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Childhood and Youth Studies with Psychology BA (Hons)

Learn what makes young people tick as you develop knowledge of the biological and social factors that impact their complex journey into adulthood. Includes 60+ hours of placements.

University of Portsmouth Connected Degree - 3 year course with 4th year placement

Key information

UCAS code:

L5C8

Typical offer:

104-112 UCAS points to include a minimum of 2 A levels, or equivalent

See full entry requirements
Study mode and duration
Start date

Showing content for section Overview

Overview

Young people’s development has as much to do with how they think as it does their circumstances and environment.

On this Childhood and Youth Studies with Psychology degree, you’ll learn what makes young people tick as you develop knowledge of the biological and social factors that impact their complex journey into adulthood.

You'll also have the chance to focus your childhood and youth studies on a particular specialism - education and teaching, community and alternative provision, or leadership and enterprise.

You’ll gain the expert skills and knowledge needed for a rewarding career working with and supporting children and young people aged 8–25. You could go onto work in sectors such as youth work, mental health support, teaching, fundraising.

Course highlights

  • Tap into the latest research happening at the University on pressing subjects such as the effect of the pandemic on children’s development and child safeguarding
  • Complete a minimum 60 hours of placement at an appropriate setting in year two
  • Have the opportunity to do an additional youth work placement year after your second or third year on this Connected Degree - we're the only UK university to offer flexible sandwich placements for undergraduates
  • Be taught by education and psychology specialists who have years of experience in the field and links to a network of potential employers
  • Investigate psychology’s role in dealing with society-wide problems that affect young people such as homelessness, domestic violence and unemployment
  • Develop relationships with potential employers through events and workshops with organisations such as children's charities
  • Apply your client-facing skills in meetings with parents and children, with support from trained practitioners
  • Benefit from access to specialist research software and applications including Online Surveys, NVivo, Atlas.ti, SPSS and Mendeley
  • Choose to learn a foreign language for free as part of your degree, from a selection of Arabic, British Sign Language, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin or Spanish
The psychological approach on this course is designed to enhance your understanding of childhood studies – it doesn't offer British Psychological Society accreditation (BPS) but prepares you for further study or training related to the care professions, social and behavioural sciences.

100%

of graduates in work or further study

(HESA graduate outcomes survey 2020/21)

The course combined with Psychology is stimulating and engaging and I also had an opportunity to apply childhood theories in my placements. The staff is always accessible and always trying to improve students' experience. Along with that, the support and positive feedback from my lecturers and course leader boosted my confidence. Now I have developed a completely different mindset and want to study further to achieve my long-term educational goals.

Farah Memon, BA (Hons) Childhood and Youth Studies with Psychology

Contact information

Admissions

+44 (0) 23 9284 5566

Contact Admissions

Entry requirements

BA (Hons) Childhood and Youth Studies with Psychology degree entry requirements

Typical offers

  • A levels - BBC-BCC
  • UCAS points - 104-112 points to include a minimum of 2 A levels, or equivalent (calculate your UCAS points)
  • T-levels - Merit
  • BTECs (Extended Diplomas) - DMM
  • International Baccalaureate - 25

You may need to have studied specific subjects – find full entry requirements and other qualifications we accept

Selection process

Applicants must pass Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) before starting their professional placement working with children and young people.

English language requirements

  • English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.0 with no component score below 5.5.

See alternative English language qualifications

We also accept other standard English tests and qualifications, as long as they meet the minimum requirements of your course.

If you don't meet the English language requirements yet, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.

We look at more than just your grades

While we consider your grades when making an offer, we also carefully look at your circumstances and other factors to assess your potential. These include whether you live and work in the region and your personal and family circumstances which we assess using established data.

Explore more about how we make your offer

Your facilities

Colourful plastic children's toys

Play room

Explore childhood experiences and approaches to working with parents and families, using equipment found in nurseries, pre-schools and reception classes.

Sensory room

Use a variety of materials for babies and children to explore sensory stimulation, sensory integration, and therapeutic approaches to play, social work and family partnerships. 

