Youth Work, Health and Community Development PQ MA/PG Dip

About the course

This course offers a flexible, yet coherent, programme of study, with a professional qualification in youth and community development work upon graduation, which enables successful graduates to practice as a qualified health/youth and community development worker in the UK.

  • Youth and community staff are engaged in professional practice, research, consultancy and teaching
  • Professionally validated by the National Youth Agency (NYA) and recognised by the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC). Also endorsed by England Standards Board for Community Development Work
  • An opportunity to study at an advanced academic and professional level
  • High quality practice-related modules enabling practitioners and clients to achieve planned change through the process of education, development and practice-orientated research
  • Develops innovative, progressive practitioners who reflectively engage with concepts and practices of social justice and equality

Key facts

Duration: Two - three years part / distance learning

Entry and admission criteria

  • You need to demonstrate that you can work at master’s level which can be done through having a first degree, normally 2:2 or above, or by having a range of academic and work experience
  • You may be required to undertake pre-registration modules before starting or complete an agreed portfolio of learning in the form of a 2,000–2,500 word pre-course assignment, determined at application or interview stage
  • You must be engaged in at least 12 hours’ appropriate work, paid or unpaid, per week 
  • You will need to attend an interview – telephone interviews can be arranged if needed

A current CRB check with enhanced disclosure and a Criminal Record Certificate from your home country is required before the start of the course.

Teaching and assessment

The distance learning course works to build a learning community, from the initial contact on selection day and in the induction periods onwards. Assessment is usually by written assignment of 4,000 words per 15-credit module. Field practice assessment requires written evidence, assignments and reports of competence from the supervisor. Contributions to online seminars are compulsory and also an attendance requirement.

Course modules

The course consists of four core modules, one core field placement module, and three specialist modules taken from a list of some 15 modules. You may then seek to exit with a PG Dip, or remain on the course to complete your dissertation for an MA. All core modules and most option modules are launched during one of two block teaching weeks held each year (usually in October and February). Attendance at launch days is compulsory.

These are supported by a wide variety of written material, individual and corporate tasks. You are required to engage in a number of online seminars in each module. You are required to identify a supervisor who will primarily support your field practice, but may also provide a dialogue partner to discuss wider issues arising from the course. You will complete a minimum of 592 hours of field practice, of which 442 hours will be based in your own workplace and 150 hours must be outside of your employing agency.

Core modules include:

  • Issues of Health and Well-being  (15 credits) introduces key concepts, and explore these in relation to practice, policy and the national occupation standards
  • Youth Work Theory and Practice of Community Development (15 credits) focuses on community development and will introduce key concepts in relation to practice, policy and the national occupation standards
  • Health and Social Research Methods 1 (15 credits) introduces a limited number of strategies and methods of social science research
  • Field Practice (15 credits) is practice-based (150 hours) and provides you with the opportunity to further develop your experience and understanding of the role of the informal educator at JNC Professional Range in a youth and community work setting different to your usual workplace
  • Management of Services and People (15 credits) seeks to enhance self-confidence and performance as a manager through critically examining some of the central issues in project management

Specialist modules (15 credits) include:

  • Mental Health looks at the main concerns surrounding mental health services and a consideration of the potential role they might play within their practice of youth work and community development work
  • Peer Health Learning recognises the growing importance of peer-led educational initiatives, especially in the field of health education
  • Designing, Delivering and Assessing Learning aims to support and improve your knowledge and skills for designing, delivering and assessing learning of your staff and/or clients
  • Supervision in Youth and Community Development seeks to enable you to examine and develop your own supervision practice in the light of critical consideration of meaning and context
  • Social Exclusion, Disaffection and Youth Work is designed to further the skills and knowledge of professional practitioners to take account of the emerging and changing policy agenda for work with young people
  • Faith and Community Development will consider the ways in which religious beliefs are expressed in individual and corporate behaviour
  • Global Issues in Youth and Community Development gives the opportunity to globalise theory and practice of community development
  • Managing Race and Diversity aims to analyse concepts of oppression, discrimination and inequality
  • The Negotiated Module provides an opportunity to study in an area which is important to your academic and professional development
  • Anti-Oppressive Practice analyses concepts of oppression, discrimination and inequality and develops effective anti-oppressive and anti-discriminatory practice
  • Young People, Active Citizenship and Participation supports critical engagement with issues of citizenship, identity and belonging, rights and responsibilities when applied to the contexts of young people’s lived experiences.

Academic expertise

We benefit from one of the largest teams in the UK, with more than 50 years’ experience.

The team continue to work for a range of organisations that work with young people including charities, voluntary and statutory agencies at local, national and international levels. Thematic areas of interest include a specialist expertise and interest in global youth and community development work; work with black young people; youth participation and citizenship; criminal justice and youth justice and the context, management and operation of new children and young people’s services.

The research activities of the division influence our teaching. Many of the core and specialist modules on the postgraduate courses draw directly from the research activities of the teaching staff. There are further plans to strengthen a culture of postgraduate research in the coming months, with greater efforts to explore post-dissertation publication and transfer to doctoral studies where students have demonstrated the potential to succeed at higher study.

Graduate careers

Graduates follow a wide range of senior posts in youth work and community development work in both the statutory and voluntary sector. An MA is a recommended qualification for workers to hold senior positions in recent workforce development proposals.

How to apply

UKPASS is the postgraduate equivalent of UCAS and gives you a simple and efficient way to apply online. It allows you to search for a course and guides you through the application process. Using UKPASS you can apply for up to ten courses for free.

You can create your application in your own time, so you can consider, research and complete each section at your own speed. You can track your applications as they progress, and can also receive and reply to offers online. Apply online with UKPASS|

You will need to attach qualification transcripts, references and evidence of English language (if you are an overseas student) with your UKPass application. If these documents are not attached to your original application, this will delay the process of your application. 

 

Contact details

For more information please contact:
T:  +44 (0)116 257 7700
E:  hls@dmu.ac.uk|

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