NZ’s first Bachelor of Criminal Justice graduates

NZ’s first Bachelor of Criminal Justice graduates

New Zealand’s first Bachelor of Criminal Justice graduate crossed the stage at the University of Canterbury graduation ceremony yesterday.

Annabel Frost, who moved to New Zealand from England with her family when she was a child, is the first and only person to graduate with the new qualification. She has managed to complete two degrees in four years – a BA and a BCJ – by studying at UC Summer School and taking extra papers.

Frost says she’s excited to be the first Bachelor of Criminal Justice graduate in New Zealand.

“I found the BCJ to be a really interesting degree because of the variety of subjects it covers and the great lecturers, who definitely made the courses more exciting and increased my interest in the area of justice.

“I really enjoyed doing the BCJ at UC. I started off doing a BA in Sociology and Human Services because I've always been interested in learning about people and the world around me. But it was [UC Professor of Sociology] Greg Newbold's 200-level crime and justice paper that sparked my interest in criminal justice, so when the degree was introduced it seemed like exactly what I wanted to do,” Frost says.

The BCJ degree involves the study of criminal justice which also looks at psychological and sociological aspects, and has been designed with the help of New Zealand Police, Corrections and Justice experts as degree partners.

Although she’s still to choose her career path, Frost says she is interested in the criminal justice sector. “I'm just looking forward to new opportunities and the next chapter in my life now that I have my double degree.”

The Bachelor of Criminal Justice is the first degree of its type in New Zealand, Director of the Bachelor of Criminal Justice Programme Associate Professor Lyndon Fraser says.

“We are enormously proud of Annabel and absolutely delighted to have our first graduate in a degree which is unique in New Zealand. Annabel has worked extremely hard and we think she is an ideal role model for those following in her footsteps.”

Representatives from the New Zealand Police, Corrections Department and Ministry of Justice were invited to witness the graduation.

“Our external partners in the sector – Police, Corrections and Justice – are really pleased. There is real interest in the degree throughout the country. So it looks like we’ll get another big intake in 2016,” he says.

Dr Fraser says that BCJ enrolments have grown from a handful, when it began, to 180 enrolled in 100-level this year. Around 100 students are expected to graduate with from the Bachelor of Criminal Justice Programme in 2016.

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