Course overview

This degree course is designed to provide you with a unique opportunity to study childhood and youth as a major subject, whilst taking psychology as a minor subject.  Childhood  has been high on the Government’s agenda, along with related issues, such as education, special needs and abuse. The interdisciplinary nature of childhood with psychology means that childhood and youth themes will be taken as a starting point, linking this to psychology and how this discipline informs our understanding of individual and collective behaviour and factors. There will be an integration of coherent subjects, including education, sociology, health, welfare and social policy, as well as the particular emphasis on psychology, all of which will help you understand the processes that shape childhood and children’s lives. It will prepare you for a career in childhood and provide a range of skills and knowledge appropriate for careers in psychology related areas. You will develop practical skills like communication, teamwork, problem solving and time and project management.

This course is suitable for anyone who is interested in combining a focus on childhood and youth with psychology. Units will be taught in a variety of ways, such as large group lectures, workshops and seminars, as well as giving you the opportunity to gain practical experience through placements, and practical sessions in the psychology laboratories (infant and toddler rooms).

Placements

This course allows you to take the Learning From Experience (LiFE) option, which lets you earn credits toward your degree for work / research placements, volunteer roles or internships undertaken alongside your studies.  The option gives you the opportunity to enhance your employability skills, to reflect on the ways in which you've done so, and to learn to express this to potential employers.

Course content

The course will run over three years in which you will do 120 credits worth of units each year. Two-thirds of the course will consist of units offered in the School of Education, which are relevant to your specific course topic (i.e. Childhood and Youth Studies or Early Childhood Studies). Units include ‘Childhood and Youth Development’, ‘Health and Wellbeing’ and ‘Developing Professional Perspectives’. You will also do a Study Skills unit in your first year.  You will do two Psychology units, offered by the Psychology department, in each year. In the first year, these will be compulsory units, namely ‘Psychology of Everyday Life’ and  ‘Key Ideas in animal and Human Psychology’.  In years two and three you will have a choice of optional units, within both the School of Education and Continuing Studies and the Department of Psychology, as well as embarking on your dissertation.

Year 1

• Child and Youth Development     
• Family & Social Environments
• Key Ideas in Animal and Human Psychology     
• Psychology of Everyday Life     
• Developing Professional Perspectives   
• Inclusion and Diversity 

Year 2

• 2x Options from the following:
  • Social and Developmental Psychology     
  • Individual Differences and Psychometrics     
  • Biological and Cognitive Psychology
• Research with Children     
• 2 x Options from the following:     
  • Children's Literature     
  • Gender and Education     
  • Digital Natives     
  • Languages (University Wide Option)     
  • Learning from Experience     

Year 3

• Dissertation (Childhood and Youth Studies)
• Young People, State and Society
• Issues Relating to Mental Health 
• 2 x Options from the following:     
  • Health and Clinical Psychology     
  • Language and Communication     
  • Forensic Psychology     

Teaching and assessment

You will mainly be assessed through course work and portfolios, whilst some units may be assessed through presentations, open book or multiple choice exams. We aim to offer a variety of teaching and assessment methods, for example in one of our units you are asked to create an online poster interacting with students from the University of Freiburg in Germany. There may also be an opportunity for study abroad in Germany.

Career prospects

This course will prepare you for a career working with children, either in school settings or other government or private institutions; studying in the School of Education and Continuing Studies may also lead you onto a variety of career pathways, some of which may require postgraduate study.

Students on the BA courses have gone on to train as early years and primary teachers, gain Early Years Professional Status, study as Speech and Language therapists or undertake a Masters degree in Social Work . They are able to apply for a range of other roles in education, social care and health related areas. Please note that this course does not provide Qualified Teacher Status. 

The career pathways opened by this degree include:

• education and training
• youth work
• healthcare and health promotion
• social work
• the police
• work in the voluntary sector

Examples of jobs may include early years’ practitioners, children’s centre workers, play workers, youth workers and additionally new jobs are developing rapidly in response to current government initiatives in both areas.

This degree can also provide a route to Qualified Teacher Status in primary or early years education. Professional career routes such as these require students to satisfy certain criteria in addition to an honours degree before commencement, but careers advice within the University will help you make informed choices. Although a conversion course is currently not available at Portsmouth, many students on the combined hons course have successfully topped up their credits to gain full BPS accreditation at a variety of institutions throughout the UK. See www.bps.org.uk for more information.

Facilities and features

Portsmouth has a reputation for providing a supportive and friendly atmosphere in which its students can quickly settle and enjoy their studies. You will have access to a full range of support services for personal issues and academic study. Personal tutors will help you access the support you may find helpful, while you will also have access to appropriate University resources, including our main library and computing facilities, which are open seven days a week.

The School of Education and Continuing Studies staff are all experts in a range of appropriate subject specialisms. Their enthusiasm and motivation means you will get the most out of your time with us.

Entry requirements

View all the entry requirements for BA (Hons) Childhood and Youth Studies with Psychology for the academic year 2013/14 (opens in new window).