Bachelor of Arts (Professional) with a Major in Criminology Swinburne University of Technology

The Bachelor of Arts (Professional) includes a mandatory 12-month paid work placement. You'll benefit from Swinburne’s unique industry partnerships, gain invaluable full-time work experience and earn credit towards your degree.

The course is designed to foster students’ individual development and allow them to develop research and analytical skills that can be applied to a range of situations. Arts students learn how to gather, synthesise and assess information, how to conceptualise issues and how to express themselves effectively, both orally and in writing. Students have the opportunity to work with other students and academic staff from a range of disciplines on a project responding to one of the major social, cultural and economic challenges of the 21st century.

Selected major: Criminology

Gain an understanding of why crimes are committed and how they impact society with a major in criminology. Examine the motivations behind criminal activity, and learn how to analyse trends, formulate policies and create systems to help prevent it.

Course learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of the Bachelor of Arts (Professional), graduates will be able to:

• systematically review and critically evaluate research from a variety of sources to inform their knowledge and conceptual understandings in the humanities and/or social sciences.
• formulate arguments that are fit for purpose and demonstrate an understanding of the relevant theories and evidence in their areas of disciplinary expertise.
• critically analyse information to generate creative solutions to solve complex problems in the area of humanities and/or social sciences, and understand the importance of interdisciplinarity for generating solutions.
• define and integrate theoretical principles and apply these in their disciplinary areas of expertise and in professional settings.
• apply knowledge and skills with responsibility and accountability for their own learning and practice, individually and in collaboration with others and in professional settings.
• interpret and communicate ideas, problems and arguments in modes suitable to a range of audiences using a range of media.
• coherently articulate a line of reasoning demonstrating cultural sensitivity and apply a framework to analyse and offer solutions to ethical dilemmas in local and international and professional contexts.

Career opportunities

Swinburne Arts graduates are well equipped to find work in areas where employers put a high premium on well-developed conceptual understanding and other critical and creative reasoning skills needed to come to terms with and respond effectively to the complex and changing demands of the contemporary workplace. Recent research emphasises the premium which employers place upon communication skills, collaboration, and flexible problem solving among Arts graduates. Areas where graduates may be employed include policy analysis and development, research, community development, administration, public relations, publishing and media.

Depending on their area of specialisation, Arts graduates may find employment as journalists, librarians, interpreters, sociologists, publishers, internet providers, marketers, writers, and in the games industry, particularly in areas focusing on interactive content creation, game design, interface design and rapid prototyping.

Graduates may also be equipped to pursue a career in the broader media, digital media/multimedia and communications sectors.