It means students will be able to pick up the same skills taught on police graduate training schemes for the first time.
Those that successfully complete two special options and are eventually chosen as recruits will be 14 weeks ahead of their peers, having completed part of Surrey Police’s Initial Police Learning and Development Programme.
The force has been working with the university’s Institute of Criminal Justice Studies (ICJS) to develop and deliver the course modules, which will be offered to second and third year students.
Anyone studying criminology and criminal justice studies; criminology and forensic studies; law and criminology; or sociology and criminology is eligible to take part.
The university said those interested in the scheme need to complete certain options offered as part of their degree and that so far, more than half of the eligible students are choosing this route. They will begin studying the first option in October.
Modules look at law, police powers of arrest and the social context of policing, and should be useful to students considering careers with other forces and in other areas of law enforcement and investigation.
Supt Neil Boon, who looks after the Surrey Police Training and Development Centre, an associate department within the university, said the scheme was devised to give police training a more professional edge.
“Surrey is keen to modernise its training and we are encouraging officers to take responsibility for their own learning.”
He added, “The scheme will enable new recruits to gain a broader insight into policing prior to joining, which will translate into improved quality and performance.”
Professor Steve Savage, director of the university’s ICJS, said the scheme could well be adopted by other forces across the UK.