BA (Hons) Community Development and Youth Studies (top-up)

• You’re normally expected to have successfully completed a relevant qualification at Level HE5, such as a foundation degree or HND, or a professional qualification at an equivalent level.
• You're expected to have substantial experience working with young people and communities.
• We'll be happy to consider your application if you have non-traditional entry qualifications and relevant experience or a suitable portfolio of work that we deem a reasonable substitute for the qualifications we typically accept for this course.
• You’ll be required to attend an interview and/or provide a portfolio of work.
• If English isn’t your first language, you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.
• Please note that this course is subject to the University of Bolton's Fitness to Practise procedure.

Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.

Community development work seeks to actively engage communities in making sense of the issues which affect their lives, setting goals for improvement and responding to problems and needs through empowerment and active participation.

The community development and youth work sector is currently undergoing significant change. Traditional sources of employment in the public sector and the voluntary, faith and community sectors are changing and therefore have to adapt their services towards a broader set of activities. This shift requires employees with flexible, transversal and adaptive knowledge, skills and attitudes.

Enabling you to gain a range of skills that can be applied in multiple contexts is a central principle of this degree. Research suggests that future employment in the field will be non-routine, creative and people-centric. This degree supports this broad curriculum, and organisations that employ graduates have been involved in the overall course design.

During this course, you'll have the opportunity to develop a wide range of transferable skills that will support your employment in a number of positions and sectors. These skills include presentation, oral and written communication, the ability to work independently and deal with complex and challenging situations, advocacy and empathy, teamwork and the ability to understand and work with people from all backgrounds.

What can I do with this qualification?

As a BA (Hons) Community Development and Youth Studies (top-up) graduate, you'll be able to seek work in a wide range of youth and community organisations, in public service, charities, the voluntary and faith sectors, schools and colleges, youth training schemes, housing associations, outdoor centres, youth justice, and residential settings such a care homes. Roles are often project-based, on fixed-term contracts and tackle issues such as social cohesion, homelessness, substance misuse, sexual health education and crime prevention.

Community development and working with young people can be challenging and frustrating. You'll need to be prepared to cope with conflicts and setbacks. Results are often long-term rather than immediate, so patience and perseverance are essential.

After graduation, you may pursue postgraduate study; for example, a research-based master's degree or a PhD in education, community or youth studies. Alternatively, you might apply for a vocational course such as a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), which qualifies you to work as a teacher, or a Master's in Social Work.

Alternative career options

Graduates can also use the qualification to step into a range of other careers. You may need relevant experience and/or postgraduate study for some of these roles. Possible careers include:

• Social work
• The Arts
• Mentoring
• Teaching and education
• Health promotion
• Behaviour management
• Learning support
• Work with refugee and asylum seekers
• Advice work
• Community education
• Family support
• Probation
• Careers advice
• Prison service
• Outdoor education/activities
• Residential care
• Volunteer co-ordination
• Youth offending

Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2023-2024 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.

The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.

For 2023-2024 entry, the maximum government approved undergraduate tuition fee for UK students is £9,250 per year. The University is able to charge this fee subject to an approved Access and Participation Plan for 2023-2024 and its current rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework.

Bursaries

Click here for more information about the scholarships and bursaries available to University of Bolton students.

Teaching and learning on our BA (Hons) Community Development and Youth Studies (top-up) course are supported by a variety of methods. You can expect lectures, tutorials, seminars, discussions, role play, case studies, group work and field trips.

In the majority of modules, formal lectures are used to introduce a topic, with follow-up small group seminars where you're encouraged to explore this knowledge in greater depth. We'll offer additional tutorials, ensuring you have space to ask questions or seek individual help. Independent learning is essential for the course, and you should spend much of your time reading around and researching the topics covered in your modules.

We'll also offer you chances to hear guest speakers from local community development and youth work organisations. Moreover, you'll be strongly encouraged to undertake voluntary activities that support your studies and expand your already considerable practice experience.

In terms of assessment, we aim to provide creative ways for you to demonstrate your theoretical and practical knowledge. You can expect coursework, including methods such as portfolios, essays, reports, case study analysis and oral presentations. An essential element of assessment at the honours level is your dissertation. This in-depth research report allows you to showcase your critical understanding of theoretical models and contemporary literature relevant to a specific area of thought or practice. Overall, some assessments will contribute to your final module mark and allow you to demonstrate that you've met the learning outcomes. In contrast, others are designed to help you identify areas that need extra attention on your part or where you need additional support from your tutors.

Modules

The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.

• Global Youth Work and Sustainable Communities
• Professional and Academic Research Methods
• Community Living: Housing and Homelessness
• Management, Governance and Organisational Development
• Dissertation

Assessment methods

Learning activities

Disclaimer

The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.