BSocSc Hons Youth and Community Work Featured Image

Universities Ireland University College Cork Courses BSocSc Hons Youth and Community Work

BSocSc Hons Youth and Community Work
at University College Cork

Cork, Ireland

Tuition Fee € 18,400
Country Rank#3
Duration36 Months
Score IELTS: 6.5 TOEFL: 90

Program Overview

This undergraduate degree in Social Science (Youth & Community Work) for mature students combines an academic social science programme with a professionally accredited qualification in youth and community work.

This professional qualification is recognised by employers in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and throughout the UK.

This programme is suitable for you if you have developed a concern for social justice and are interested in working with people, particularly those who experience marginalisation and social exclusion.

Your life experience will be an important contribution to the learning on this programme, which will prepare you to work as a professional with a sense of vocation in the challenging but rewarding field of youth and community work.

It is hoped that on completion of this course, you will continue to offer your critical skills and knowledge, either on a paid or voluntary basis, to people, communities and critical social movements.

Early 21st Century society in Ireland is in crisis. Communities continue to be polarised by inequalities in relation to social, economic and political life. Increasingly, a growing gap exists between those in poverty and those who remain the beneficiaries of some questionable policies and practices of our capitalist economy.

In this context, skilled and knowledgeable community and youth workers have a key role to play as facilitators, leaders and participants in movements for social and economic justice.

You will undertake a practice placement in each year of the programme in a wide range of agencies and settings across the youth, community and voluntary sector. These placements provide the opportunity to develop your knowledge and a wide range of skills, as well as building your reputation as a practitioner while still students on the programme.

Placements can be facilitated locally, nationally and internationally. During placements students receive a high level of support, both from our placement supervisors in the School of Applied Social Studies and from the agency or organisation where they are on placement.

Course Content
Year 1 Modules (All 10 credits):
- SS1101 Introduction to Youth & Community Work
- SS1102 Social Analysis
- SS1104 Principles and Practice of Youth and Community Work
- SS1105 Social Policy 1
- SS1107 Level 1 Professional Placement
- SS1110 Informal/Non-Formal Learning in a Community Youth Work Setting
Year 2 Modules:
- SS2101 Communications and Community Youth Work
- SS2102 Working with Individuals in a Community Youth Work Setting
- SS2103 Working with Groups in a Community Youth Work Setting
- SS2104 Social Analysis II
- SS2105 Social Policy II
- SS2107 Placement II
- SS2108 Introduction to Research Methods.
Year 3 Modules:

Core:
- SS3114 Project Planning, Management and Leadership Skills
- SS3102 Law, Rights and Equal Opportunities
- SS3104 Reflective Action in Youth and Community Work
- SS3105 Social Policy Studies: The Position of Minorities
- SS3107 Placement III
- SS3113 Research Methods II
Electives:

Housing and Homelessness; Education and Welfare; Poverty and Social Exclusion; Youth Policy and Practice; The Politics of Racism; Social Perspectives in Mental Health; Sexuality and Society; Comparative Social Policy; Issues in Planning and Sustainable Development; Politics of Health and Medicine; Critical Perspectives of Age and Ageing; Personal Lives and Family Policy; Penal Policy and Practice; Global and Environmental Issues in Youth and Community Work.
Entry Requirement
Mature students: You must be 23 on or before 1st January of the year of proposed entry. Mature applicants must apply through the CAO before 1 February of the year of proposed entry, include a statement of interest and must also apply and sit the MSAP test. Successful completion of a suitable access course (e.g. PLC College or Adult Education), while not obligatory, is desirable. Applicants should have the equivalent of at least one year of experience, either paid or voluntary, in the youth/community/voluntary sector and be interested in working in this area and with people from disadvantaged communities and minority groups.

Selection will take into account:
- MSAP
- Interview
- Statement of Interest
FETAC:

You must be 21 years of age on or before 1st January of the year of proposed entry. Applicants should also have the equivalent of at least one year of experience, either paid or voluntary, in the youth/community/voluntary sector. Interview will be used as an additional selection mechanism.

There are up to 5 places for FETAC Applicants presenting certain qualifications as detailed under CK114 here.

