Bachelor of Criminal Justice and Psychological Studies

Name: Bachelor of Criminal Justice and Psychological Studies
Price: <a href='#fees-and-scholarships'> Commonwealth supported place </a> AUD

VU course code: ABCY | CRICOS: 095830J | Level of study: Undergraduate

ATAR

Not required

Duration

3 years full time or longer for part time

Delivery mode

Hybrid

Fees

Commonwealth supported place

Location

Footscray Park

Next start date

16 February 2026

Application closes

08 February 2026

View all start dates

Overview

Explore the psychology behind crime and help shape a more just, supportive society, with VU's Bachelor of Criminal Justice and Psychological Studies.

You gain a deep understanding of criminal behaviour and the systems that respond to it.

As part of your studies, you'll examine the social, political and psychological factors that shape behaviour, including trauma, inequality and mental health, while developing knowledge in counselling theory, family dynamics, research and ethics.

This interdisciplinary course prepares you for meaningful work across justice, welfare and community sectors.

In your final year, you’ll put your learning into practice through an industry placement, either in a criminal justice setting or a psychological studies context.

You'll graduate with the skills and experience required to pursue a meaningful career in:

victim support and advocacy
child protection and family services
corrections and rehabilitation
mental health and wellbeing
policy development and social reform.

With a strong foundation in both psychology and justice, you'll be ready to make a difference in communities and systems that need change, and support people on pathways to healing.

: On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

Articulate and apply the principles of responsible, accountable and ethical practice required to work in a range of criminal justice and psychological professions;

Demonstrate a critical analysis and application of key theoretical areas in psychology and criminal justice;

Generate, organise and undertake research into relevant aspects of criminal justice and psychology;

Apply skills in independent research, theoretical analysis and critical evaluation in criminal justice and psychology;

Advocate, dispute and negotiate with professional competence using a range of well developed communication and interpersonal skills; and

Communicate clearly and effectively and in a socially and culturally responsible manner.
: If you choose to continue on to postgraduate studies in psychology, you’ll be able to take up professional training at VU’s Psychology Clinic, providing supervised psychology services to the community.

Entry requirements

When assessing your application, we consider your educational achievements and work experience, as well as your skills and personal attributes (where relevant).

Applicants for this course will need to meet the entry criteria outlined below. If you don’t meet the entry criteria, you may be able to gain entry by first completing a related course or unit(s). We call this a ‘pathway’.

You may also be eligible for course ‘credits’, where you are granted a unit or units towards your qualification for equivalent previous study or work experience, so you can graduate sooner.

ATAR requirements

No minimum ATAR required

This course does not have a minimum ATAR requirement for entry. Read the entry criteria for this course below.

Why ATAR is not applicable

You do not need an ATAR score to apply for this course. Instead, you need to have successfully completed secondary school and to meet any requirements outlined below. Our courses and support programs are designed to prepare students from diverse cultures for success, regardless of their ATAR, age, education or socioeconomic background.

Entry criteria

Minimum entry criteria include:

English-language requirements
academic requirements.

Your work and life experience will also be considered.

To find specific entry requirements for this course, please select the section below that is most relevant to you.

Meeting the minimum entry criteria does not guarantee entry into this course.

: This information is relevant if, in the 2 years prior to studying with us, you have completed (or will complete) one of the following:

Australian Senior Secondary Certificate (e.g. VCE)

an Australian or overseas equivalent to VCE

an International Baccalaureate (IB).

Admission criteria

Completion of an Australian Senior Secondary Certificate (VCE or equivalent) including Units 3 and 4: a study score of at least 25 in English (EAL) or 20 in any other English.
: This information is relevant if you have completed an accredited award (such as a certificate or diploma) at an Australian Registered Training Organisation (usually a TAFE, polytechnic or other registered VET institute).

Admission criteria

Completion of an Australian Advanced Diploma or Diploma (or equivalent).
OR:
Completion of the Certificate IV in Tertiary Preparation (or equivalent).
: This information is relevant if you’ve previously completed all or part of a university or other higher-education course.

Admission criteria

Full or partial completion of an Australian Higher Education award (or equivalent).
OR:
Completion of a single unit of Higher Education studies.
OR:
Completion of a bridging or enabling course eg. Foundation course or equivalent.
: This information is relevant if you left secondary school more than two years ago and haven’t studied since.

