Criminology
Practical learning is embedded into every stage of the Bachelor of Criminology, from case studies in class to guest lectures and work placements. This practical experience is critical in helping you transition into the workforce upon completion of your degree. Placements provide an opportunity to gain valuable hands-on training and experience in real world situations.
Placement is a compulsory requirement of the Bachelor of Criminology for those students commencing in 2023.
Please refer to the Student Professional Experience Policy and your program handbook for more information regarding the placement requirements of your degree.
What you need to do
As a compulsory requirement for graduation, you will complete a minimum 140-hour placement within the second or third year of your study. This placement will take place in an organisation that requires criminological input into their policy, evaluation, and professional practices including those that perform criminal justice research, education, or community service. This experience will expose you to the many complex factors that influence criminology research and policy, as well as the cultural diversity of offenders and victims in the criminal justice system.
Application and Approval
To undertake placement, you must complete the course CRIM2001 Criminal Justice in Practice. After successful completion of the course, you will be invited to submit an expression of interest through SONIA, the university's placement management system. The expression of interest provides you with the opportunity to express your preferences regarding which placement partners you are interested in connecting with.
We try to place your with your preferred host but their ability to host students varies from year to year. The Placement Officer and your course coordinator will assist you to arrange placements to complete your placement hours – you should not be arranging these independently.
In a few, exceptional situations, if you have a pre-existing relationship with an organisation, we can arrange to have the placement approved. This process needs to start several weeks before the semester to ensure background paperwork is completed.
You are offered a variety of environments for placements. Some examples of placement locations include:
- Aboriginal Legal Services
- Bridge of Hope, Innocence Initiative
- Carrie’s Place
- Community Corrections
- Department of Communities and Justice
- Newcastle Police Department
- NOVA
- Paperchained
The University will facilitate your placement for you, and you are not required to contact any placement partners directly.
Placement Guidelines
The student placement guidelines contains all information regarding placement and must be read thoroughly. The course outline on the Canvas webpage will provide additional information regarding the written assessment that is part of your placement.
Criminology Placement Guidelines (PDF, 415KB)
SONIA
SONIA is The University of Newcastle’s placement management system. The software supports you in managing your placement quickly and easily.
Log into SONIA using your student login details and select ‘Newcastle Law School’ to find relevant information to your placement. For any enquiries related to SONIA, contact the Professional Experience Unit for the College of Human and Social Futures (peu@newcastle.edu.au).
Insurance
If you are undertaking approved, unpaid workplace experience, you are covered for personal accident and public liability insurance under university insurance. For further clarification, please contact the University’s Insurance Team (insurance@newcastle.edu.au).
During your placement
Undertaking a placement can be challenging and rewarding experience. While your course coordinator and placement officer are here to help you throughout this process, it is ultimately your responsibility to submit all documents (such as required background checks) requested by the host organisation.
While on your placement, you are expected to follow our Student Code of Practice, found in the Criminology Placement Guidelines (PDF, 415KB), but also abridged below:
- Attend the mandatory placement orientation with your course coordinator in Week One.
- Attend placement regularly as arranged and be punctual.
- Be courteous and polite to all people with whom you come into contact when on placement.
- Be honest, diligent and act with integrity so as to earn the trust and respect of those with whom you are working.
- Complete assigned tasks and return them to your supervisor within agreed time frames.
- Use initiative to seek out work where necessary, and to ensure you are certain of what is expected of you.
- Take the opportunity to ask questions when appropriate.
- Maintain an accurate Record of Hours signed by your supervisor.
- Bring to the immediate attention of the Course Coordinator or the Placement Officer any concerns about your placement.
FAQs
Undertaking a placement is an exciting opportunity and we understand you may have lots of questions. Many of these are answered in the Criminology Placement Guidelines (PDF, 451KB) and on the Canvas page associated with the course. Below are questions students have asked in the past:
Are there prerequisites for this class?
Yes. You must successfully complete CRIM2001 Criminal Justice in Practice to enrol in the placement course.
How many hours is my placement?
This will depend on whether you are required to enrol in CRIM 3001 (80 hours) or CRIM 3002 (140 hours). Please reach out to your Program Advisor to confirm in which course you should enrol.
What is an Expression Of Interest?
After you have completed CRIM 2001, you will receive an email inviting you to log onto SONIA (our software for recording placement hours) and select which placement partners you are interested in being placed with. Generally, this email will be sent out one month before the semester starts. It is very important you are checking your university email and respond promptly so we can make every effort to place you with your preferred host.
Can I organise my own placement?
Maybe. These are dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Please contact the Course Coordinator directly.
Can I do a placement at my current job?
Maybe. These are dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Please contact the Course Coordinator directly.
Who sets the days and hours for my placement?
Placement days and hours are all set directly with the host organisation. The only exception to this is placements with Aboriginal Legal Services. If you are placed with them, your Course Coordinator will work with you, the Law School, and Aboriginal Legal Services to arrange placement hours.
Where do I log my placement hours?
The hours sheet is found in the student guidebook and on the Canvas site. Once you and your supervisor has signed these, they need to be uploaded into SONIA.
My supervisor did not sign my hours sheet, does that matter?
Hour sheets must be signed by the supervisor. Please contact them for a signature so you can receive credit for the time you have spent in your placement.
I missed placement hours, do I need to make these up?
Yes, there is a set minimum number of hours that must be completed to earn credit for the class.
I did my hours, does that mean I completed the course?
No, there is a mandatory orientation meeting the first week of placement where the course coordinator will go over the other course requirements. There are several pieces of written assessment associated with the placement course. It is your responsibility to complete all course requirements and upload the written assignments into Canvas. The course outline on Canvas will provide more information.
Support and resources
Once you have completed your placement and are preparing to graduate, it might be helpful to make a list of the skills you developed during your placement. Then, visit the Careers Service regarding future employment opportunities. The services provided include:
- Access to CareerHub, an online portal with discipline-related work and work experience opportunities
- Information about job and placement searching strategies
- Assistance aligning your studies and interests with industry opportunities
- Drop-in and appointment-based resume and application checking, plus an interview preparation service
Explore job vacancies in CareerHub
Read more
Access job application and interview resources
Read more
Professional Bodies
It is also recommended that you join relevant professional bodies of your degree with the added benefit of retaining connections within your industry. Take the opportunity to network at professional events, attend career fairs, and most importantly, seek help if and when you need it. Below is a list of most major criminology associations available in Australia:
Contact us
If you have any problems connecting with your placement host, please contact:
Course Coordinator
Alice Neikirk
School of Law and Justice
Email: Alice.neikirk@newcastle.edu.au
Placement Officer
Deb Willett
School of Law and Justice
Phone: (02) 4055 3417
Email: criminology@newcastle.edu.au
For all other enquiries, including SONIA enquiries, please contact:
Professional Experience Unit - College of Human and Social Futures
Email: peu@newcastle.edu.au
Need extra help?
The Careers Service offers free support to all current and past students of the University of Newcastle. Visit Careers to learn more and to get in touch.
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