Bachelor of Business/Bachelor of Criminology and Justice

This four-year double degree pairs a business qualification with a criminology and justice qualification. You graduate with two bachelor awards from the University of the Sunshine Coast, which means you can apply for roles on either side of the fence: the commercial side, where organisations need people who understand risk, regulation and criminal behaviour, and the justice side, where agencies need people who can read a budget, manage a project and interpret data.

What you actually study

Each degree is made up of units of study, and each unit carries credit points. You accumulate credit points across the two awards to reach the total required for both. The business half covers the core disciplines: accounting, economics, marketing, management, business law and statistics. The criminology and justice half covers the justice system, policing, corrections, youth justice, victimology, crime prevention and research methods. Assessment is a mix of exams, essays, reports, group projects and presentations. Expect to write a lot and to argue with evidence.

The degree runs over four years of full-time study, usually across two semesters a year, with a mid-year intake at some institutions. Credit may be granted for prior study, but only where the content matches a unit in the program. You can also study part-time, though that stretches the timeline.

Work-integrated learning and capstone

Justice and business both use placement, so a work-integrated learning component is typical. That might be a placement with a police service, a community legal centre, a correctional facility, a youth justice team, a local council, or a corporate compliance or risk team. You also complete a capstone unit in your final year, which pulls the two disciplines together: a research project, an industry report or a professional placement with an academic component. This is where you show an employer you can handle a real brief.

Skills and who it suits

You finish with skills in financial analysis, policy interpretation, research design, evidence evaluation, communication and ethical reasoning. The double degree suits school leavers who can't choose between commerce and justice, and mature-age students already working in policing, corrections, security, compliance or community services who want to move into management or policy. It also suits anyone aiming at roles where the two fields overlap: fraud investigation, financial crime, regulatory affairs, intelligence analysis, and corporate or public sector governance.

English proficiency is required for international applicants. The common undergraduate standard is IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall, with higher scores for teaching, nursing, medicine, law and social work. TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and the university's own English programmes are accepted as equivalents. The Department of Home Affairs sets a separate English threshold for the Student visa. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 0101885. Check the official page for current unit lists, placement requirements and intake dates.

• Police officer or detective, state and territory police services; entry via recruitment programs, with this degree supporting promotion and specialist units.
• Corrections officer or case manager, corrective services agencies, managing offenders in custody and in the community.
• Youth justice worker, state youth justice departments and community organisations, working with young offenders and their families.
• Intelligence analyst, police, national security agencies and private intelligence firms, turning raw data into assessments.
• Fraud and financial crime analyst, banks, insurers, superannuation funds, AUSTRAC-regulated entities and consultancy firms.
• Compliance and risk officer, corporations, government departments and not-for-profits that must meet regulatory obligations.
• Policy officer, state and federal public service, justice portfolios, community safety and social policy.
• Community corrections officer, supervising offenders on community-based orders.
• Business analyst or management consultant, professional services firms, with a justice-sector specialisation if you choose.
• Victim support or court liaison officer, courts, victim services and advocacy organisations.

Graduates work across state and federal government, police and corrective services, banking and insurance, professional services, local government and the community sector. The double degree is recognised in Australia, and international graduates may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream, subject to the Department of Home Affairs requirements. While studying, a student visa generally allows work of up to 48 hours per fortnight.