Youth and Community Work (Advanced Practice) - MSc

Program Overview

The MSc in Youth and Community Work (Advanced Practice) deepens understanding of effective management approaches in the field, both in the UK and internationally. It equips students with skills to address contemporary issues, choose between deepening knowledge in specific areas or specializing in a related field, and prepares them for career progression or higher-level management positions. The program is accredited by the National Youth Agency (NYA) and the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC).

Program Outline

Youth and Community Work (Advanced Practice) - MSc

Degree Overview:

This MSc program in Youth and Community Work (Advanced Practice) builds upon existing knowledge of the National Youth Agency (NYA) Standards of Proficiency and Community Development National Occupational Standards. It deepens students' understanding of effective management approaches and challenges within the field, both in the UK and internationally.

Key Objectives:

• To critically engage with the complexities and challenges of current youth and community work practice.
• To develop a sophisticated understanding of effective management approaches.
• To gain the ability to choose between deepening knowledge in specific areas of youth and community work or developing a specialization in a related field.
• To prepare students for career progression or higher-level management positions.

Outline:

The program consists of a variety of modules, including both core and optional offerings.

Core Modules:

• Community, Continuity and Change (20 credits): This module provides a critical perspective on youth and community issues, placing them within the historical context of struggle and empowerment.
Students will explore key concepts like power, class, ethnicity, and gender, applying relevant theory to current events and debates.
• Designing Youth and Community Research (20 credits): This module equips students with the skills and knowledge to design and conduct social research projects related to youth and community development.
• Public Service Design and Innovation (20 credits): This module examines the role of design thinking in public service transformation, focusing on co-productive policy development, governance, and innovation in the public sector.
• Trauma, Mental Health and Well-being (20 credits): This module explores the impact of trauma on young people's lives, examining its causes, consequences, and support systems.
Students will develop skills to support young people experiencing trauma and critically reflect on societal and individual impacts.
• Youth and Community Dissertation (60 credits): This module provides students with the opportunity to conduct sustained research on a specific topic of interest related to youth and community work.

Optional Modules:

• Commissioning Youth and Community Services (20 credits): This module focuses on the role of commissioning in developing services that meet local needs and improve people's lives.
Students will develop an understanding of public service commissioning in a changing world and its impact on social value and local economic development.
• Community Activism (20 credits): This module explores the relationship between community activism and professional practice, examining the role of community activism in changing policy and improving people's lives.
• Digital Journalism (20 credits): This module equips students with skills and knowledge to practice journalism in the digital environment, focusing on writing, production, and design skills tailored to various media platforms.
• Digital Storytelling (20 credits): This module explores the creative potential of digital tools for writers in the post-digital era, encouraging students to experiment with their writing practice and explore new narrative forms in response to innovations in digital media.
• Digital Video Production (20 credits): This module provides students with hands-on experience in digital video production, focusing on developing professional practices for producing documentaries, promotional videos, and mockumentaries.
• Games and Gamification (20 credits): This module explores the role of digital games in the digital media industry, examining applications of games in various fields like entertainment, education, and marketing.
Students will evaluate game design practices, ethical considerations, and gamification approaches.
• Managing Teams (20 credits): This module focuses on the management of teams in the context of values-based organizations, exploring key management and leadership skills.
Students will gain a critical understanding of team dynamics, effective leadership styles, communication, and time management.
• Public Management and Public Finance (20 credits): This module provides an in-depth examination of public service management in the UK, focusing on current issues and developments in public finance and budgetary processes.
Students will explore the role of finance, regulation, performance management, human resources, and ethics in public service delivery.

Assessment:

Students are assessed through a variety of methods, including essays, portfolios, presentations, podcasts, case study analysis, and the dissertation.

Teaching:

The program is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, workshops, and independent study. The faculty includes experienced academics and practitioners who are actively engaged in research and work in the field. The program also encourages collaboration and peer learning.

Careers:

Graduates of the program are well-positioned for career progression within the youth and community work sector. Potential career paths include senior management positions, specialist roles requiring expertise in specific areas, and work in various organizations such as local authorities, mental health trusts, and social prescribing services.

Other:

• The program is accredited by the National Youth Agency (NYA) and the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC).
• It is also validated by the Endorsement and Quality Standards Board for Community Development Learning (ESB).
• Students have the opportunity to participate in a placement or internship to gain practical experience in the field.
• The program encourages students to develop skills in a specialized area outside of youth and community work, such as digital communications, journalism, or film-making.