MA/PG Dip Youth and Community Development Studies

Overview

Are you a practitioner looking to expand your knowledge and gain a deeper understanding of the complex and continually changing contexts in which you work? This distance learning programme is an ideal choice to advance your professional abilities and develop the support you provide to vulnerable young people.

Would you like a rewarding career supporting vulnerable young people? Do you have a passion to help them reach their full potential? A career in youth and community development is the opportunity to make a crucial difference to people’s lives.

Through gaining the professional skills and knowledge taught on this course, your work can provide support to families and community groups and help keep young people safe.

The blend of practical and academic skills you’ll be taught on this programme can prepare you for a range of jobs across several sectors. It will help develop you as a progressive practitioner, providing opportunities to explore various concepts and practices of social justice and equality. With the option to study either full-time or part-time, you can manage your studies effectively alongside work commitments. This programme is ideal for those who use group work, informal learning, outreach and community work as part of their role, particularly those working with young people and adults often identified as hard to reach.

Throughout this course you’ll benefit from inter-professional learning as the course attracts professionals from a variety of settings and sectors worldwide, including parenting education, youth work, children’s centres, sexual health, drug and substance abuse, housing and homelessness, youth offending, disability, mental health, community development, domestic violence, local government sector, voluntary and not-for-profit sector and non-governmental organisations.

Teaching and assessment

All core and most option modules are launched during one of two block teaching weeks held each year, usually in September and January. These modules are supported by a wide variety of written material, individual and organisational tasks. Students are required to engage in a number of online seminars in each module. Contributions to them are compulsory, and are an attendance requirement.

The course aims to build a learning community, from the initial contact during the induction block teaching week onwards. Assessment is usually by written assignment of 4,000 words per 15 credit module.

Graduate careers

Many of our graduates work in a wide range of senior posts in youth work and community development work and in other related health and educational services in both public and voluntary organisations, all over the world.

An MA is a recommended qualification for workers who want to hold senior positions. The MA is recognised internationally as a valid postgraduate level of study and its content is relevant for issues relating to a developing country’s youth and community provision.