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CONTENTS

1. What’s Childhood & Youth Studies?

2. What Childhood & Youth Studies degrees can you study?

3. What do you need to get onto a Childhood & Youth Studies degree?

4. What topics does a Childhood & Youth Studies degree cover?

5. How will you be assessed?

6. Why study Childhood & Youth Studies?

7. Are scholarships and bursaries available to students studying a Childhood & Youth Studies degree?

8. What do Childhood & Youth Studies graduates earn?

9. What jobs can you get as a Childhood & Youth Studies graduate?

10. What are the postgraduate opportunities?

11. Similar subjects to Childhood & Youth Studies

12. Have any questions?

What’s Childhood & Youth Studies?

Childhood & Youth Studies explores all areas related to children and young people from birth to the age of 19. During a degree, you learn about some of the most critical issues that affect the youth of society; you’ll be taught how to develop skills to tackle these issues and find solutions.

Courses cover topics within a national and international context such as education, rights, safeguarding, therapy, equality and development. Teaching takes an interdisciplinary approach, focusing on related areas such as sociology, psychology, anthropology, philosophy and law.

What Childhood & Youth Studies degrees can you study?

Undergraduate degrees in Childhood & Youth Studies include:

• Childhood and Youth: Theory and Practice BA 
• Childhood Studies BSc
• Early Childhood Studies with Early Years Practitioner Status BA
• Youth and Community Studies BA

Degrees may include an integrated foundation year, professional placement year or year abroad.

What do you need to get onto a Childhood & Youth Studies degree?

Must have

Entry requirements for a Childhood & Youth Studies degree at a university range from 88–153 UCAS points. This could include the qualifications below.

• A Levels: ABB–CCD
• BTECs: DDM–MMP
• Scottish Highers: AAABB–BBBB (Advanced Highers: AB)
• International Baccalaureate: 32–26
• Some universities request an interview 
• If your degree involves you working with children, you’ll need to complete Disclosure and Barring Services (DBS) checks (PVG scheme in Scotland) 

Good to have

• Studied an essay-based subject 
• Good grades at GCSE (or equivalent)
• Work experience or shadowing in a nursery, school, after school club or youth club
• Volunteering with youth groups such as the 51ÊÓƵs or Scouts, sports clubs or in a  mentoring role, particularly with diverse groups
• Independent reading into topics of interest

What topics does a Childhood & Youth Studies degree cover?

Typical modules for courses in this subject include:

• Children's development and learning
• Children's rights and legal frameworks
• Community arts and issue-based learning
• Contemporary debates in global childhood
• Education, diversity and equality
• Engagement, consultation and participation
• Health and wellbeing in the early years
• Introduction to child and adolescent health
• Psychosocial theory and models of wellbeing
• Research methods for childhood and youth
• Therapeutic work with children and young people
• Youth and community models of practice

How will you be assessed?

Courses are assessed in a variety of ways, depending on the module. Placements are also sometimes assessed:

• Coursework
• Presentations
• Project work
• Reviews
• Written and practical exams
• A dissertation may be a final year option

Why study Childhood & Youth Studies?

Career-specific skills:

• Insights into areas impacting children's lives, from policy, inclusion and diversity to sociological and cultural influences
• Knowledge of child development including communication, language and early literacy
• Effective skills to support and work alongside young people and children

Transferable skills:

• Communication (written and verbal)
• Critical and analytical thinking
• Interpersonal skills with children and young people
• Research methods and IT literacy
• Organisation and time management
• Problem solving
• Report writing
• Team working

Professional accreditation:

• Some degrees may lead to Early Years Practitioner Status on successful completion

What do Childhood & Youth Studies graduates earn?

Childhood & Youth Studies graduates can expect an entry-level salary of £18,000–£25,000.

If you follow your degree with teacher training to become a primary school teacher, you can earn up to approx. £40,000 as a classroom teacher with substantial experience. Take on additional teaching or managerial responsibilities and your income could be far higher.

Early years educators do not have the same structured pay. Salaries can be up to £32,000 for those who take on supervisory or managerial roles.

Read more on what graduates do and earn here.

What jobs can you get as a Childhood & Youth Studies graduate?

Becoming a teacher or working within education is an obvious step forward for graduates of Childhood & Youth Studies, but there are plenty of other professional roles to discover. Some will require postgraduate qualifications.

• Children and young people counsellor
• Community support worker
• Early years educator
• Education welfare officer
• Educational psychologist
• Play therapist
• Policy advisor
• Probation worker
• Researcher
• Solicitor
• Speech and language therapist
• Teacher
• Youth worker

What are the postgraduate opportunities?

Examples of postgraduate degrees in Childhood & Youth Studies include:

• Childhood and Youth PhD
• Childhood Studies MA
• Childhood, Youth and Social Policy MA
• Infancy and Early Childhood Development MSc

Similar subjects to Childhood & Youth Studies

If you’re interested in childhood development, you could also consider:

• Counselling, Psychotherapy & Occupational Therapy
• Education
• Psychology
• Social Work
• Youth Work

Have any questions?

Ask our experts! You can email ask@thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk with your question about studying Childhood & Youth Studies – we’ll be happy to hear from you.