Undergraduate
Apprenticeship

Police Constable

BSc (Hons) Level 6

Start date

Duration

Location

Overview
Requirements
Course detail & modules
Costs & fees
Study & career progression

Next steps

Start date

Next steps

Overview

Become a police officer in London’s Metropolitan Police Service and embark on an exciting and rewarding career like no other.

The Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) combines on-the-job learning with working towards a fully funded degree, all while earning a competitive salary and making a difference to London communities.

You may also be interested in studying our BSc (Hons) Professional Policing course.

Working with the Met

The Metropolitan Police Service have plenty to be proud of; the quality of their people, and the job they do to police London. Over 40,000 colleagues are dedicated to serving 9 million+ residents of one of the world's most dynamic and diverse global cities.

As the UK’s largest police service and one of the biggest employers in London and the South East, policing in London and in the Met offers a wealth of exciting and rewarding experiences and career opportunities. Supporting local communities, tackling serious crime and safeguarding those most vulnerable – no two days on the job are ever the same. There are also opportunities to move into specialist roles and units, from firearms, public order and family liaison, to cyber-crime, counter-terrorism and becoming a detective investigating crimes.

We are here to support you through your time as an apprentice. We are the no.1 university in London for overall student satisfaction*, with excellent student support services. You will be joining a diverse community of students and will benefit from £150 million investment in our teaching and learning facilities. Find out more:

The Institute for Policing Studies

*according to The National Student Survey 2023 and 2024 - Average of answers to all questions by registered student population. Excludes specialist institutions.

A group of police officers standing outside.

Select a start date below to see relevant course information:

Start date:

View apprenticeships standards End Point Assessment

Employers we work with

The Metropolitan Police Service.

Requirements

Requirements for apprentices

GCSE grade C, or 4 or above, in English and maths (or equivalent level 2 qualifications). If you don’t already hold a level 2 qualification in maths the University can support you to achieve this.

Plus one of the following:

64 UCAS points (eg 2 A-levels at Grade C)
an academic or vocational qualification gained outside England & Wales equivalent to 64 UCAS points
training or work experience, equivalent to 64 UCAS points
12 months service as a special constable having achieved IPS
12 months service as a community support officer having passed the probationary period.

If you would like to complete the PCDA but do not meet all the requirements, a recruitment panel will consider your performance throughout the recruitment process, along with your education and any employment history – helping to select the right learner journey for you.

For our complete entry requirements including age and residency requirements, please refer to the Met Police website for latest details.

Eligibility

All apprenticeships starting from 1 August 2021:

Eligibility is subject to Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) Apprenticeship Funding Rules. Over the duration of the apprenticeship, you must meet the eligibility requirements in place at the time, including:

Have the right to work and study in England
Spend at least 50% of your working time in England; and
Are a UK citizen and have been ordinarily resident for the last three years in the UK or meet one of the following immigration statuses:

UK and Irish Nationals: have been ordinarily resident in the UK or EEA for the three years before the first day of the start of the apprenticeship.

EEA nationals: have either pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme; and have been ordinarily resident in the EEA, Gibraltar, or the UK for at least the previous three years before the first day of the start of the apprenticeship.

*Non-EEA nationals: you are eligible if you have permission from the UK government to live in the UK, (not for educational purposes) and have been ordinarily resident in the UK for at least the previous three years before the first day of the start of the apprenticeship.

* You must meet the UK government’s eligibility criteria for apprenticeship funding:

Where an applicant for an apprenticeship does not hold a UK passport as a British citizen, these requirements state that you must have an immigration permission in the UK that allows you to study and will cover the length of the whole apprenticeship in full without you needing to extend your visa or immigration permission during the apprenticeship.

Please check the guidance for further clarification, particularly for information on:

Family members of UK and EEA nationals
Individuals with certain types of immigration status and their family members
Asylum seekers
Other immigration status.

You can also contact the Student Admissions Team admissions@uwl.ac.uk if you require further clarification.

Course detail & modules

The Met is looking for people from all walks of life committed to making a real difference. Someone with resilience, empathy and ambition, you’ll receive world class training and become a valued member of an incredibly supportive and passionate team working to keep Londoners safe.

The three-year Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship is a real job with hands-on experience, combining practical on-the-job training with academic learning.

The role of a police officer is much more than blue lights and fast cars. You will wear a uniform with over 190 years of history. As part of your duties you will be:

protecting the vulnerable
giving evidence in court
supporting victims of domestic violence
investigating burglaries
working in partnership with the communities of London to tackle serious and organised crime.

Year 1
Year 2
Year 3

Introduction to the Role of the Police
Introduction to Policing Practice
Vulnerability and Risk
Operational Policing Skills
Research Methods and Evidence-Based Policing.

Developing Professional Practice
Safeguarding, Public Protection and Vulnerability
Crime Investigation and Intelligence Management
Community Policing, Problem Solving and Confidence
Response Policy, Patrol and Policing the Roads
Evidence-Based Policing and Researching the Police.

