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Course starts: 14 September 2026Apply now
Transform the lives of vulnerable communities. Empower disadvantaged young people to achieve their potential. Qualify for an incredibly satisfying career in youth and community work where you'll be changing lives every day.
The BA (Hons) Community and Youth Work degree will prepare you for a successful career in working with young people and in communities across a variety of settings.
Our recently updated youth work course offers you the opportunity to develop your ability to work with communities and young people (both theoretically and via extensive practice) and study the knowledge, skills and values of youth work and community development in order to graduate with a professional JNC qualification in Youth Work alongside your degree.
Just like the practice of community development and youth work, this course has been designed in a creative way and offers much more than lectures and writing essays, by going beyond the theoretical. You'll learn how to understand the problems faced by young people and communities and how to change situations and realities. The curriculum focuses on achieving social justice and celebrating the assets that are abundant in communities and societies, particularly within those communities that have been disadvantaged. The curriculum offers you a holistic learning experience which has professional practice and employability built in.
If you're ready to make a positive difference in the world, the team are ready to hear from you.
During your studying, some of your learning will take place in the classroom, learning from each other and reading. However, community development and youth work are vocations, and it’s important to learn from real work-based experience as well as from academic study. For this reason, work placements are an integral part of the Community and Youth Work degree. By the time you graduate, you'll have spent at least 800 hours in professional practice, within a minimum of two local community development and youth work organisations. This means your learning can evolve in surprising places, such as around a pool table, on a walk, in a community café, or in a multi-agency meeting.
If you’re already working in a community and youth work setting, then you may be able to complete your placement at your workplace, as long as the work is relevant and there are adequate supervision arrangements in place. You’ll also need to complete at least one placement in a setting which is not your workplace, to ensure that you get the maximum benefit from your placement experience.
Learning on campus will reflect the collaborative, empowering and reflective nature of community development and youth work – so expect a lot of dialogue, reflection and group work. Throughout your degree, you'll have one-to-one support from a designated Personal Academic Tutor who will support your progress from Fresher’s Week to graduation.
The course utilises a range of assessment methods, including written assignments (reports, essays, reflections); individual, paired and group presentations; professional discussions; and the construction of portfolios. The broad range of assessment strategies encompasses the skills required within the community development and youth work profession, allowing you to develop a wide range of competencies while gradually increasing your confidence.
If you choose a degree in social science, you could be presented with a wide variety of job opportunities when you graduate. We’ve compiled a list of seven potential jobs you could go into with a social science degree to give you some inspiration.
Read about the jobs you could get with a social science degree
Are you interested in studying for a community and youth work degree but want to know more about what this means? Here, we explore what youth work involves and what you can expect from a career in this rewarding field.
Find out more about community and youth work
We caught up with Senior Lecturer, Drew Dalton, to find out why social sciences are a great area to study at degree level and how they can make you think differently.
Explore the impact studying social sciences can have on the way you think
Our typical offer is:
| Qualification | Minimum grade |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma along with one of the following at the required grade: SAT I and SAT II, ACT or Advanced Placement | GPA 3.0 or above and: Sat score of 1100/1600 from SATs AP (Grades 3+ in at least 2 subjects) ACT (score of 26+) |
If you don't meet our standard entry requirements, you can take one of the foundation pathways at our partners ONCAMPUS Sunderland. Find out more information and whether your course is eligible on our ONCAMPUS page.
If your qualification is not listed above, please contact the Student Administration team at studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk for further advice.
Our admissions policy uses a range of flexible options to support you to study with us. This may include a reduced offer of up to 16 UCAS tariff points, (or equivalent). Find out if you are eligible.
It's recommended that you've completed a minimum of 100 hours of practical work with young people and/or communities prior to commencement on a course.
If English isn't your first language, please see our English language requirements.
We're seeking ESB recognition as a professional community development qualification for this course, though the validation process isn't yet complete.
The annual, full-time fee is:
*Undergraduate fees are set according to rules from Government in line with forecast inflation. The fee for your first year of study for 2026/27 will be £9,535. You will pay tuition fees for every year of study. Fees may increase every year based on the Retail Price Index.
If you're unsure whether you qualify as a UK, EU, or international student, or want to find out more about EU fees and funding, see our Help and Advice article.
Take a look at the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.
This information was correct at the time of publication.
Qualified community and youth workers are in high demand. With a varied repertoire of value-based and practice-related skills, community and youth workers find employment throughout local authorities and the voluntary, charity, and social enterprise sectors.
As a qualified professional, you’ll be eligible for the higher levels of salary scales set by the Joint Negotiating Committee for Youth and Community Workers.
To find out more about what community and youth work involves, read our article, or read more about what you can do with a Social Science degree.
An important part of our Community and Youth Work course is the work-based experience you'll gain from your placements. By the time you graduate, you'll have spent at least 800 hours in professional practice to enhance your training. As well as exposing you to a range of experiences and helping you understand the realities of community and youth work, placements are an excellent way of establishing professional contacts for your career.
You'll also have the opportunity to engage with the community development and youth work sector via guest lectures and speakers.
The University of Sunderland’s Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS) regularly hosts visiting speakers and it can be an excellent way to learn from the real-life experience of people who already have a strong track record in social policy.
CASS is the centre for applied social science research at the University and you may find opportunities to collaborate with the academic team – particularly in areas relating to children, young people and families.
I go home at the end of each day knowing that I've made a real difference to the lives of others.
The University of Sunderland has a fantastic reputation with regards to youth work.