Admission criteria

Five years (minimum) work/life experience in Justice or Police Administration, Corrections, Legal support, Human Services or similar.
OR:
Applicants that completed an Australian Senior Secondary Certificate more than two years ago.
PLUS:
Units 3 and 4: a study score of at least 25 in English (EAL) or 20 in any other English (or equivalent).
: Take a look at a student profile to get an overview of students who have previously enrolled in this course.

Applicant background Number of students Percentage of all students

(A) Past Higher Education Study
(includes a bridging or enabling course) 5 15.2%

(B) Past vocational education and training (VET) study <5 <5

(C) Recent secondary education
Admitted solely on the basis of ATAR
(regardless of whether this includes the impact of adjustment factors such as equity or subject bonus points)
<5 <5

(C) Recent secondary education
Admitted where both ATAR and additional criteria were considered
(e.g. portfolio, audition, extra test, early offer conditional on minimum ATAR)
NA NA

(C) Recent secondary education
Admitted on the basis of other criteria only and ATAR was not a factor
(e.g. special consideration alone, audition alone, schools recommendation scheme with no minimum ATAR requirement)
24 72.7%

(D) Work and Life experience 0 0.0%

International students 0 0.0%

All students 33 100%

"<5" – the number of students is less than 5.
N/A – Students not accepted in this category.
N/P – Not published: the number is hidden to prevent calculation of numbers in cells with less than 5 students.

Special entry programs

Special admission programs

If you are from a disadvantaged or underrepresented social, economic or cultural background, you may be eligible for one of our special admission programs. These programs are designed to help you access education more easily.

Learn more about special admission programs

VU Early Entry

If you're currently in Year 11 or 12, our exclusive VU Early Entry program comes with a Conditional Offer to the course of your choosing*, a personalised course plan, special events, exclusive discounts and access to one-on-one course advice.

*Conditions apply.

Learn more about VU Early Entry

Inherent requirements

Inherent requirements are the abilities, attributes, skills and behaviours needed to meet the learning outcomes of the course.

You should carefully consider the inherent requirement statement as a:

guide for your learning during the course
way for you to identify challenges you may have in studying this course.

Learn more about inherent requirements

Credit & Entry pathways into this course

Victoria University is committed to providing a transparent admissions process. Find out more about how to apply for our courses, and our commitment to admissions transparency. Meeting the minimum admission criteria does not guarantee entry into this course. Past academic performance may be considered.

Course structure

To attain the Bachelor of Criminal Justice and Psychological Studiesstudents will be required to complete 288 credit points in total consisting of the following:

264 credit points of Core studies units including 24 credit points of Capstone Studies.
24 credit points of Psychology Elective studies as required by APAC accreditation.

Units

Fees & scholarships

University fees vary, depending on how much the government contributes towards course costs (if anything).

Read below to find out about the fee ‘type’, the estimated yearly tuition costs for this course, and the financial support on offer (including our generous scholarship program).

Commonwealth supported place

A Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) is subsidised by the government, reducing it to the amount listed here. Australian citizens, permanent residents and New Zealand citizens will qualify for a CSP place. If your course is not Commonwealth supported, or you don't qualify, you'll pay full fees.

Learn more about Commonwealth Supported Places

Fees

Scholarships

Careers

Graduate ready for a career in these rewarding areas:

justice sector (for example, victim support officer, investigator)
health and community services (for example, child protection worker)
policy development and related services.

Further study

After graduation, you may choose one of these paths towards a psychology career, or a senior role in justice or welfare:

apply for Honours in Psychology, then pursue postgraduate studies in such fields as Forensic and Clinical Psychology
undertake postgraduate studies in Criminal Justice/Criminology
pursue further professional training in the justice or welfare sectors.

Salaries & job prospects

Find information for relevant jobs on the government job-data site, Labour Market Insights:

Volunteer opportunities

Victoria's Department of Justice has a number of volunteer opportunities for people who want to help in Victoria's court, legal and prison systems.

Professional accreditation/Industry recognition

Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC)

This course is accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC)

Community Correctional Services

This degree is accredited by the Victorian State Community Correctional Services

VU stories

Combining psychology, justice & community welfare

Bachelor of Criminal Justice and Psychological Studies

"VU offered me plenty of opportunities to gather real-life experience through placements, seminars and interaction with lecturers who were actively working in the industry."

Anna-Lena's story

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Bachelor of Criminal Justice and Psychological Studies

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