Childhood, Youth and Education Studies BA (Hons)
Study level: Undergraduate
The Childhood, Youth and Education Studies degree is designed for people who want to contribute to the learning and development of children and young people across a variety of educational settings.
Year of entry
Location
Coventry University (Coventry)
Study mode
Full-time
Sandwich
Duration
3 years full-time
4 years sandwich
Course code
L591
Start date
September 2023
Course overview
A Childhood, Youth and Education Studies degree can open the door to a range of rewarding areas of practice working with children and young people.
- Our course offers you a flexible learning experience where you will have the opportunity to develop the knowledge, skills and experience needed to pursue a particular area of work with children and young people you are most passionate about.
- You will have the opportunity to explore important areas of educational practice, formal and informal, through both in-class learning and practical work experience2.
- Get the opportunity to take part in a range of exciting international and UK based educational experiences2.

Joint Top Modern University for Career Prospects
Guardian University Guide 2021 and 2022
5 QS Stars for Teaching and Facilities
QS Stars University Ratings
Top 5 UK Student City (Coventry)
QS Best Student Cities Index 2023Why you should study this course
If you are passionate about achieving the best outcomes for children and young people and you want to learn alongside like-minded people in an innovative learning environment, then the Childhood, Youth and Education Studies degree aims to both excite and challenge you.
Investing in the education of children and young people is essential for the growth of individuals and communities that flourish. This internationally focused course has employability at its core, and you can learn from academics and practice partners who currently collectively have experience across a range of relevant areas of study and practice.
We have designed our course to help prepare you for a range of careers, such as social, youth and community work, family support or progression to teacher training.
You’ll have the opportunity to hear from a range of guest speakers (subject to availability) which have previously included practice experts in special educational needs, child protection, children and young people’s health and youth violence, or those practising in contexts such as youth work, pastoral care, social care or primary/secondary education.
Childhood and Youth Studies
The Complete University Guide 2023
What you'll study
We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.
How you'll learn
The current teaching team is drawn from a wide variety of subject areas, such as psychology, education, youth and community work, which will help to enrich your learning experience by offering a breadth of professional perspective. In addition, the current teaching team also hold academic and professional qualifications, such as teaching, youth work and social work including professional engagement with practice partners in the form of research activity and or training/consultancy.
You will gain knowledge and develop critical and evaluative skills, as well as creativity and applied skills, through a structured series of lectures, tutorials, workshops, group work exercises (e.g. problem-based learning), independent learning activities, and practice-based modules. These are designed to foster active and experiential learning experiences.
We have also developed a range of interactive online resources and practical sessions, in groups and virtually using online documents, incorporating the ‘Problem-Based Learning’ approach, where you, supervised and assisted by a tutor, seek solutions to real-life problems. Role play has been used as a tool to simulate live practice experience of safeguarding children and young people for example, participating in a simulated professional multi-agency meeting.
You’ll have the opportunity to hear from a range of guest speakers (subject to availability) to give you additional insight into educational practices when working with children and young people. These have previously included experts in special educational needs, child protection, children and young people’s health and youth violence, from a broad range of statutory and voluntary sector organisations within the UK and abroad2. These not only translate as unique opportunities for networking as communities of practice with practitioners, demonstrate working as a ‘multiagency’, but also offer pathways for placement in settings otherwise considered restricted to social work or nursing.
All modules are supported by a virtual learning environment which supports student learning which houses the provision of all content related material and or links (weekly lecture content, reading lists, assessment support). This fosters an online learning community taking presence outside of the classroom and practice, whilst actively engaging students in a hybrid capacity.
Teaching contact hours
You will receive around 10 hours of teaching contact time per week. This is made up of lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials. You will also be supported by APT (academic and personal tutor), a student success coach and Vygo mentoring scheme. Additionally, you will be expected to undertake significant self-directed study each week of approximately 12-15 hours depending on the demands of individual modules. As you progress through the course there will be an increased expectation for self-directed study as you have developed independent learning skills.
