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95% graduates employed
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Top 10 Catholic universities globally
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Top 40 young universities worldwide
Bachelor of Human Rights/Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice
Course information for - 2025 entry
Offered at 4 locations
- Duration
- 5 years full-time or equivalent part-time
- CRICOS Code
- 111438B
- IELTS
- Overall score: 7.0, Individual score of: 6.5
- Fees (first year)*
- $32000
- Start dates
- February 2026, July 2026, February 2027, July 2027
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.
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
To complete the Bachelor of Human Rights/Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, a student must complete 400 credit points (cp).
Course map
Graduate statement
AQF framework
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.
| State | Prerequisites |
|---|---|
| New South Wales | Assumed knowledge: 2 units of English (any) (Band 3) |
| Queensland | Prerequisites: English (Units 3 & 4, C) |
| Victoria | Prerequisites: Units 3 and 4 a study score of at least 25 in English (EAL) or 20 in any other English. |
Disclaimer: The course entry requirements above are for 2025 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.
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
- Unit fee: $4000
- Average first year fee: $32000
- Estimate total cost: $160000
The Tuition fees quoted above are for commencing students in the current year who undertake a normal full-time load. The Unit Fee is based on a 10cp unit. Fees are reviewed annually.
Tuition fees for continuing students may increase by up to 3 percent each year for the minimum duration of the course as provided on your electronic Confirmation of Enrolment (eCOE). Students who continue to study beyond the minimum duration will have the relevant annual commencing rate applied to their fees for subsequent study periods.
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.
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.
How to apply
International applicants
Staff Profile
Dr Bill Swannie
Lecturer, Thomas More Law School
Bill Swannie is a Lecturer at the Thomas More Law School. His areas of expertise include human rights law, anti-discrimination law, legal theory, media law and international law. He has taught at Victorian law schools since 2013.
Previously, Dr Swannie was Principal Lawyer at a community legal centre, associate to a Vice President of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, and a government lawyer.
Dr Swannie has received several awards for teaching including a citation for programs that enhance student learning. His research is published in leading Australian law journals.
Dr Swannie is a member of the editorial board of the Alternative Law Journal, a member of the Australian Discrimination Law Experts Group, and on the management committee for the Law and Society Association of Australian and New Zealand. He is a member of the Wellness for Law network and has a particular interest in student wellbeing.
Dr Shannon Dodds
Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Thomas More Law School
Shannon Dodd is a senior 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.