Family suite

Simulate family interactions and explore intervention strategies, and use our Therapeutic Play suite.

Why study a course with Psychology

Hear our students and lecturers explain the benefits of studying a 'with Psychology' course at the University of Portsmouth.

Dr Jacqueline Priego: Students who take a degree that combines a social science with psychology are typically interested in both societal and behavioural approaches to the human condition. They are interested in what triggers our thinking, our emotions, our behaviours and how we see that we can shape our ideas, values and practices so that we can make this world a better place. 

Dr Alexander Bradley: I think the nice aspect of studying a with psychology course is it both opens up both psychology, but also sociology or criminology, child and youth studies. So it gives you two job markets to aim for. 

Jonathan: What made me want to do a course with psychology is, it gives me a bigger variety and dig deeper into each subject. Doing a degree with combined honours allows me to pick and choose from whichever career choice I choose to make. 

Eleonora: Because I'm currently studying criminology with psychology, it really gives you the opportunity to study many different topics at once. Like, I'm studying state crime at the same time I did psychological science. You have two different types of knowledge. You have the criminological one and the psychological ones - you can merge them together to actually do what you want to do. 

Joshua: I went for a course with psychology because I wanted to have something extra as well, and I think that's shown definitely while being at the university because it gave an extra layer to the degree which I wasn't expecting. 

Jonathan: If you're not sure, if you just want to do psychology or just want to do sociology, choose this degree. It will give you the best of both and you get to focus on whatever you find most fascinating and interesting. 

Joshua: The career I'm looking into is to join the Royal Navy first and then afterwards teaching. But I still think this course does help me with that because there was one point of like stages of group development and that was part of the psychology course. So I can use that when running a team within the Royal Navy and then after that, hopefully the course as a whole will help me in my teaching. 

Jonathan: Why someone should choose University of Portsmouth? It gives extremely good facilities. 

Dr Jacqueline Priego: In relation to our courses, all of our students have access to the latest research through the university library. That gives you the potential for a great student experience. 

Dr Alexander Bradley: The city is a lovely place to be: it's friendly, it's warm, you have the sea. We do a lot and put a lot of effort into our students to help them make not only a good time and to make the most of their time at university, but also beyond university as well. 

Eleonora: You have career support for many years after you graduate. Thanks to the University of Portsmouth, I was able to work in some research with my lecturers as well, which is something that other students are not able to do. It's a great opportunity to make me stand out. 

Dr Alexander Bradley: I think one of the really nice features about my role is when I do see students that make that transition and are happy in the world of work, in the places they've ended up and are making a contribution to society, that's really good. In fact, sometimes when I get those emails that come back, it just makes my day. 

Careers and opportunities

Your knowledge of how the mind affects behaviour, coupled with a thorough understanding of the social and biological factors that influence young people’s development, will set you up for a rewarding career working with and supporting young people and children.

The opportunity to delve into your preferred childhood and youth studies specialism - from education and teaching, community and youth / family provision, or leadership and enterprise - will ensure you're prepared for the career of your choice. 

All my lecturers have worked with children or young people in some way so they always give real-life examples in lectures which really helps.

Carrie Taylor, BA Hons Childhood and Youth Studies with Psychology student

What can you do with a Childhood and Youth Studies with Psychology degree?

Areas you can work in include:

  • youth work
  • social work
  • mental health services
  • educational welfare
  • childcare
  • health promotion
  • teaching (as a teaching assistant)
  • psychologist (by taking a postgraduate conversion course, such as a BPS-accredited Master's)

With further training and qualifications, you can also work in:

  • social work
  • psychotherapy and counselling
  • teaching
Female student at computer

Ongoing career support – up to 5 years after you graduate

Get experience while you study, with support to find part-time jobs, volunteering opportunities, and work experience.

Towards the end of your degree and for up to five years after graduation, you’ll receive one-to-one support from our Graduate Recruitment Consultancy to help you find your perfect role.

