Childhood and Youth Studies
L590Our broad focused BA in Childhood and Youth Studies is a highly-rewarding course.
It prepares you to have a positive impact on the learning, development, health and wellbeing of children and their families across all sectors.
Course overview
The programme has children and young people at its centre and draws on expertise from a wide range of relevant disciplines including education, health, sociology, psychology, criminology and social care.
Top 10 in the UK (Childhood and Youth Studies subject rankings, Complete University Guide 2025) (CUG, 2024)
You develop a holistic understanding of the knowledge and skills needed for multidisciplinary and team working alongside children in a range of communities and work settings. These include children’s centres, schools, youth clubs and special educational care settings. This enables you to link theory and policy with practice, which ultimately increases your employability. In fact, our course was developed to meet the growing demand for well-qualified specialists to work in education, youth offending, healthcare, safeguarding, youth and community work.
We provide outstanding knowledge and skills development for those who wish to work in this stimulating field. The programme is taught by an experienced and enthusiastic team of tutors with extensive professional expertise in education, health promotion, community development, social work and more. Recent students have praised staff for their abilities to explain subjects clearly and make them interesting as well as being available for advice and support. In addition, you learn from highly-respected practitioners.
In Year 1, you study child development, contrasting formal and informal learning, inequalities, health promotion and community development.
In Years 2 and 3, this flexible degree enables you to explore particular age groups or specialisms such as education or health and the effects these may have on children’s development. Mandatory modules include: Emotional Health and Wellbeing, Researching Children, Working to Safeguard Children and Young People Rewilding Childhood in a Digital Age. A good range of optional modules include: Early Years Curriculum, Children and Young People’s Mental Health, Sexual Health and Wellbeing, Substance Use and Misuse, Personal, Social, Health & Economic Education (PSHE, Young People and Crime and Working with Young People.
Our graduates develop excellent communication, negotiation and leadership skills and enter careers in a diverse range of exciting sectors. These include charities and voluntary organisations, community work, education, health services, leisure and arts projects, policing and children’s services.
What you need to know
Course start date
September
Location
Winchester campus
Course length
- 3 years full-time
Apply
L590
Typical offer
88-104 points
Fees
From £9,535 pa
Course features
- Learn to link theory and policy with practice, making you more attractive to employers
- Gain real insight and learning from experienced tutors and highly-respected practitioners
Course details
Key features of the student experience are:
Scholarly activities led by a team of tutors from a range of professional disciplines who are fully committed to a multi-disciplinary approach to work with children and young people.
Active engagement with practitioners and managers in the field who are keen to share their experiences as visiting speakers/ lecturers.
The opportunity to undertake voluntary work in a relevant area as preparation for employment.
Our aim is to shape 'confident learners' by enabling you to develop the skills needed to excel in your studies here and as well as onto further studies or the employment market.
You are taught primarily through a combination of lectures and seminars, allowing opportunities to discuss and develop your understanding of topics covered in lectures in smaller groups.
In addition to the formally scheduled contact time such as lectures and seminars etc., you are encouraged to access academic support from staff within the course team and the wide range of services available to you within the University.
Independent learning
Over the duration of your course, you will be expected to develop independent and critical learning, progressively building confidence and expertise through independent and collaborative research, problem-solving and analysis with the support of staff. You take responsibility for your own learning and are encouraged to make use of the wide range of available learning resources available.
Overall workload
Your overall workload consists of class contact hours, independent learning and assessment activity.
While your actual contact hours may depend on the optional modules you select, the following information gives an indication of how much time you will need to allocate to different activities at each level of the course.
Year 1 (Level 4): Timetabled teaching and learning activity*
Teaching, learning and assessment: 288 hours
Independent learning: 912 hours
Year 2 (Level 5): Timetabled teaching and learning activity*
Teaching, learning and assessment: 288 hours
Independent learning: 912 hours
Placement: 0 hours
Year 3 (Level 6): Timetabled teaching and learning activity*
Teaching, learning and assessment: 252 hours
Independent learning: 948 hours
Placement: 0 hours
*Please note these are indicative hours for the course.
