Undergraduate

BA (Honours) Childhood and Youth Studies

On this page

• Description
• Planning your studies
• Career relevance
• Courses
• Learning outcomes
• Credit for previous study elsewhere
• Classification of your degree
• Regulations
• How to register

Description

This degree is designed for those who work or intend to work with children and young people, and for those who have more general interests in the interdisciplinary field of childhood and youth studies.

You will develop a broad understanding of childhood and youth in its social and cultural context. This will build on knowledge, insights and methods from the social sciences and humanities, as well as from studies in health, education and social welfare, social policy and children’s rights. You can take a range of pathways through the degree, according to your interest and plans for the future. The degree can extend your knowledge and skills in a specialised area of study such as child development, or it can have a more vocational leaning towards professional work with children or young people. By the end of it you’ll know how and why our experiences and understandings of childhood and youth vary so much. You’ll have the knowledge and analytical skills to understand and improve policies and practices that affect children and young people in a range of settings, and you’ll also be able to draw on the skills appropriate to carrying out and reporting on small-scale research projects.

Planning your studies

If you’re new to study or to the OU, we recommend that you start with a course at Level 1. For this degree that would mean starting with An introduction to health and social care (K101) (or the discontinued course K100) or Introducing the social sciences (DD101) (or Introducing the social sciences - part one (DD131) and Introducing the social sciences – part two (DD132) (planned for first presentation November 2010)). Or An introduction to the social sciences: understanding social change Part 1 (DD121) (last presentation May 2009) and  An intro to the social sciences: understanding social change part 2 (DD122) (last presentation November 2009) (or the discontinued course DD100), or The arts past and present (AA100).

Alternatively, you could start with our vocational courses. If you are working with young children, in either a paid or voluntary capacity, you could start with the Certificate in Early Years Practice (C37) (the 60-point course The early years: developing practice (E100)). If you are working in a primary school in a support role, you could start with the 60-point course Supporting learning in primary schools (E111) and gain a Certificate in Supporting Learning in Primary Schools (C60). If you work with young people (aged 13 to 19) or have some recent experience or involvement in this type of work, you could start with the two 30-point courses Introduction to working with young people (E131) and Leading work with young people (E132).

Having successfully completed 60 points of study at Level 1, we strongly advise you to take the core compulsory 60-point course at Level 2, Childhood (U212). This course provides a broad-based introduction to the study of children and young people covering the full age range of 0-18 years. Next, choose one course from the list of courses at Level 2. At Level 3 you need to study the core compulsory Research with children and young people (EK310), and choose one from the list of optional Level 3 courses. The remaining points (maximum 60) can be made up from other courses in the degree, or other OU courses that interest you at Levels 1, 2 or 3.

The selection of courses in this degree offers a wide range of pathways. Some are more suited to specific areas of policy and practice with children and young people. Others offer a broad academic study of the issues related to children’s development and well being. For more information see our Childhood and Youth programme website.

You can register your intention to study for this degree when you reserve your place on individual courses, or you can ask us at any time to link courses that you have already studied towards the degree. This gives you the flexibility to delay your decision or to change your mind as your studies progress.

There is no time limit for obtaining the required credit points for this qualification. You must include at least 120 points from OU courses that have not been counted in an OU diploma or other first degree you have been awarded. If you have graduated with an OU BA degree without honours this requirement is reduced to 60 points.

You can also progress to the BA (Hons) Childhood and Youth Studies or to the more professionally focused BA Early Years (B51) or BA (Honours) Working with Young People (B55), after successful completion of the Foundation Degree in Working with Young People (G03) or Foundation Degree in Early Years (G01).

Normally, to move from the foundation degree to the BA (Hons) Childhood and Youth Studies you will be required to study a further 120 points at Level 3, comprising Research with children and young people (EK310) (60 points) plus a further 60 points from the specified Level 3 options listed below. If you did not include the Level 2 course Childhood (U212) within your foundation degree you will be required to take it as an additional 60-point course as it is compulsory within this honours degree.

Career relevance and employability

This degree will give you knowledge and analytical skills relevant to many careers in childcare, health and education; working with families; playwork or working with young people. However it is likely that most graduates will be required to undertake postgraduate training before progressing to employment in specialist fields, for example, in education and playwork, social care and youth work. Ask our Student Registration & Enquiry Service for the careers publication OU study and your career if you want to find out more about the process of career development and about sources of careers information and guidance.

For planning your next career steps, visit the OU Careers Advisory Service.

There’s more information about the career relevance of degrees on the national HE Prospects website.

The Scottish Social Services has included this degree in the list of approved qualifications for managers/lead practitioners in early education and care.

Courses

For this 360-point honours degree you require:

At least 60 points from the following optional courses:

Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued courses A102, A103, AZX103, D103, DD100, E660, EYC660, K100, KZX100

* E100 is a replacement for the two 30-point courses E123 and E124. If you have successfully studied one of these courses and wish to study the other, there is an opportunity to do so. E123 and E124 will be presented for the last time in October 2011. Please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service for further advice.

And 60 points from the following compulsory course:

And at least 60 points from the following optional courses:

Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued course K201

And 60 points from the following compulsory course:

And at least 60 points from the following optional courses:

Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued courses D311, D317, K301

** Please note that students can count DD307, K303 or K311 to the BA (Hons) Childhood and Youth Studies (B23) as a Level 3 option towards this degree provided they complete by 31 December 2010. After 2010 these courses can only be counted as the 60-point free course choice.

To complete the 360 points needed for an honours degree, the remaining points up to a maximum of 60 points can be from any OU undergraduate courses.

Learning outcomes

The learning outcomes of this qualification are described in four areas:

• Knowledge and understanding
• Cognitive skills
• Practical and professional skills
• Key skills

Read more detailed information about the learning outcomes, and how they are acquired through teaching, learning and assessment methods.

Credit for previous study elsewhere

If you have already completed some successful study at higher education level at another institution we may be able to give you credit for this study that you can count towards this Open University qualification. You can find out more on our Credit Transfer site. If you make a successful claim for transferred credit it may affect your choice of courses so you are advised to investigate this option as soon as possible.

Credit transfer details for this qualification:

• Essential Information Sheets - BA (Honours) Childhood and Youth Studies

Classification of your degree

On successful completion of the required number and type of courses you will be awarded a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Childhood and Youth Studies degree. Your honours degree will be classified either as first-class honours, upper second-class honours, lower second-class honours or third-class honours. The class of degree is determined by the best grades you achieve in 240 points from those courses above Level 1 listed above. At least 120 of those points must come from courses at Level 3. You will have the opportunity to attend a degree ceremony to collect your award certificate.

Regulations

As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the Award Regulations and the Student Regulations.

Award Regulations

• Introduction to the Award Regulations
• General Award Regulations
• BA (Honours) Childhood and Youth Studies
• Schedule A to the Award Regulations

Student Regulations

The Student Regulations (including the Code of Practice for Student Assessment and the Code of Practice for Student Discipline) are available on our Policy Documents for Students website.

How to register

To register for this qualification, read the description and check you meet any specific requirements (for example, some of our qualifications, require you to be working in a particular environment, or be sponsored by your employer). Then select the course you wish to study first and ensure it is suitable for you before following the registration procedure for that course.

About this page

An undergraduate qualification in Childhood and Youth, Education and Health and Social Care.

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