What career could I build with a childhood studies degree?

Want to work with children? Discover the jobs you could gain with a degree in childhood studies.

Jodie Pinnell 

We get students that come to us and say, I really want to work with children. I want to help. I want to make a difference. It's our job to say, here's all the wonderful things that you can do with children.

At the University of Portsmouth, we have a number of undergraduate Childhood Studies degrees. We have Early Childhood Studies and Childhood and Youth Studies either as a single honours course or with the option to have a combined honours with criminology or with psychology.

Cathryn Barty

This course has three specialisms. They are education and teaching, community and youth/family liaison and leadership and enterprise. The three are embedded throughout the course over three years. It helps you to decide which path you want to pursue after you finish your degree.

Anya Manley

The route that I decided to choose was the education and teaching because I have a passion to be a primary school teacher.

Adam Denman

I wanted to take my career further. I was recommended to go on to the Enterprise course, linked at the University of Portsmouth, in addition to my studies. I managed to participate in masterclasses from external speakers and entrepreneurs in residence, that supported me in setting up my own social enterprise in music education.

Anya Manley

The career options you can do with this course are unlimited, there's so many.

Victoria Blay

One of them is teaching. Whether that be primary teaching, early years in a nursery, secondary school.

Adam Denman

Others work within further education through local colleges. Some of them work within the NHS.

Victoria Blay

There's the prison service, the police service. But obviously through university you understand what your passions are.

Jodie Pinnell

A huge part of their professional practice module is they'll go out and they'll do their placement for a day a week, or they would have done a big extended placement over their summer break.

Victoria Blay

I did two placements. One was within a private prep school and then I worked in another school, which was an alternative provision school. It was really, really enjoyable. It was taking some of what I learnt at uni and putting it into practice and reflecting on that as well.

Ellen Braddick

I think having the placements reassured me that this is something that I definitely want to do. It really helped me a lot to get to the place I am now.

Jodie Pinnell

As part of that, they all inform each other's ideas and co-reflect on their positionality. I can come into this setting and I can make a difference.

Cathryn Barty

What I loved most about the course was the support I received from the lecturers.

Adam Denman

They've had a variety of different backgrounds within their careers. They also have a wide range of contacts within the industry and with local schools and colleges in the Portsmouth region.

Anya Manley

Portsmouth is a good city, you've got a beach five minutes away from the centre of the campus. You've got shops nearby, you've got restaurants. It's a good place to come and study whether you like the culture or just somewhere quiet to sit and just take in the world.

Placements and work experience

You'll get a minimum of 60 hours of work experience on a placement in year two in settings such as youth work organisations, mental health charities, nurseries or schools.

You can also choose to complete an additional year-long paid placement after your second or third year. 

We'll help you secure placements that fit your workplace ambitions. You’ll get mentoring and support to get the most out of the year.

Placement destinations

Previous students put their skills to work on placements at primary and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) schools, and organisations such as:

  • Pompey in the Community – a charity affiliated to Portsmouth FC
  • KidsOut – a charity that provides positive experiences disadvantaged children
  • Victim Support – a charity that supports victims of crime
  • Solent Mind – an organisation that offers mental health advice, information and support
  • Portsmouth City Council Youth and Play Services
  • Motiv8 – a charity that provides opportunities for young people to develop and thrive
  • Prince’s Trust – a charity that helps young people aged 11 to 30 get into jobs, education and training
Student in purple hoodie standing in back alleys

I secured an internship within the Diversity and Inclusion team at the Royal Academy of Engineering, and I’m now doing a Master's degree in Psychology. My long-term aspiration is to work in child psychology with a neuropsychology specialism.

Charles Dalby, BA (Hons) Childhood and Youth Studies with Psychology

Read Charles's story

Modules

Each module on this course is worth a certain number of credits.

In each year, you need to study modules worth a total of 120 credits. For example, four modules worth 20 credits and one module worth 40 credits.

