BA (Hons) Applied Community and Youth Work

UCAS code: L530

Start date: September

Course length: full time: three years, part time: four to six years

Campus: Britannia Mill, Derby

Number of students: 26 full time students, 15 part time students

This course is available to international students

Youth and community work is changing as the pressures faced by young people and their communities are becoming more severe and more complicated. Youth and community workers deal with the problems of homelessness, poverty, drug misuse, crime and abuse.

We've designed this course so you can meet these challenges and respond to those in need of support. Providing help to those who are vulnerable and face problems in their society will give you a great deal of personal achievement and career fulfilment. You'll have the opportunity to develop the understanding, skills and practical experience you need to work positively with others to encourage change. You'll look at the destructive effects of discrimination and how you can make a positive response to the common challenge of equal opportunities.

You'll be taught in a range of ways, including lectures, tutorials, workshops, activity-based group work and you'll also complete your own self-directed study. At each stage of the course you'll go on work placements in different settings to gain an insight into the different environments you could work in when you graduate. Some of our students have had placements with young offenders, with teenage pregnancy and parenthood, in youth clubs and dealing with domestic violence, school exclusion and homelessness. Placements are a great way of applying the theory you learn in practice. If you're already employed in a community and youth work setting, then you can use this for most of your assessed placements.

We understand the anxieties that studying can raise, so you'll find there's plenty of support for you. There are no exams; you'll be assessed through work placements and assignments including essays, reflective diaries, reports, placement portfolios and posters.

Current social policies have recognised the need for work with youth people and with communities to tackle a range of social problems. We recruit a wide range of experienced, interesting, committed people, many of whom had never expected to study at university but who prove to themselves that they can. We offer advisory interviews if you wish to discuss your application and/or meet current students.

Our BA (Hons) Applied Community and Youth Work course is validated by the National Youth Agency (NYA) which means you’ll receive a recognised professional qualification when you graduate and the reassurance that the course meets the NYA’s high standards. The course develops through consultation with employers, students and the NYA and there will be some exciting changes following revalidation in 2013.

Stage one

You'll focus on reflective practice which includes the study of inequalities, youth work, community development and working with individuals and groups.

Stage two

You'll explore creating learning which includes the study of health, social exclusion, research and links between self, culture and identity.

Stage three

You'll consider management and development of service delivery which includes the management of people, organisations and community development.

Some people who join this course don't have formal qualifications and often doubt their ability to study, but they do have a good track record of working with young people and adults in the community. If this sounds like you, you can be sure that this course will build on the strengths you bring: your experience, your commitment and your willingness to learn.

So, to take this course, you'll need to:

• Have sustained experience of work with young people where you have responsibility for aspects of the work.
• Show you are ready for study by completing a small piece of written work as part of your application.
• Come to an interview to discuss your experience and your understanding of community and youth work.

Our entry requirements are usually 200 UCAS points, of which at least 160 will be from your core A2s (full A levels) or equivalent qualifications such as BTEC Diploma, International Baccalaureate, Scottish Highers etc.

We'll accept up to 40 points towards the total from level 3 qualifications such as AS levels (where those AS levels are not taken on to A2 level), the Extended Project or Music qualifications.

We don't accept points from Key Skills Level 3. If you have any questions about what is or isn't accepted, please contact our Admissions team.

We also accept the Access to HE Diploma.

Your points at level 3 will be in addition to 5 GCSEs at grade C or equivalent level 2 qualifications.

‌

The UCAS tariff points are a guide - we'll also consider all the information that you've included in your application. We'll also want to see that you're enthusiastic and motivated to take this course and that you have the potential to benefit from coming to university.

General undergraduate entry requirements

Fees for 2013/14

This is a resource intensive course.

UK/EU students

• Full time: £8,250 (each year)

We'll be announcing our part time and international fees for 2013/14 later in the year.

*These fees apply if you're starting this course between September 2013 and August 2014. We recommend you check fee details with us though, as they can change. Costs can increase each year.

How you'll learn

Different people learn best in different ways and so the course adopts a variety of methods to enable your learning. Throughout the course, but in the first year in particular, learning is based upon your personal and professional experience. Reflecting on your own and others' experience, discussion, reading and placement practice gives you the raw materials with which to analyse and improve your work. The following are some of the means by which the course helps you learn:

• lectures
• small and large group discussions
• workshops
• student presentations
• tutorials
• placements and placement supervision.
• study support groups
• learning partners
• self-assessments
• formal written assignments and their research

In addition to the core tutor team, there are also visiting speakers from the field and supervisors who work with you during your fieldwork placements. One of the most valuable resources for your learning is the members of your student group and students at other levels of the course. Learning takes place both formally in timetabled sessions and informally wherever course members meet. 

How you're assessed

There are no examinations. Assessment takes place through placement practice and written assignments. Assessment varies according to what is being assessed. For example, you may be asked to do all or any of the following:

• assess your own strengths and weakness
• evaluate your learning during the placement
• design, deliver and evaluate a social education package with young people
• analyse your professional practice in the placement
• make a presentation to your student group and evaluate the process
• write and evaluate a funding application
• reflect on different approaches to counselling and their relevance to the worker.

Assessments are phased over the academic year and support for your written work is offered in the module sessions and in tutorials. Managing your time and energy and using the available support are some of the most important ingredients in successfully completing assessments. 

Work placements

There are three placements, one in each stage. Placements provide one of the most significant parts of the course, both in terms of the credits gained and the learning involved for each student. Students identify their professional and personal needs and are matched to placements accordingly, or where appropriate, may use their current employment. Students speak highly of their experiences on placement, often finding employment as a result of their work. 

The employment rate for community and youth work students is very high. Here are just some of the areas you could work in when you've completed the course:

• youth and community centres
• hostels for homeless young people and adults
• work with excluded pupils
• projects based on youth arts, youth offending, drug and alcohol misuse, care leavers and health education.

If you're already employed in community and youth work, you can use this setting for most of your assessed placements.