trajectory being taken in Australia with respect to offenders on bail and parole. Her research has also focused on the affective dimensions of public views, exploring how different emotions and mechanisms of emotion management may impact public views of criminal justice issues.

Shannon’s recent research has focused on the impact of enhanced compassion in judicial sentencing remarks on public punitiveness and criminal justice spending preferences, and the impacts of imprisonment for people with disability. In 2022, Shannon was also awarded funding from the Queensland Government to design and deliver an intervention aimed at young people in Townsville who steal cars to joyride.

Shannon’s research has been published both in Australia and internationally, in journals including Criminology and Criminal Justice, British Journal of Criminology, and International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology.

Before her academic career, Shannon was a solicitor in private practice.  

 

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