What you'll study

Core modules

You’ll learn how to carry out research ethically when working with communities and organisations to address real-world issues.

You’ll develop your own research proposal with expert guidance - from forming questions to methodology design.

Build transferable research skills you’ll use throughout your degree, from reflective practice to clear communication of your findings.

You'll explore key theories and research on the ways children and young people develop, including physical, cognitive, social and emotional growth.

By the end of the module, you'll have a better understanding of how to support children's wellbeing and development.

On this module, you’ll explores a myriad of educational contexts including education's development over time, different types of educational establishments in both the private and public sectors, how children learn, the curriculum and assessment, adult, higher, special, alternative and community education and inequalities in education.

You’ll get an overview of British education from earliest time to the present day, comparing this to education in other parts of the world over time.

You’ll learn the theories explaining widespread social phenomena, from prejudice to leadership.

Consider how identity, norms and roles shape our interactions with each other, and question your own assumptions about people and society while strengthening your abilities for analytical and ethical thinking.

By the end of the module, you’ll have built knowledge at the intersection of psychology and sociology.

You’ll develop skills in independent thinking, teamwork, problem-solving and project work, and get to grips with academic writing, referencing procedures, and the use of technology to enhance your skills.

You’ll also begin developing your ePortfolio, a personal collection documenting your learning journey.

Core modules

You’ll complete your practical placement in an educational or community setting serving children and youth, shadowing experienced professionals to help address learner needs across academic, social-emotional and behavioural domains.

You'll gain essential employability skills demanded by the industry, enabling you to explore theoretical concepts related to professional practice in the context of children and young people.

You'll also reflect on your own practice to understand personal, ethical and professional behaviour, and how you collaborate with other professionals.

You’ll weigh up the main developmental processes in psychology, and look at cases of psychological individual difference.

You’ll draw on data to enrich your understanding, and by the end of the module, be able to recognise, recall and discuss psychological constructs, subject specific terminology and empirical applications.

You’ll take a historical perspective to compare and contrast various strategies used in different historical and social circumstances.

You’ll examine the role of young people in social change and the extent to which we should become involved in supporting young people in this role.

You’ll also look at a variety of forms of activism, including how we can work within organisations to ensure they remain relevant to young people's needs.

Deep dive into critical matters like bullying, inclusion and resilience. You'll get insight into Transition Theory and how social factors form perspectives, and have the chance to direct your own learning, with a choice of essay topics and the opportunity to engage in dialogues with special guests.

This combo of theory and personal focus builds essential knowledge of the forces forming children's social development

Using existing studies as an example, you'll examine the key issues to think about, such as ethics, protection of the children involved, and data protection. You'll learn how to carry out ethical, meaningful research with children and young people, including quantitative and qualitative research methods that put children first, from observation and focus groups to surveys.

You'll think about how to choose a research area to investigate, and how to design and carry out a research project with children and young people – essential skills that will help you prepare for your dissertation.

Optional modules

You'll also apply the ideas and concepts you learn directly to working with young people, and reflect on your own experiences and approaches to learning.

You’ll look at the factors that shape childhood and the challenges children face, including the development, differences and successes of different education systems and the impact that has on children, teachers, and communities.

You’ll explore the relationships between education and social understandings with a specific focus on identities, inequality, and constructions of childhood.

By the end of the module, you’ll have developed a critical understanding of the complexities that shape childhood around the world.

With a minimum 80-hour commitment, you’ll apply what you’ve learned so far on your degree to real-world professional settings within our community of local businesses, social enterprises, and third-sector organisations.

You’ll have support from interactive workshops, tutorials, and guest speaker events, encouraging you to set achievable professional goals and evolve your professional identity.

You'll examine key theories and research methodologies for understanding personal life, relationships, sexuality and generational change.

You'll have the opportunity to pursue topics matching your interests, whether that's shifts in dating cultures, new family forms, LGBTQ identities, or issues like consent, respect and ethics.

