Hunting for criminals

Hunting for criminals

Course road test: Bachelor of arts (criminal justice) at Monash University

A course worth investigating...

Very funny. This degree, available at Monash's Gippsland campus in Churchill and by distance education, allows students to get inside the criminal mind. There are units in offender profiling and in forensic psychology, while students also get to explore the courts and criminal justice systems in Australia and overseas, and how effectively they operate. From next year, this course should also be available at Monash's Berwick campus.

Sounds interesting.

Indeed. As well as looking at international comparisons of criminal justice systems, this three-year degree also has a rural focus, says David Baker, head of criminal justice at Monash's Gippsland campus. "We look at the local area," he explains, "And at the impact of crime and violence on the local community." Following the deadly Churchill fire in early 2009, for example, this unit has explored arson and what makes an arsonist.

But is it just local people who take this course?

According to Dr Baker, students studying for this degree on campus are mostly school leavers living within 50 kilometres of Churchill. For those coming straight from school, an ENTER of 76.55 was needed this year. But, says Dr Baker, an equal number of students take the course – which started in 2007 – by distance education. These students, says Dr Baker, are aged from 19 to 70 and come from Australia and overseas. Some are studying the course to further their careers, others simply out of interest. As well as studying eight criminal justice units, students majoring in criminal justice need to take two indigenous studies units and 14 other units, giving them the chance to do a double major in subjects such as history, politics or sociology, or several minors.

So what kind of job can I expect following this degree?

The first cohort of criminal justice students has just graduated. According to Dr Baker, some are planning to join the police force as officers or in administrative roles, others may work in courts as clerks, while still others might find work at correctional centres. Other likely destinations, says Dr Baker, include the Justice Department or even teacher training. Dr Baker says that Monash's Gippsland campus runs a co-op program in which students spend several months in their third year getting paid work experience. He expects such opportunities to be open to some criminal justice majors in 2010.

What do students have to say?

Raechelle Schaefer, 20, graduated last year with a double major in criminal justice and psychology. She is continuing to a fourth year in psychology, with plans to become a forensic psychologist in a prison. She already works in an administrative capacity at a nearby correctional centre. "I always wanted to do something related to criminology," she explains, adding that the course has exposed students to a wide range of topics.

So where do I get more info?

www.monash.edu.au/study/coursefinder/course/3914/