Youth Studies
Entry requirements
A level
Typical offer BBC (112 UCAS points) in three or more A levels.
Access to HE Diploma
Access to Higher Education Diploma in a relevant subject is acceptable for entry. QAA accredited course required.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
A minimum of 15 points at the higher level and a minimum of 4 points in English and Maths at standard level.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Scottish Higher
A minimum of 114 UCAS points to include four passes (grade C) at higher level in a related subject.
UCAS Tariff
About this course
This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.
**Why study this course?**
This degree will develop your skills to work with young people and practise youth work. On this interdisciplinary course, you'll be introduced to cultural studies, criminology, sociology, youth work, childhood studies and psychology.
This course has a high student satisfaction rate and leads to range of employment opportunities. According to the latest Graduate Outcome Survey, 87.5% of Youth Studies graduates have a meaningful job or have carried on studying.
CEOs and experienced Youth Practitioners are regularly invited to speak exclusively to our students. These industry experts provide an exciting insight into youth work practice and key issues affecting young people and their communities. They also offer job and placement opportunities for Youth Studies students.
**More about this course**
The transition into adulthood is often viewed as challenging and complex, but it’s also a time of fresh opportunities and new discoveries. Young people are represented in association with contemporary social concerns, ranging from unemployment to social relationships and youth protests, yet at the same time, they’ve become a pulsating presence in the media and in creative arts.
This interdisciplinary degree will develop your skills to work with young people and practice youth work. You’ll explore the phenomenon of youth culture, providing an understanding of youth in a social, cultural and political context. You’ll examine local, national and global issues, and developments that shape young people’s lives and life experiences. Practical and transferable skills essential to employment, further education and research you'll gain through this degree include computing, video production and multimedia creativity, as well as quantitative and qualitative analysis.
You’ll be taught by qualified and experienced practitioners in youth-centred research, and you’ll also be able to take part in debates with expert external speakers.
In your second and third year, there are a range of modules designed to represent aspects of youth culture and current social issues impacting on young people. These include subjects relating and prompting analysis of youth, resistance and social control, and exploring and critiquing the notion of self, identity and gender. You’ll be able choose modules that focus on areas which interest you. You’ll be able to examine topics including the relationship between the media and young people’s cultural experiences and expressions, anti-social behaviour and criminal activity, mental health in young people.
The Youth Studies degree at London Metropolitan University is suitable for people interested in:
- understanding the diverse lives of young people and their transition into adulthood;
- gaining knowledge of youth work practice and the key issues affecting young people and their communities;
- understanding the significance of equality, as well as anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive practice; and,
- working with young people and developing youth and community projects, as well as setting up an organisation or foundation.
**What our students say**
Current student, Michael Ayeni, had this to say about his experience:
"This course has really helped me – it has provided me with a solid background knowledge in youth work and the skills I need. Through this course, I've been able to think in a different dimension about working with young people."
"I feel that this course will enhance my future career prospects through my learnt skills and knowledge. The leader's passion has definitely infected me with enthusiasm to make a difference in society with youth practice."
National Student Survey (NSS) 2016
Modules
Example Year 1 modules include: Introduction to Criminology Theory (core, 30 credits); Introduction to Working with Young People (core, 30 credits); Social Problems and Social Issues (core, 30 credits); Principles of Community Work (core, 30 credits).
Example Year 2 modules include: Management and Leadership in Youth and Community (core, 30 credits); Researching Youth and Community Issues (core, 30 credits); Youth Resistance and Social Control (core, 15 credits); Crime and the Media (option, 15 credits); Human Rights, Social Justice and Diversity (option, 30 credits); Principles and Practice of Youth Work (option, 30 credits); Youth Culture and the Media (option, 15 credits); Youth, Crime and Violence (option, 15 credits).
Example Year 3 modules include: Community and Youth Dissertation (core, 30 credits); Management and Supervision in Youth and Community Work Settings (core, 30 credits); Social Control, Drugs and Organised Crime (core, 30 credits); Development and Social Enterprise (option, 30 credits); Homelessness and Housing Policy (option, 15 credits); Housing Issues and Housing Solutions (option, 15 credits); Work Placement for Professional Development (option, 30 credits); Extension of Knowledge (option, 15 credits).
Assessment methods
There are no exams on this course. You'll be assessed through presentations, practical reports, reflective accounts, case studies, essays, podcasts and web-based presentations.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
Holloway
School of Social Sciences and Professions
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Social work
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Social work
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
We're short of social workers - so if you want a degree that is in demand, then this could be the one for you! There's a shortage of social workers all over the UK, and graduates can specialise in specific fields such as mental health or children's social work. If you decide social work is not for you, then social work graduates also often go into management, education, youth and community work and even nursing. Starting salaries for this degree can reflect the high proportion of graduates who choose a social work career - social work graduates get paid, on average, more than graduates overall, but not all options pay as well as social work. This is also an unusual subject in that London isn't one of the more common places to find jobs - so if you want to get a job near to your home or your university this might be worth thinking about.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Social work
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£24k
£29k
£30k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):
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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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