MA Youth and Community Work (JNC) (Top Up)

What you will study

You will complete your dissertation across the whole academic year 

The focus will be on completing the dissertation module which will require you to design and undertake your own research into an area of youth work policy and practice. 

This will involve appraising existing research in the field of study, applying for research ethics, justifying your research design, collecting and analysing data, and making valid recommendations to enhance the youth and community work profession. 

Entry requirements & applying

• Successful completion and evidence of PG Diploma Youth and Community Work (JNC) which must have included 120 level 7 credits and 300 hours of placement.   
• 2 references: 1 x academic and 1 x work-based 
• Meet DBS requirements where dissertation research is likely to involve contact with children, young people or vulnerable adults. 

NB: due to the blended delivery, and part time nature of this programme, it does not meet the requirements for international postgraduate student visas

Teaching & Assessment

The programme is delivered using a unique Hy-Flex approach to learning. This means that students can join the classroom in person or join synchronously online to engage in the learning activities. Sessions are also recorded for students to engage with alongside asynchronous online learning activities to scaffold the learning from the module. 

Assessments are designed with the dual aims of supporting a student’s professional development and their academic understanding. This builds knowledge and skill from a belief that being an excellent practitioner means not only working with people, but also being able to express yourself in a range of ways that includes writing reports, documents and essays based on the collection and analysis of evidence to build an argument.  

For this programme, you will be required to complete:

• A 2000-word annotated bibliography that demonstrates your ability to systematically appraise relevant contemporary literature on chosen research topic.
• A 13,000 dissertation/research project that is based on your own empirical research

Teaching and Learning

We offer workshops and support sessions in areas such as academic writing, effective note-making and preparing for assignments.

Students can book appointments with academic skills tutors dedicated to helping deal with the practicalities of university work. Our student support section has more information on the help available.

In terms of particular needs, the University’s Inclusion Services can provide appropriate guidance and support should any students require reasonable adjustments to be made because of a recognised prevailing disability, medical condition, or specific learning difference.

Career prospects

Our dedicated Careers and Employability team is committed to helping you achieve your professional goals. They provide personalised advice, useful resources, and extracurricular employability events to prepare you for the job market.

Graduates of this course can pursue careers in: 

• Young Carers  
• Care Leavers and Young People in Care  
• Young Offenders 
• Hospital Youth Work 
• Mental Health 
• Youth Homelessness and Housing 
• Youth Sports and Health Development
• Youth Clubs and Street Based Youth Work 
• Child Sexual Exploitation 
• Outdoor Education 
• Community Development 
• Mentoring and Advocacy 
• Young People who have disabilities  

Fees & funding

You do not have to pay your tuition fees upfront.

The fees you pay and the support available will depend on a number of different factors. Full information can be found on our fees & finance pages. You will also find information about what your fees include in the fee FAQs.

All fees are subject to any changes in government policy, view our postgraduate fees.

Programme specification