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Develop your understanding of children, childhood and youth. Choose from three different pathways, depending on your interests, previous experience and career goals. Graduate capable of working in a wide range of sectors.
Register your interestPassionate about working with children and young people? Ready to take your career with children and young people further? Then this ground-breaking and highly-flexible postgraduate course could be perfect for you.
The MA Childhood and Youth Studies course can be studied either full-time or part-time. Depending on the pathway you choose, you will graduate with one of three MA degree titles:
You will be taught by experienced and passionate lecturers with professional backgrounds in children and young people, early years and youth work. A diverse range of learning opportunities and assessments are provided which encourage you to consider how academic understandings relate to practice for those working with children and young people. You will develop your knowledge and skills in research which will enable you to undertake advanced research projects in the social sciences.
Please note a member of the course team will advise you on the most suitable pathway, as the MA Childhood and Youth Studies (Early Years-Graduate Practitioner Competencies) and the MA Childhood and Youth Studies (Youth Work, professionally validated and recognised by JNC) have entry requirements and placements which necessitate previous experience in the field.
You will be taught through a mixture of on-campus, in-person workshops and seminars, as well as completing individual projects and research. Those undertaking the Early Years Graduate Practitioner Competencies pathway will have a minimum of 25 days placement – some will require 80 days placement depending on their experience. Those undertaking the professionally qualified Youth Work pathway will undertake 400 hours of learning through placement.
Your progress will be assessed with written coursework and essays, reports, research projects and presentations. Throughout the degree you will have one-to-one support from academic staff to help you with your assignments; you will also be assigned a personal tutor.
We don’t currently display entry requirements for United States. Please contact the Student Admin team on studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk or 0191 515 3154.
We usually require applicants to hold at least an upper-second class honours degree (usually a 2:1 or above) or equivalent. Experience may be counted towards your application.
Those who are interested in the MA Childhood and Youth Studies (Early Years Graduate Practitioner Competencies) or MA Childhood and Youth Studies (Youth Work, professionally validated and recognised by JNC) should have a relevant degree in the area and some experience working with children and youth respectively. An interview and satisfactory DBS will also be essential for entrants interested in either of these two pathways.
We welcome graduates from a wide range of areas; such as social sciences, psychology, education, and health.
This course is subject to professional body accreditation.
Fees are:
Part-time fees are £389 per 10 credits. Please note, part-time study is not available to international students who require a Student visa to study in the UK.
Learn more about settled status, pre-settled status, special discounts, visa requirements and Common Travel Area (CTA) agreements for the Republic of Ireland applicants in our Help and Advice article.
Take a look at the Your Finances section to find out about the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.
Use our scholarships calculator to see what you may be entitled to.
This information was correct at the time of publication.
This course has strong appeal for those aiming for a career within early year’s provision, youth work, education, social work, nursing, healthcare, youth justice and the voluntary sector - including charities and NGOs.
You will graduate with the ability to advance academically and professionally, move into the profession or within the sector, or into a senior, managerial or supervisory role. Those who graduate with a JNC qualification will be eligible for the higher levels of salary scales set by the Joint Negotiating Committee for Youth and Community Workers.
If you undertake the Early Years Graduate Practitioner Competencies pathway, you will have a minimum of 25 days placement – some will require 80 days placement depending on your experience. If you undertake the professionally qualified Youth Work pathway, you will undertake 400 hours of learning through placement.
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