Teaching Hours
All class based teaching takes places between 9am – 6pm, Monday to Friday during . Wednesday afternoons are kept free from timetabled teaching for personal study time and for sports clubs and societies to train, meet and play matches. There may be some occasional learning opportunities (for example, an evening guest lecturer or performance) that take places outside of these hours for which you will be given forewarning.
Assessment
Our validated courses may adopt a range of means of assessing your learning. An indicative, and not necessarily comprehensive, list of assessment types you might encounter includes essays, portfolios, supervised independent work, presentations, written exams, or practical performances.
We ensure all students have an equal opportunity to achieve module learning outcomes. As such, where appropriate and necessary, students with recognised disabilities may have alternative assignments set that continue to test how successfully they have met the module's learning outcomes. Further details on assessment types used can be found by attending an Open Day.
Percentage of the course assessed by coursework:
The assessment balance between examination and coursework depends to some extent on the optional modules you choose. The approximate percentage of the course assessed by different assessment modes is as follows:
Year 1 (Level 4)*:
69% coursework
31% written exams
0% practical assessment
Year 2 (Level 5)*:
100% coursework
0% written exams
0% practical assessment
Year 3 (Level 6)*:
100% coursework
0% written exams
0% practical assessment
*Please note these are indicative percentages and modes for the programme.
Modules
Please note the modules listed are correct at the time of publishing. The University cannot guarantee the availability of all modules listed and modules may be subject to change. The University will notify applicants of any changes made to the core modules listed. For further information please refer to winchester.ac.uk/termsandconditions
Modules
More information will be coming soon.
More information will be coming soon.
More information will be coming soon.
More information will be coming soon.
Modules
More information will be coming soon.
More information will be coming soon.
More information will be coming soon.
- Volunteering in the Children's and Young peoples Sector - 15 credits
- Children Young People & Crime - 15 credits
- Working with Young People - 15 credits
- Early Years & Primary Education - 15 credits
Modules
More information will be coming soon.
More information will be coming soon.
The Extended Independent Study takes the form of an original independent investigation into an aspect of childhood, youth and community studies. Students are required to discuss proposals with their allocated supervisor and select their topic for investigation prior to the end of the second semester of their second year. Students should be prepared to read and find relevant sources for their research topic over the summer and are expected to see their supervisor in the first two weeks of the semester. Students are given clear advice on management and deadlines for stages of their projects. Students wishing to undertake primary research projects must meet with the module leader prior to collecting data. Students are guided in their level 5 Researching Children and Young People module and instructed that they must seek has ethics approval prior to going ahead with any collection of primary data.
- Teenage Pregnancy & Young Parenthood - 15 credits
- Children & Young Peoples Mental Health - 15 credits
- Substance use and Misuse - 15 credits
- PSHE -15 credits
Entry requirements
Our offers are typically made using UCAS tariff points to allow you to include a range of level 3 qualifications and as a guide, the requirements for this course are equivalent to:
- A-Levels: BCC-BBB from 3 A Levels or equivalent grade combinations (e.g. BBB is comparable to ABC in terms of tariff points)
- BTEC/CTEC: DMM from BTEC or Cambridge Technical (CTEC) qualifications
- International Baccalaureate: To include a minimum of 2 Higher Level certificates at grade H4
- T Level: Merit in a T Level
Additionally, we accept tariff points achieved for many other qualifications, such as the Access to Higher Education Diploma, Scottish Highers, UAL Diploma/Extended Diploma and WJEC Applied Certificate/Diploma, to name a few. We also accept tariff points from smaller level 3 qualifications, up to a maximum of 32, from qualifications like the Extended Project (EP/EPQ), music or dance qualifications. To find out more about UCAS tariff points, including what your qualifications are worth, please visit UCAS.
In addition to level 3 study, the following GCSE’s are required:
GCSE English Language at grade 4 or C, or higher. Functional Skills at level 2 is accepted as an alternative, however Key Skills qualifications are not. If you hold another qualification, please get in touch and we will advise further.
If you will be over the age of 21 years of age at the beginning of your undergraduate study, you will be considered as a mature student. This means our offer may be different and any work or life experiences you have will be considered together with any qualifications you hold. UCAS have further information about studying as a mature student on their website which may be of interest.