As an innovative and enterprising institution, the university may seek to utilise emerging technologies within the student experience. For all courses (whether on-campus, blended, or distance learning), the university may deliver certain contact hours and assessments via online technologies and methods.
Assessment
This course will be assessed using a variety of methods, to support and encourage application of newly acquired knowledge and skills to a variety of contexts. Primarily, this course is assessed by coursework which will vary depending upon the module.
Assessment methods include:
- Academic essays
- Reflective essays
- A portfolio assessing placement
- Oral presentations
- Poster presentations
- Digital projects
- Research report
The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards achieving the intended learning outcomes.
International experience opportunities
Teaching across all subject areas is informed by international perspectives, and each year you may have the opportunity to take part in an international field trip2. In the past, students have spent a week in South Africa, attending a range of settings in the Townships, including schools and youth clubs. On other occasions, they visited both Stenden University in the Netherlands and University of Graz in Austria. These involved visiting a range of educational and social care projects and attending local lectures to study and experience practice in an international context.
In your third year, your professional experience placement can be done within the UK or internationally2. We currently have contacts with a range of placement settings including schools, children’s centres and youth clubs across the globe, in places such as South Africa, Spain, New York-USA, Malta, Austria, Finland, and the Netherlands (subject to change).
We have also developed a range of associations with institutions across the globe which currently include: the University of Graz in Austria, Stenden University in Netherlands, Stenden University in South Africa, Newton Paiva in Brazil, Laurea and Metropolia Universities in Finland, Calabria University in Italy and Loyola College in India (subject to change).
Entry requirements
Typical offer for 2023/24 entry.
Fees and funding
2023/24 tuition fees.
Student | Full-time | Part-time |
---|---|---|
UK | £9,250 per year | Not available |
International | £16,800 per year | Not available |
If you choose to do a work placement2, you should consider travel and living costs to cover this. There is also a tuition fee3 of £1,250 that will cover your academic support throughout your placement year.
For advice and guidance on tuition fees and student loans visit our Undergraduate Finance page and see The University’s Tuition Fee and Refund Terms and Conditions.
We offer a range of International scholarships to students all over the world. For more information, visit our International Scholarships page.
Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessments, facilities and support services. There may be additional costs not covered by this fee such as accommodation and living costs, recommended reading books, stationery, printing and re-assessments should you need them. Find out what's included in your tuition costs.
The following are additional costs not included in the tuition fees:
- Any optional overseas field trips or visits: £400+ per trip.
- Any costs associated with securing, attending or completing a placement (whether in the UK or abroad)
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How do you know if you need to pay UK or international tuition fees?
We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Your fee status determines your tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available to you. The rules about who pays UK (home) or international (overseas) fees for higher education courses in England are set by the government's Department for Education. The regulations identify all the different categories of student who can insist on paying the home rate. The regulations can be difficult to understand, so the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) has provided fee status guidance to help you identify whether you are eligible to pay the home or overseas rate.
If you meet all the criteria required by any one category, including any residence requirements, your institution must charge you the home rate. You only need to find one category that you fit into.
Facilities
The Alison Gingell building provides facilities for teaching and research, featuring two full-size homes which can be used for workshops mimicking working scenarios with children, young people and their families4.

Community houses
The Alison Gingell building features two full-size residential homes. Our students use these to simulate working scenarios with different client groups.

The Library
The Lanchester Library has a team of dedicated academic liaison librarians to give you specialist help and support. You’ll also have access to subject-specific databases of journal articles related to social work, social sciences, health and education.