The module develops critical thinking skills by evaluating different frameworks and perspectives on contemporary intimacy and relationships. There is an emphasis on inclusivity, diversity, and social justice throughout.

In this module, you’ll explore European colonisation of Africa, asking questions like - how did they justify colonial rule, and how did African peoples respond to these colonisers?

You’ll learn how, after World War II, colonial rule was increasingly challenged from both within the empire, by growing African demands for political rights, and in the international arena, with the global trend towards trusteeship, development and self-determination.

You’ll also explore European relations with Africa in the post-colonial era, looking at themes which may include ideas about civilisation, universalism and race, modern attempts to 'rehabilitate' empire in the media, and the legacies of colonialism in Britain, Europe and Africa.

You’ll collaborate with students on other courses to explore and address societal and environmental challenges faced by local and global communities. You’ll choose projects from a range of topic areas aligned with the university's Civic Strategy.

With input from local organisations, you’ll think about your topic from multiple perspectives, developing your interdisciplinary thinking and ability to work with others.

You’ll analyse the essence of security, exploring how security needs are addressed around the world and on a national level, down to a community and even an individual basis.

You’ll explore different forms of societal risk and insecurity, and approaches to dealing with security threats, taking into account the nature and impact of economic and political developments.

You'll learn how to think critically about the key concepts that link language, culture and communication, considering the benefits and limitations of these ideas.

You'll explore the different ways in which communication intersects with culture across themes such as identity, education, gender, and the media.

Alongside what you learn, you'll improve your skills in analysis, research and intercultural awareness.

You'll learn about consumer behaviour and brand strategy, and spend time examining real-world marketing campaigns. You'll also think about how social, political and technological forces can affect the way businesses approach marketing their products and services.

Skills you'll develop include carrying out market research and learning how to use what you learn, crafting targeted messaging across different marketing channels, and presenting your ideas verbally and in writing.

You'll learn about major economic, political and cultural changes in Western Europe over the nineteenth century, and how these affected the rest of the world as time went on.

You'll explore the big ideas that have shaped the modern world, and weigh up the benefits and perils of globalisation. Skills you'll develop on this module include independent research, critical thinking and effective communication.

You'll also learn to understand the opportunities and challenges of today's world from an informed, global perspective.

You’ll look critically ideas of nationalism historically and today with a focus on the everyday, intimate and embodied boundaries of nation-states and how these shape our lives, including those of us living in the most privileged parts of the world.

You’ll explore real-world cases to understand the individual and societal impacts on human lives, developing your analytical skills and imagining more compassionate alternatives.

You’ll unpack the language of tabloids, broadsheets and online news, analysing how journalists shape public understanding of current events.

Develop your critical thinking by confronting moral panics and polarised politics in reporting.

Create your own news stories and gain real insight into mass communication in a rapidly changing landscape.

You'll analyse major cases of economic crime and weigh up their wider societal implications.

You'll also learn how to recognise disciplinary perspectives, become familiar with the key investigating organisations, identify investigative techniques, and gather and analyse real case information.

You’ll analyse American texts against the backdrop of intellectual, social and political change, evaluating how writers grappled with emerging ideas around national identity, race, gender and more.

By honing skills for contextual analysis and independent thought, you’ll form your own interpretations of iconic works that reflect the American experience.

You’ll analyse diverse transitional justice approaches balancing community healing and judicial accountability after mass atrocities.

Comparing mechanisms like war crimes tribunals, truth commissions and reparations programmes, you’ll evaluate effectiveness in restoring dignity and preventing recurrence.

With case studies from Europe to Africa, from Latin America to Asia, you'll examine tensions between western models and local cultural perspectives, assessing what ‘justice’ means to vulnerable peoples.

Throughout, you'll trace incremental human rights legislation advances, assessing global institutions’ roles protecting civilians from authoritarian regimes and wartime abuses.

Through interactive lectures with academics, speakers and professionals, you'll discuss, debate and complete practical exercises exploring wildlife crime alongside your classmates.

You'll spend time examining wildlife crimes and the factors behind them, as well as environmental justice and sustainability.

