School of Justice

We are a sector leader in law, justice, policing and social science education, and our graduates are highly sought-after, and we have an outstanding record in graduate employability.

Law and Criminology

Our undergraduate law courses are all validated as qualifying law degrees, enabling students to pursue the professional side of training as either a solicitor or barrister. Meanwhile, our criminology courses provide students with an opportunity to critique the criminal law and criminal justice system from a social, economic and cultural viewpoint and to pursue careers within the broader public and community-based services.

Policing

We hold a long-standing reputation for the delivery of policing courses some of which have been run in partnership with the service for many years. More recently as part of the Policing professionalisation agenda courses have been developed and run with the oversight of the College of Policing as the professional body and the police service. We have seen new and enhanced partnerships with both Lancashire and Cumbria Constabularies to deliver the education element of their Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship and Degree Holder Entry Programme routes. Our courses not only enable you to pursue a career in the police service or UK and international law enforcement agencies. Through a strong emphasis on employability skills graduates have secured employment across a wide range of fields including policing, the military, industry, retail and commerce.

Social Science

The social science courses we offer explore real world current issues, allowing students to critically reflect on, discuss and write about topical social issues from a local, national and international perspective, whilst learning a range of theoretical perspectives that can be applied to the ‘lived experience’ of living in contemporary societies.

Research in the School of Justice

A group of experts in Law, Criminology, Policing and Sociology, exploring the impact of law and criminal justice in society, challenging injustice and promoting equality, inclusion and diversity.

We pursue inter-disciplinary research with practitioners, policymakers and communities to ensure maximum relevance and real-world impact. Our research is recognised nationally and internationally as making a distinctive contribution to knowledge and significantly influencing policy and practice. The School of Justice’s vibrant research community comprises a diverse group of academics, ex-practitioners, undergraduate and postgraduate students. We have methodological strengths in both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The University of Central Lancashire is an inclusive environment, supporting established scholars as well as nurturing new generations of academic thinkers, including our students.

The School of Justice research forms part of the Citizen, Society and Justice research theme at the University. Many members of the School are members of research centres such as, the Centre for Criminal Justice Research and Partnerships, Connect Centre and our Cybercrime Research Unit.

We have an international reputation in four main areas and we regularly act as expert advisors in these fields. These are listed below.

Discover our research areas

New entry routes into policing

We support all three of the new national entry routes into the policing profession at the rank of police constable, in line with the new Police Education Qualifications Framework (PEQF).

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Our facilities

Dean's List

Dean's List 2021 - School of Justice

School of Justice Celebration of Success Event

The annual Celebration of Success Event recognises students’ that achieved a place as a Dean's List Finalist (over 70 Average Percentage Mark), as well as a presentation of several special prizes and awards.

Business and community

We offer a free legal advice service to the local community. This service is operated by students under close supervision by qualified solicitors from both in-house and local law firms.

We also provide a civil and commercial mediation service to students, staff and members of the local community who require assistance in resolving their disputes. We also offer training in how to run professional mediation sessions.