Academic support
No matter which degree you’re studying, you’ll find a lot of support on campus, including the Centre of Academic Writing and sigma, which offers mathematics and statistics support.
Careers and opportunities
The practical nature of the course means, upon successful graduation, you should have substantial placement experience, practical knowledge and problem-solving skills which will support a move into a range of different child-related professions or to study towards further professional qualifications, such as the PGCE if you would like to enter teaching, or an MA in Social Work if a career as a social worker appeals. There are also opportunities to branch out into other postgraduate courses such as the Psychology MSc for those interested in pursuing Educational Psychology.
Past students who have successfully completed this course have had the opportunity to enter directly into a range of exciting roles in a range of settings. Examples of these include teaching assistant, play specialist in a primary school, SENCO, learning mentor, LAC (looked after child) advisor/advocate, youth worker, children and family support worker, children and young person’s case worker, children’s residential worker (therapeutic), as well as potentially setting up your own social enterprise.
Where our graduates work
Previous graduates have gone on to be employed in a range of practice settings including primary schools, children’s services, family support, residential care, youth offending institutions, alternative education providers and local and national children and young people’s charities.
Further study
- Health Psychology MSc
- PGCE in Primary/Secondary Education
- Psychology MSc (Conversion, accredited by BPS)
- Social Work MA/PgDip
You may be entitled to an alumni discount on your fees if you decide to extend your time with us by progressing from undergraduate to postgraduate study.
This course allows you to explore different avenues around working with children and young people, in order to have a better idea of exactly what you would like to do in the future, and with which age group you prefer working with/are better suited to.

How to apply
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UK students
Full-time students applying to start in September 2023 can apply for this course through UCAS from 6 September 2022. Read our application pages to find out your next steps to apply.
Part-time students should apply directly to the university.
If you'd like further support or more information about your course get in touch with us today.
Chat with our admissions team
Complete our contact form
-
International students
International codes:
HLSU260Full-time students applying to start in September 2023 should apply directly to the university.
How to applyFor further support for international applicants applying for an undergraduate degree view our International hub.
You can also download our International guide which contains lots of useful information about our courses, accommodation and tips for travel.
Get in touch with us today for further advice and guidance.
Chat with our admissions team
Complete our contact form
-
Disclaimers
Coventry University together with Coventry University London Campus, CU Coventry, CU London, CU Scarborough and Coventry University Online come together to form part of the Coventry University Group (the “University”) with all degrees awarded by Coventry University.
1Accreditations
The majority of our courses have been formally recognised by professional bodies, which means the courses have been reviewed and tested to ensure they reach a set standard. In some instances, studying on an accredited course can give you additional benefits such as exemptions from professional exams (subject to availability, fees may apply). Accreditations, partnerships, exemptions and memberships shall be renewed in accordance with the relevant bodies’ standard review process and subject to the university maintaining the same high standards of course delivery.
2UK and international opportunities
Please note that we are unable to guarantee any UK or International opportunities (whether required or optional) such as internships, work experience, field trips, conferences, placements or study abroad opportunities and that all such opportunities may be subject to additional costs (which could include, but is not limited to, equipment, materials, bench fees, studio or facilities hire, travel, accommodation and visas), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable travel COVID and visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand the visa requirements, please contact the International Office.
3Tuition fees
The University will charge the tuition fees that are stated in the above table for the first Academic Year of study. The University will review tuition fees each year. For UK (home) students, if Parliament permit an increase in tuition fees, the University may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase is expected to be in line with inflation.
For International Students, we may increase fees each year but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation. If you defer your course start date or have to extend your studies beyond the normal duration of the course (e.g. to repeat a year or resit examinations) the University reserves the right to charge you fees at a higher rate and/or in accordance with any legislative changes during the additional period of study.
4Facilities
Due to COVID-19, some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) and some non-academic offerings (particularly in relation to international experiences), may vary from those advertised and may have reduced availability or restrictions on their use.
Student Contract
By accepting your offer of a place and enrolling with us, a Student Contract will be formed between you and the university. The 2023/24 Contract is currently being updated so please revisit this page before submitting your application. The Contract details your rights and the obligations you will be bound by during your time as a student and contains the obligations that the university will owe to you. You should read the Contract before you accept an offer of a place and before you enrol at the university.
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