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

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

Award

BA (Hons)

Start Date

To be confirmed

Duration

1 year

Mode

Full-time

Location

University of Bolton

UCAS Code

L547

Based at our town centre campus in the North West of England, our BA (Hons) Community Development and Youth Studies (top-up) course allows you to build on your existing foundation degree or HND in a community development and youth studies-related subject. Completing your honours level studies can open doors to graduate entry careers in the youth and community sector, areas of social work, local government or the non-profit and voluntary sectors, as well as postgraduate education.

Apply Now Download Prospectus Programme Specification

Course Overview

The University of Bolton's BA (Hons) Community Development and Youth Studies (top-up) course focuses on academic studies that support the development of knowledge and skills for practice. The course is ideal if you're seeking the flexible and adaptable skills and knowledge needed for a career changing lives by challenging discrimination and oppression through informal social inclusion. It's also a fantastic springboard for master's level or postdoctoral study.

Our passionate and knowledgeable staff will guide you to explore issues such as globalisation and sustainable communities, housing and homelessness, management and leadership in community development and youth work, and the governance and organisational development of public, private and third sector organisations. We'll support you in developing key transferable skills such as communication, self-awareness, time management and critical thinking. The dissertation is an essential element of your honours-level studies and offers an excellent preparation for higher-level study.

Our professionally experienced tutors bring their wealth of on-the-job expertise and practical knowledge into their research, teaching and one-to-one advice, ensuring you can benefit from a wide range of highly informed youth work and community development perspectives. Throughout the course, we'll support and encourage you as you develop your understanding and articulation of the key theories of personal and social change affecting young people and communities today.

Highlights

Key Features

Entry Requirements

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.

Career Opportunities

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
Fees & Funding

Home/EU Fees

Year of study Total
Entry Year 2024/25 2025/26
2024-25 £9,250 - £9,250
2025-26 -

International Fees

Year of study Total
Entry Year 2024/25 2025/26
2024-25 £15,950 - £15,950
2025-26 -

Bursaries

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

Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2024-25 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.

How to apply

Home Applicants

If you wish to apply for multiple institutions or multiple courses at Bolton for September entry, then apply through UCAS

You can apply for up to 5 courses through UCAS (at the same or different institutions) for a fee of £27. Alternatively, if you only wish to apply for a single course at a single institution then a reduced applicant's fee of £22.50 is applicable.

The online application form and guidance notes are available on the UCAS website.

You will need the following information to complete your UCAS application form:

  • Institution Code Name: BOLTN

  • Institution Code Number: B44

UCAS - Universities and Colleges Admissions Service

Tel: 0870 1122211
Web: www.ucas.com

If you wish to apply for a single course offered by the University of Bolton for any intake, you can apply directly

If you have carefully considered your course and institution choices and decided that this course is the best option for you, you may apply directly to the University using our online application form shown below.

A direct application to Bolton provides the following features:

  • Free of charge to apply

  • Secure, simple and streamlined

  • Contact us directly for any admissions queries

  • Regular updates on your application directly from the University

  • Invites to offer holder events and taster sessions where you can meet your future tutors and get a flavour of university life

NOTE: You cannot apply both through UCAS and directly to Bolton. Submitting an application to any university through UCAS during the same academic year will void any direct application you make to Bolton.

For courses starting in September, please be aware that we are required to share your information with UCAS if we accept you on this course. We will create a simplified UCAS acceptance record on your behalf and return this to UCAS. By submitting your application directly to the University of Bolton, you agree to these terms.

If you are ready to apply directly, please select your chosen start date from the list below.

Before applying, please read the entry requirements section of this page.

If your course runs at multiple locations or has various start dates, please be sure to select the correct application link from the list below.

Before beginning your application, you should have the following information to hand:

  • Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates

  • Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course – you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies

  • Details of any employment history, including name, address, dates and role

  • Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately

  • Details including e-mail addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be someone who can provide an academic reference

Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format. Personal statements may be word documents.

Please ensure your data is correct at each stage of the application before you proceed to the next page. If you use the back button at any time during the application, you should check the validity of the data you have already inputted.

If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Undergraduate Admissions Team on 01204 903394 or admissions-team@bolton.ac.uk

International Applicants

The University welcomes applications from international students from all over the world. We try to make the application process as simple and as fast as possible for our international applicants.

This course is not currently accepting international online applications.

Please contact Admissions by telephone on 01204 903903 or email enquiries@bolton.ac.uk

Admissions
University of Bolton
Deane Road
Bolton, BL3 5AB
United Kingdom

Tel: 01204 903903
Email: enquiries@bolton.ac.uk

Partner Organisation Applicants

University of Bolton Group Partners

Bolton College
University Collegiate School
Alliance Learning
University of Bolton

For valued members of the University of Bolton Group and progressing students, we try to make our application process as simple and as fast as possible.

If you have carefully considered your course and institution choices and decided that this course is the best option for you, you may apply free of charge to the University. By selecting the appropriate link from the list shown below, you will be taken directly to our online application form. Please read the user guidance before completing this, and ensure you upload all supporting documents such as certificates and your personal statement when you apply.

When you are asked to add a contact email address, please ensure you add your college/university email account address as well as your personal address. If you do not add your college address as your contact address, we will be unable to identify you as a partner and offer you the benefits of being part of our group.

NOTE: You cannot apply both through UCAS and directly to Bolton. Submitting an application to any university through UCAS during the same academic year will void any direct application you make to Bolton.

For courses starting in September, please be aware that we are required to share your information with UCAS if we accept you on this course. We will create a simplified UCAS acceptance record on your behalf and return this to UCAS. By submitting your application directly to the University of Bolton, you agree to these terms.

If you are ready to apply directly, please select your chosen start date from the list below.

Before applying, please read the entry requirements section of this page.

If your course runs at multiple locations or has various start dates, please be sure to select the correct application link from the list below.

Before beginning your application, you should have the following information to hand:

  • Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates

  • Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course – you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies

  • Details of any employment history, including name, address, dates and role

  • Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately

  • Details including email addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be someone who can provide an academic reference

Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format. Personal statements may be word documents.

Please ensure your data is correct at each stage of the application before you proceed to the next page. If you use the back button at any time during the application, you should check the validity of the data you have already inputted.

If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Undergraduate Admissions Team on 01204 903394 or admissions-team@bolton.ac.uk

We look forward to receiving your application and you continuing your academic journey with us!

Teaching & Assessment

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

Level Assessment method
Level 1 Coursework 72%
Practical exams 28%

Learning Activities

Level Activity
Level 1 Guided independent study 80%
Scheduled learning and teaching activities 20%

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.

Postgraduate Options

Programme Contacts

Help Centre

We have the answers to your questions, find all the advice and support in one place.

Part of the University of Bolton Group

Bolton college
Alliance learning
Anderton centre2
QQA Scheme Participant

Help Centre

We have the answers to your questions, find all the advice and support in one place.

Part of the University of Bolton Group

Bolton college
Alliance learning
Anderton centre2
QQA Scheme Participant