If English is not your first language, a formal English language test will most likely be required and you will need to achieve the following:
- IELTS Academic at 5.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in all four components (for year 1 entry)
- We also accept other English language qualifications, such as IELTS Indicator, Pearson PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and TOEFL iBT
If you are living outside of the UK or Europe, you can find out more about how to join this course by contacting our International Recruitment Team via our International Apply Pages.
2025/6 Course Tuition Fees
| UK / Channel Islands / Isle of Man / Republic of Ireland |
International |
|
|---|---|---|
| Year 1* | £9,535 | £16,700 |
Additional tuition fee information
*(UK / Channel Islands / Isle of Man / Republic of Ireland) £9,535 for the 25/26 academic year. Fees for future academic years will be determined in line with our Terms and Conditions. The fee is currently subject to a governmental fee cap for each academic year. It is our policy to charge tuition fees at the level of the cap set by the Government. If the cap set by the Government changes, then we may increase our Fees in line with governmental policy.
*(International) £16,700 for the 25/26 academic year. Fees for future academic years will be determined in line with our Terms and Conditions. We decide the annual level of increase of our Tuition Fees by taking into account a range of factors including the cost of delivering the course and change in governmental funding.
Remember, you don’t have to pay any of this upfront if you are able to get a tuition fee loan from the UK Government to cover the full cost of your fees each year.
UK Part-Time fees are calculated on a pro rata basis of the full-time fee for a 120 credit course. The fee for a single credit is £79.40 and a 15 credit module is £1,191. Part-time students can take up to a maximum 90 credits per year, so the maximum fee in a given year will be the government permitted maximum fee of £7,145
International part-time fees are calculated on a pro rata basis of the full-time fee for a 120 credit course. The fee for a single credit is £139.14 and a 15 credit module is £2,087.
Additional costs
As one of our students all of your teaching and assessments are included in your tuition fees, including, lectures/guest lectures and tutorials, seminars, laboratory sessions and specialist teaching facilities. You will also have access to a wide range of student support and IT services.
There might be additional costs you may encounter whilst studying. The following highlights the mandatory and optional costs for this course:
Optional
Core texts: Books and other reading materials are very important to the Childhood, Youth and Community Studies programme. Most can be purchased second hand or are available from the library. However, students would benefit from being able to spend £100 a year on books and other reading materials. Indicative cost: £100 per academic year.
Travel: Students may incur travel costs for trips as part of the optional volunteering module in their second year or an optional module in their third year. Indicative cost: £50 (depending on transport needed).
Overseas trip: In the second year of study, students may have the option to go on a Seminar Study Abroad trip; this is in Canada and would be a week-long trip. Indicative cost: £1,000.
Mandatory
Disclosure and Barring Service
A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance check may be required if you undertake a placement, volunteering, research or other course related activity where you will have contact with children or vulnerable adults. The requirement for a DBS check will be confirmed by staff as part of the process to approve your placement, research or other activity. This may also be required when applicants accept their offer for a place on the course. The indicative cost is £40.
SCHOLARSHIPS, BURSARIES AND AWARDS
We have a variety of scholarship and bursaries available to support you financially with the cost of your course. To see if you’re eligible, please see our Scholarships and Awards.
CAREER PROSPECTS
Graduates enter careers within charities and voluntary organisations; community work; early years settings; education; extended schools; health services; leisure and arts projects; play work; the police; services for young people and children's services.
The University of Winchester ranks in the top 10 in the UK for graduates in employment and further study according to the Graduate Outcomes Survey 2023, HESA.
Pre-approved for a Masters
If you study a Bachelor Honours degrees with us, you will be pre-approved to start a Masters degree at Winchester. To be eligible, you will need to apply by the end of March in the final year of your degree and meet the entry requirements of your chosen Masters degree.
OUR CAREERS SERVICE
"We explore working with children and young adults between the ages 0-19 years, so there is a range of opportunities across different age groups. Each module is fulfilling and the lecturers are incredibly knowledgeable."
