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If you are applying for this course Full Time from within the UK, click apply now
Course starts: 19 September 2022Apply now
If you are applying for this course Full Time from outside the UK, click apply now
Course starts: 19 September 2022Apply now
If you are applying for this course Part Time click apply now
Course starts: 19 September 2022Apply 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.
This Community and Youth Work course combines an honours degree with a professional qualification in youth work, training you to become a fully qualified youth worker with a nationally recognised professional qualification.
Community and Youth Work is a vocation, 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 will have spent at least 888 hours in professional practice.
If you’re already working in a community and youth work setting, then you may be able to take a 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.
Our teaching style is true to the collaborative, empowering and reflective nature of Community and Youth Work. You will be assessed through essays, group work, presentations, reports and reflective pieces; assessment methods are clearly linked to the skills needed in practice. Throughout your degree you will have one to one support from a designated lecturer who will support your progress from Fresher’s week to graduation.
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.
To apply for this degree you must have experience (voluntary or paid) in a community and/or youth work setting. This could include volunteering during weekends, evenings, or holidays. You should clearly describe this experience in the personal statement section of your application. As a guide, most successful applicants will have experience lasting at least a year, though in some cases we do accept students with a shorter, more intensive experience.
We interview all applicants, and you should be ready to talk about your voluntary or paid experience in a community and/or youth work setting in the interview.
If you don't currently hold a level 3 qualification you may still be eligible for this course – around half of our students are mature students with alternative qualifications or experience. In the interview we'll ask you about your experience, to see if it is equivalent to the required academic qualifications.
Please note that you must also have a satisfactory Enhanced Disclosure Barring Service check in order to go on placements.
If English is not your first language, please see our English language requirements.
The annual, full-time, fee for this course is:
Part-time fees are £6,935 per 120 credits if you are from the UK/Ireland/EU settled/pre-settled. Part-time study is not available to international students who require a Student visa to study in the UK.
*European Union (EU), EEA (European Economic Area) and Swiss nationals who do not qualify for the EU Settlement Scheme are classed as international, however, for 22/23 admission you will receive a European student fee scholarship and will pay the home tuition fee rate for the duration of your studies. The discounted fee will be reflected in your offer letter. Learn more 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.
This information was correct at the time of publication.
Qualified employees in youth and community work remain 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. We are proud that our graduates work in a wide variety of roles including traditional community and youth work, mental health, prisons, schools, housing agencies, children’s rights and many more.
As a professional with a youth worker qualification, you’ll be eligible for the higher levels of salary scales set by the Joint Negotiating Committee for Youth and Community Workers.
Find out more about what community and youth work is all about by reading our article.
The University of Sunderland’s Centre for Applied Social Studies (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.
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 will have spent at least 888 hours in professional practice, enhancing your youth worker training. As well as exposing you to a range of experiences and helping you understand the realities of community and youth work, placements are also an excellent way of establishing professional contacts for your career.
I go home each day knowing that I have made a real difference to the lives of others.
The lecturers were amazing; the time and energy they had for me were second to none.
Every time I attend a lecture or seminar, I have the most wonderful experience.
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