Progression Route from CACE (UCC Centre for Adult Continuing Education) Programmes:

You must be 21 years of age on or before 1st January of the year of proposed entry. Applicants can apply on the basis of having attained a 2.1 minimum in one of the following Level 6 CACE programmes:
- Diploma in Youth and Community Work
- Diploma in Autism Studies
- Diploma in Disability Studies
- Diploma in Leadership in the Community
- Diploma in Social and Psychological Health Studies
- Diploma in Women's Studies
The MSAP is not required for entry to CK114 under the ACE route. However, if a 2.1 is not attained, applicants must sit the MSAP and be 23 years of age on or before 1st January of the year of proposed entry to be considered as a Mature Student.

Interview

Interview will be used as an additional selection mechanism. Holders of a 2.1 in the Diploma in Youth and Community Work who subsequently apply for and are offered a place on the degree programme may apply for an exemption from the 10 ECTS module SS1101 Introduction to Youth and Community Work.

Applications for the above entry routes to the CK114 Programme are made through the CAO before 1st February.

Fitness to Practise

This programme will be subject to UCC's Fitness to Practise Policy – full details may be found here.

Student Garda Vetting

All students on this programme will come into contact with the public and assume positions of trust through educational and training opportunities. To ensure the protection of the public, and to justify public trust and confidence, UCC is committed to ensuring that only suitable candidates are allowed to undertake this programme.

Student Garda vetting is carried out by the Admissions Office in UCC once a student has accepted their place on the programme. It involves a police check to establish whether the individual being vetted has had criminal convictions in the past or whether any criminal proceedings are pending. The Garda Síochána provide this information for students who have resided in Ireland for a period of six months or more (including permanent residence).

All students who have resided outside Ireland for a period of six months or more must furnish a Police Clearance Certificate from their country or countries of residence. This certificate should state that the student has had no convictions recorded against them while residing there.

Non-EU Candidates

Non-EU candidates are expected to have educational qualifications of a standard equivalent to the Irish Leaving Certificate. In addition, where such candidates are non-native speakers of the English language they must satisfy the university of their competency in the English language.

Minimum Requirements and Accepted English Language Tests & Examinations

The minimum English language entry requirements for admission onto a postgraduate programme at UCC are outlined below. These requirements are for postgraduate applicants whose first language is not English. If Gaeilge (Irish) is your first language these requirements do not apply to you.

There are a small number of programmes with a higher minimum English language entry requirement and we list these below under Programmes with a Higher Minimum English Language Requirement.

IELTS*
- 6.5 Overall
- 6.0 Individual Skills (academic version)
TOEFL iBT
- 90 Overall
- Listening 20
- Reading 19
- Speaking 21
- Writing 20
Fees & Scholarships
The fees for Bachelor of Social Science - Youth & Community Work may vary from - €10,000 to €25,000 anually for tuition fees. The fee's prices may get higher for international students.
Career Prospect
Graduates from this course usually choose to seek employment in the following areas:
- Youth and Community Work
- Voluntary Sector
- Women’s groups
- Community Development projects
- Family Centres
- Travellers’ rights groups
- Groups dealing with Disability, Homelessness, Ageing, Migrants Rights, Mental Health
Graduates of the programme are employable in a wide range of areas as the skills developed on the course, particularly in the areas of both ‘people skills’ and reflective practice, and also the ability to provide critical analysis, readily transfer to many other areas.

Many former students of the programme play significant roles in their own communities and a number of former students are involved in politics at both local and national levels. Many of the positions on offer following graduation attract professional salaries and provide career opportunities.

A significant number of graduates also pursue postgraduate studies in areas such as:
- Social Policy
- Social Work
- Counselling
- Criminology
- Sociology
- Migration Studies
- Women’s Studies
- Voluntary and Community Sector Management
- Law
- Health Promotion
- Media Studies

Cost Of Studying At University College Cork

Interest rates as low as 8.9% ^*

250K+

Students Assisted

800Cr+

Loan Amount Disbursed

5000+

Loans Sanctioned

Check Loan Eligibility

BSocSc Hons Youth and Community Work at University College Cork