Core modules

Focusing on childhood and child development, you'l cover ethics in practice with children and young people. You'll also apply psychological theory to the lived experiences children, families and young people. This module will help you bring together core concepts within health and education-based approaches which encompass psychological theory.

They may appear isolated, anxious and fearful, or they may seem unhappy or disturbed. As part of this module, you’ll look at the characteristics of these problems, as well as some of the explanations that have been offered about how these problems arise.

We will also be discussing ways in which we can support children and young people facing mental health difficulties across a variety of settings.

Optional modules

It's up to you what your dissertation or project is about – this will be your chance to showcase your passion for childhood studies by choosing a subject area or topic that most interests you.

You'll draw on everything you’ve learned so far to investigate, analyse, craft and refine your dissertation or project, using existing texts, sources and artefacts to support your arguments and give them context. You'll have the support of a dedicated dissertation tutor to guide you throughout this module.

This real-world, project-based module lets you address an identified need or gap by designing an innovative product, service or resource.

With support from university staff and external partners, you'll demonstrate critical thinking, ethical awareness and project management abilities.

Your final project and presentation will showcase your employability and capacity for high-impact solutions.

You'll examine the key theories and ideas behind helping children who develop challenging behaviours, and learn how to weigh up and deal with complex situations effectively and compassionately.

You'll also think about the possible causes behind children's challenging behaviour, and how understanding these causes can help us better support children and help them thrive.

You’ll get familiar with the big issues and contemporary debates in education studies as well as the role and expectations of a teacher.

You’ll develops fundamental knowledge and skills that teachers require, as well as your capability to structure and critique a lesson plan.

You'll evaluate contemporary support themes, analyse young people's relationships, and learn how theory relates to practical social work.

This module prepares you for the complexity of helping young people with more advanced needs.

You’ll reflect on your experiences in the outdoors and how these experiences shape our approaches to education.

You’ll learn how to carry out effective risk benefit analyses and how to frame your approach to risk as enabling children, young people and adults.

You’ll also take part in debate about the ecological challenges facing us and how we might shape educational practice and policy as a step to action.

With a minimum 80-hour commitment, you'll apply what you've learned so far on your degree to real-world professional settings within our community of local businesses, social enterprises, and third-sector organisations.

You'll have support from interactive workshops, tutorials, and guest speaker events, encouraging you to set achievable professional goals and evolve your professional identity.

You’ll analyse the role of the adult in understanding a child's experiences through a therapeutic perspective of play.

You’ll connect theory and observations to practice to understand your role in recognising when a child might need further support from a qualified play therapist.

As part of this, we’ll look at a range of focused interventions which benefit children.

You'll gain insight into current care policies and trauma theories while evaluating approaches that are most successful for meeting the needs of children in care.

With compassion and understanding, you can help create the nurturing environments these children need to heal and thrive.

Optional modules

During your study abroad year, you’ll expand your global perspective and develop additional skills to boost your future career, as well as making memories, new friends and career contacts.

You could also improve your foreign language and intercultural communication skills. This is an amazing opportunity to expand your horizons and set yourself up for your future career by studying abroad and becoming a student ambassador for our university.

We'll help you find and secure a work placement that inspires you in a destination you can explore and make home during your placement year.

You'll have the chance to try out skills and gain experience that'll help you clarify your next career steps, while building capabilities employers seek and applying what you've learned on your degree so far to a real-world working environment.

Return feeling confident and re-energised for your final year or first year of your career, ready to make an immediate impact in whatever you choose to do next.

Changes to course content

We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.

Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry. If a module doesn't run, we'll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.

Alternative courses

Not quite sure this course is right for you? Take a look at similar psychology courses to compare your options.

If you want to study traditional psychology and social psychology concepts (such as consciousness, memory, personality and intelligence) while developing the skills to influence positive change, take a look at our Sociology with Psychology degree.

