An academic school has been awarded the Skillsmark 'seal of approval' for its BA in Criminal Justice and Criminology.
The programme, run by the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research at the Medway campus, has been officially recognised by Skills for Justice, the sector skills council and standards setting body for the justice sector, as providing education of outstanding quality and relevance.
Lecturer in Criminal Justice and Director of Studies Dr Simon Shaw comments: ‘The Skillsmark accreditation is recognition of the value of the relationships and opportunities we have developed with employers to give our students every opportunity to develop practical, workplace-based skills and knowledge relevant to the sector.’
Deputy Head of School, Professor Alex Stevens adds: ‘Kent is a top 20 University and our graduates report high levels of employment upon graduation, our accreditation is affirmation of the quality of the Criminal Justice and Criminology programme and our graduates.’
The degree programme is multidisciplinary in focus containing elements of criminology, law, sociology, social policy, social history and psychology. Designed to give students an awareness of the complexities of the criminal justice system of England and Wales, students can take a placement year to between their second and final year.
Dr Shaw says: ‘We know that employers increasingly prefer graduates to have some tangible and relevant work experience and at Kent we believe it is vital to provide our students with the best start to their careers. Throughout the programme, we ensure that students gain analytical and knowledge-based skills relevant to criminal justice and social policy professions in both the private and public sector. The Skillsmark accreditation confirms that our Criminal Justice and Criminology BA has been planned and developed to meet the needs of employers and learners and we are delighted with this award.’
For further information, please contact Harriet Armstrong Viner.