Improve justice and reduce crime by understanding the social causes and consequences of crime.
This double degree provides graduates with a comprehensive knowledge of the social causes and consequences of crime and disadvantage; including dimensions of disability, mental health, gender, ethnicity, race, poverty, employment and locality.
Commences Semester 1, 2016
- Only a full-time option is available to international students on a Student visa. Online programs are not available to Student visa holders.
- * Estimated tuition fees are based on 2024 rates. Refer to international fees for more information.
- Not all majors/minors and elective options are available at every campus. You should refer to the What Can I Study tab, and the proposed study sequence for your chosen campus and intake for further information.
This double degree provides graduates with a comprehensive knowledge of the social causes and consequences of crime and disadvantage; including dimensions of disability, mental health, gender, ethnicity, race, poverty, employment and locality.
You will gain enhanced skills in a range of specific social and criminology knowledge areas, as well as high levels of literacy and information and communication technology skills, equipping you for work in the human service and/or criminal justice industries.
Within the social work component you will benefit from teaching staff that include practising social workers. You'll also gain valuable practical experience in field education opportunities. The social work component of the program is fully accredited by the Australian Association of Social Workers, and prepares professionals to work with individuals, families, groups and communities.
Career opportunities
Graduates are eligible to work in a broad range of industries and roles including mental health, social research, policy development and analysis, organisational management, community development and education, in government, community agencies and private practice. Enhanced employment prospects created by the criminology components of the degree include crime and justice research and policy, youth advocacy and at-risk youth support, crime victim support services, and offender transition-from-prison programs.
Program structure
Program Structure
Social Work courses
Introductory courses (3)
COR109 Nutrition and Dietetics Thesis
SCS130 Communication and Thought
SCS172 Introduction to Psychology A
Advanced courses (15)
SCS230 Introduction to Psychology B
SCS235 Current Directions in Psychology
SCS251 Research Methods in Psychology A
SCS266 Research Methods in Psychology B
SCS277 Physiological Psychology
SCS278 Introduction to Human Development
SCS285 Social Psychology
SCS290 Motivation and Emotion
SWK301 Advanced Methods in Psychology
SWK302 Cognitive and Perceptual Psychology
SWK303 Intercultural and Indigenous Psychologies
SWK401 Personality and Assessment
SWK402 Human Associative Learning
SWK404 Abnormal Psychology
SWK407 Psychology of Health and Wellbeing
Criminology courses
Introductory courses (7)
CRM101 Adult Development and Ageing
CRM102 Advanced Statistics in Psychology
CRM103 Advanced Theoretical Issues in Psychology
CRM105 Professional Practice of Psychology
JST101 Ethical and Professional Issues In Psychology
PSY100 Research Dissertation A
SCS110 Research Dissertation B
Advanced courses (6)
CRM202 Communication and Thought
CRM204 Business Analytics
CRM301 Introduction to Economics
CRM304 Management and Organisational Behaviour
LGL201 Introduction to Marketing
SCS225 Accounting for Business
Elective courses (3)
Select 3 elective courses from either faculty (Arts, Business and Law or Science, Health, Education and Engineering).
Suggested electives include:
CRM201 Introduction to Informatics
JST202 Business Law and Ethics
LGL202 Anatomy and Physiology
CRM203 Nursing, Assessment and Technology
CRM302 Human Pathophysiology
CRM303 Challenges to Mental Health
CRM305 Nursing Practicum 3
CRM306 Nursing Practicum 2
SCS286 Contexts of practice: child, youth and family
SCS295 Health Law and Ethics
Note: Not all USC courses are available on every USC campus.
Total units: 480
Recommended study sequences
Program requirements and notes
Program requirements
In order to graduate you must:
- Complete 3 introductory level (100 coded) required social work courses including COR109
- Complete 15 advanced level (200/300/400 coded) required social work course
- Complete 2 field education placements (SWK301 Social Work Field Education 1 and SWK404 Social Work Field Education 2) in the third and fourth years of the program
- Complete 7 required introductory level (100 coded) criminology courses
- Complete 6 required advanced level (200/300 coded) criminology courses
- Complete 3 elective courses
- Complete no more than 15 introductory level (100 coded) courses in total, including the core course
In order to commence field education placement you must:
- Hold a valid Blue Card, throughout the duration of your program, which is issued by the Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian (CCYPCG). You should allow 12 weeks for CCYPCG to issue the card. Note: students who do not possess a valid Blue Card will be unable to complete the field education component of their program and will be unable to meet graduation requirements
- Have a National Criminal History check (by Queensland Police Service or other state/territory authority)
- Travel to attend field education placements
- Please note, while all endeavours will be made to place students in a given semester, this is not guaranteed and students may need to enrol at a later time should a position in an agency be unavailable in the preferred semester
Program notes
- Completing this program within the specified (full-time) duration is based on studying 48 unit points per semester (normally 4 courses)
- Courses within this program are assessed using a variety of assessment methods including essays, seminar presentations, reports, in-class tests and examinations. Not all courses will necessarily include all methods
- As part of your USC program, you may apply to Study Overseas to undertake courses with an overseas higher education provider
- When enrolling, refer to the Study Plan