Students will be able to study a Bachelor of Criminology, a Bachelor of Criminology/Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Criminology/Bachelor of Psychological Science at the Bendigo campus. 

La Trobe University professor Anne Wallace said the new courses would compliment the university’s existing law program in Bendigo.

Related: New Bendigo-based science degree aims to stem brain drain

“We've had a steady stream of inquiry from the regions about criminology,” she said.

The “broadly-based” qualification would given graduates the opportunity to work in a number of areas locally, including; probation, parole, working as corrections officers, or developing justice policy and working with victims of crime, Ms Wallace said.

The degree would also be a relevant qualification for those looking to develop a career in policing, security, customs and border protection.

Ms Wallace, the Associate Head of La Trobe University’s Law School, also stressed the course was not “a back door into a law degree”, but suggested students would have the opportunity to explore that avenue if their grades were high enough in the first year.

The Bachelor of Criminology does not have a cap of the number of places available for the first year, with Ms Wallace expecting around 20-30 students to enroll.

The The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank for the straight criminology degree in Bendigo is 60. 

The new courses follow the creation of La Trobe University’s Bendigo-based Biomedical Science degree.

Head of the School of Pharmacy and Science, Mike Angove, told the Bendigo Advertiser recently the new bachelor’s degree would help reverse a trend of students heading down the Calder to complete their postgraduate studies and enter the workforce.

“It’s all about trying to retain expertise in the regions and it’s been very difficult historically to keep well-trained people in regional areas,” he said at the time.

More info: http://www.latrobe.edu.au