When you work with criminals and their victims, the ability to understand people's emotions, thoughts and actions is vital. Our Criminology with Psychology degree gives you a deep understanding of criminal behaviour.

How you're assessed

The way you’re assessed may depend on the units you select. As a guide, students on this course last year were typically assessed as follows:

  • Year 1 students: 100% by coursework
  • Year 2 students: 100% by coursework
  • Year 3 students: 100% by coursework

You’ll be assessed through a variety of ways, including:

  • essays
  • group and individual presentations and projects
  • witten exams (quizzes)
  • a dissertation

You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.

You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.

Teaching

Teaching methods on this course include:

  • group-based activities
  • seminars
  • tutorials
  • individual and group presentations
  • project work
  • e-learning
  • lectures

You can access all teaching resources on Moodle, our virtual learning environment, from anywhere with a Web connection.

For more about the teaching activities for specific modules, see the module list above.

Teaching profiles

Aerial photo of Portsmouth

Dr Lexie Scherer

I bring professional experience to the course having trained as a Primary school teacher and worked in an Autism unit. My research interests include autism and literacy, the use of visual methods in research with children, and literacy practices. I incorporate my research into my teaching in experiential ways, for example, in my second year option module Children’s Literature, we explore how children interact with books through an assessment to make a book with children, which promotes their voices and agency.

Dr Simon Edwards

Dr Simon Edwards

I bring 35 years paid and voluntary experience as a youth and community worker to the course, including international work and the management of community projects. This experience directly shapes the content of my teaching: former youth project participants and their parents bring insights to my lectures and presentations, and students are able to join in research as participant action researchers. Students can also benefit from the working relationships we’ve established with 4 local youth organisations who provide placement opportunities.

I love the depth and diversity of the knowledge that is offered by Psychology lecturers at Portsmouth... they are passionate and keen to share this with students. They encourage us to ask questions [and] challenge theories and thought processes.

Deborah Grant, BA (Hons) Childhood and Youth Studies with Psychology graduate

How you'll spend your time

One of the main differences between school or college and university is how much control you have over your learning.

We use a blended learning approach to teaching, which means you’ll take part in both face-to-face and online activities during your studies.  As well as attending your timetabled classes you'll study independently in your free time, supported by staff and our virtual learning environment, Moodle.

A typical week

We recommend you spend at least 35 hours a week studying for your BA Hons Childhood and Youth Studies with Psychology degree. In your first year, you’ll be in timetabled teaching activities such as lectures, seminars and workshops for about 16 hours a week.

The rest of the time you’ll do independent study such as research, reading, coursework and project work, alone or in a group with others from your course. You'll probably do more independent study and have less scheduled teaching in years 2 and 3, but this depends on which modules you choose.

Term dates

The academic year runs from September to June. There are breaks at Christmas and Easter.

See term dates

Supporting you

The amount of timetabled teaching you'll get on your degree might be less than what you're used to at school or college, but you'll also get support via video, phone and face-to-face from teaching and support staff to enhance your learning experience and help you succeed. You can build your personalised network of support from the following people and services:

Types of support

Your personal tutor helps you make the transition to independent study and gives you academic and personal support throughout your time at university.

As well as regular scheduled meetings with your personal tutor, they're also available at set times during the week if you want to chat with them about anything that can't wait until your next meeting.

You'll have help from a team of faculty learning development tutors. They can help you improve and develop your academic skills and support you in any area of your study.

They can help with:

  • Improving your academic writing (for example, essays, reports, dissertations)
  • Delivering presentations (including observing and filming presentations)
  • Understanding and using assignment feedback
  • Managing your time and workload
  • Revision and exam techniques

As well as support from faculty staff and your personal tutor, you can use the University's Academic Skills Unit (ASK).

ASK provides one-to-one support in areas such as:

  • Academic writing
  • Note taking
  • Time management
  • Critical thinking
  • Presentation skills
  • Referencing
  • Working in groups
  • Revision, memory and exam techniques

If you have a disability or need extra support, the Additional Support and Disability Centre (ASDAC) will give you help, support and advice.