Specialist Policing Modules to be agreed with the Met (Response, Community, The Roads, Information and Intelligence, Conducting Investigations)
Policing, Leadership and Professional Development
Evidence-Based Policing Project and End Point Assessment.

Your training will also include officer safety and emergency life support skills to fully prepare you for your operational role.

Teaching & learning

Police officers sitting down and socialising.

You will start your training with an initial period of classroom-based learning at the University of West London and will be welcomed into an operational policing team in which you will be working. You will undertake most of your training on the frontline, in one of 12 Basic Command Units (BCUs), where you will work alongside a team of experienced colleagues.

Your learning will cover a wide range of policing topics including officer safety training, emergency life support, safeguarding, crime investigation and operational policing skills (based on a national policing curriculum).

In your final year, you will undertake a research project, which will focus on a practical policing problem with a solution that makes a difference to helping keep London safe.

Throughout your training you will undertake work-based learning, fully supported in applying new skills and knowledge as part of your operational duties, as well as self-directed study and reflective learning. You’ll be immersed in day-to-day policing. This will let you contextualise what you are learning and develop the skills and experience you need for this challenging role, while actively contributing to policing priorities in your area as a fully employed police officer from day one.

Police officers in a flourescent jackets, walking into vehicle.

Training location

The Met provide some of the best training in the world to fully prepare you for the unique challenges of policing London.

You'll be assigned to one of the Met's four partner universities as part of your training. However, you'll spend most of your training on the job, working as part of a policing team on a Borough Operational Command Unit (BCU), fully supported in putting your learning into practice by experienced colleagues.

The training programme is delivered in partnership with four London universities:

Anglia Ruskin University
Brunel University London
The University of East London
The University of West London

Police officer's hat under his or her arm.

How you will be assessed

You will need to successfully complete both operational and academic assessments before being awarded a degree and becoming a fully-fledged police officer.

You will have to complete a number of different assessments throughout the course, including written reflective reports and essays, exams, presentations (both group and individual) and digital artefacts (eg a case study blog or podcast). Alongside these academic assessments, you will also need to complete and pass the Independent Patrol Status (IPS) in your first year and compile an Operational Competence Portfolio over the duration of the apprenticeship.

In your final year, you will be required to complete the End Point Assessment, which will be made up of the following:

a professional discussion based on your Operational Competence Portfolio
a 10,000-word research project based on your policing specialism
a presentation and Assessment Panel discussion.

You will also be required to evidence operational competence in several areas, such as:

providing effective initial response to a critical incident
engaging proactively with communities
conducting effective evaluations of intelligence.

Costs & fees

Costs for apprentices

As part of the three-year Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship programme, you’ll work towards a BSc (Hons) Professional Policing Practice, fully funded by the Met.

Pay and benefits

Starting salary of £38,269. Salary including allowances.
Salary increases to £40,789 after two years for PCEP or £42,052 after three years for PCDA, upon satisfactory completion of probation. Salary including allowances.
Salary will increase each year up to £56,593 within seven years.
On promotion to the next police rank – sergeant – you can earn over £59,500. Most officers apply for sergeant after five years as a constable.

Part-time officers' salaries will be based on the pro-rata equivalent of a full-time officer.

Working for the Met as a Police Constable is a genuinely rewarding career where you are able to see the impact that your hard work has in making London safer for everybody. Alongside a competitive salary, Police Constables also receive a range of other benefits.

Costs for employers

For employers, the costs of training your apprentice will usually be covered by the apprenticeship levy. Find out more about how apprenticeship funding works .

Teaching staff

Study & career progression

Three police officers sat down socialising.

Joining the Met as a new Police Constable is just the beginning of the journey – this could be the start of an exciting and varied career. During your probationary period, you will be working alongside experienced officers and gaining a wide range of practical and on-the-job knowledge to complement your in-classroom training. The foundation you gain will stand you in good stead for the rest of your police career.

Once you have completed your probationary period and your appointment as a Police Constable has been confirmed, you'll then have plenty of opportunities to continue your professional development.

Given that London is a unique city, it presents a unique set of policing challenges. This means that the Met is involved in a wide range of operations and policing events, each presenting their own distinct opportunities to broaden your skill set, on a scale that you wouldn’t find in any other police service.

As a PC in London’s Met your career path could take you in many directions such as:

detective work
diplomatic protection
child protection
authorised firearms officer
a dog handler or member of the mounted branch
24hr response
cybercrime.

And many more.

Next steps

Next steps for apprentices

To apply or find out more about entry routes, including the Degree Holder Entry Programme, visit the Metropolitan Police website.

Next steps for employers

To find out more about working with the University of West London, please contact Janet Rowson, Director of Apprenticeships:

Email: janet.rowson@uwl.ac.uk

Police Constable