Our online Learning Well mini-course will help you plan for managing the challenges of learning and student life, so you can fulfil your potential and have a great student experience.

You can get personal, emotional and mental health support from our Student Wellbeing Service, in person and online. This includes 1–2–1 support as well as courses and workshops that help you better manage stress, anxiety or depression.

If you require extra support because of a disability or additional learning need our specialist team can help you.

They'll help you to

  • discuss and agree on reasonable adjustments
  • liaise with other University services and facilities, such as the library
  • access specialist study skills and strategies tutors, and assistive technology tutors, on a 1-to-1 basis or in groups
  • liaise with external services

Library staff are available in person or by email, phone, or online chat to help you make the most of the University’s library resources. You can also request one-to-one appointments and get support from a librarian who specialises in your subject area.

The library is open 24 hours a day, every day, in term time.

If English isn't your first language, you can do one of our English language courses to improve your written and spoken English language skills before starting your degree. Once you're here, you can take part in our free In-Sessional English (ISE) programme to improve your English further.

Course costs and funding

Tuition fees

  • UK/Channel Islands and Isle of Man students – £9,250 a year (may be subject to annual increase)
  • EU students – £9,250 a year, including our Transition Scholarship (may be subject to annual increase)
  • International students – £17,200 a year (subject to annual increase)

You won't pay any extra tuition fees to another university for taking part in a study/work abroad activity if you choose to do it for the whole academic year. During a year abroad you'll only have to pay a reduced fee to the University of Portsmouth.

Funding your studies

Find out how to fund your studies, including the scholarships and bursaries you could get. You can also find more about tuition fees and living costs, including what your tuition fees cover.

Applying from outside the UK? Find out about funding options for international students.

Tuition fees terms and conditions

Additional course costs

These course-related costs aren’t included in the tuition fees. So you’ll need to budget for them when you plan your spending.

Additional costs

Our accommodation section show your accommodation options and highlight how much it costs to live in Portsmouth.

You’ll study up to 6 modules a year. You may have to read several recommended books or textbooks for each module.

You can borrow most of these from the Library. If you buy these, they may cost up to £60 each.

We recommend that you budget £75 a year for photocopying, memory sticks, DVDs and CDs, printing charges, binding and specialist printing.

 

If your final year includes a major project, there could be cost for transport or accommodation related to your research activities. The amount will depend on the project you choose.

You’ll need to cover additional costs, such as travel costs, if you take an optional placement or placement abroad.

These costs will vary depending on the location and duration of the placement, and can range from £50–£1000.

During your placement year or study abroad year, you’ll be eligible for a discounted rate on your tuition fees. Currently, tuition fees for that year are:

  • UK/Channel Islands and Isle of Man students – £1,385 a year (may be subject to annual increase)
  • EU students – £1,385 a year, including Transition Scholarship (may be subject to annual increase)
  • International students – £2,875  a year (subject to annual increase)

The costs associated with your specific destination will be discussed during your second year, as well as possible sources of additional funding.

Apply

How to apply

To start this course in 2024, apply through UCAS. You'll need:

  • the UCAS course code – L5C8
  • our institution code – P80

Apply now through UCAS

If you'd prefer to apply directly, use our online application form.

You can also sign up to an Open Day to:

  • Tour our campus, facilities and halls of residence
  • Speak with lecturers and chat with our students 
  • Get information about where to live, how to fund your studies and which clubs and societies to join

If you're new to the application process, read our guide on applying for an undergraduate course.

Applying from outside the UK

As an international student you'll apply using the same process as UK students, but you’ll need to consider a few extra things. 

You can get an agent to help with your application. Check your country page for details of agents in your region.

Find out what additional information you need in our international students section

If you don't meet the English language requirements for this course yet, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.

Admissions terms and conditions

When you accept an offer to study at the University of Portsmouth, you also agree to abide by our Student Contract (which includes the University's relevant policies, rules and regulations). You should read and consider these before you apply.