Program Overview

Youth And Community Work MA

Overview

This established course opens the door for you to step straight into youth work. Only one other provider in London offers a postgraduate JNC qualification as part of a master's course.

With 400 mandatory hours of practice learning to add to UEL-based learning, it is a demanding, but rewarding, commitment.

You will develop the ability to build confidence and trust in others, to deal with challenging behaviour and to engage, support and mentor young people in London - a dynamic environment for youth and community work.

Our former students often supervise our current students in a professional capacity and you will be taught by experienced people who share your passion. The UEL tutors are locally based. They have strong links with and are active within the sector.

Course Options

• MA: Start date September 2025

Entry Requirements

• Academic requirements: Bachelor's degree with minimum Second Class (2:2) or equivalent in any subject. Applicants must have evidence of minimum 140 hours of experience working with young people between 13 and 19 years.
• International Qualifications: We accept a wide range of European and international qualifications in addition to A-levels, the International Baccalaureate and BTEC qualifications.
• English Language requirements: Overall IELTS 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in Writing, Speaking, Reading and Listening (or recognised equivalent).
• Interview: An interview is required with a member of the academic teaching team.
• Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS): Applicants for this course are required to complete a Student Suitability Declaration and an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Fees

• Home Applicant, Full time: £8520 per year
• Home Applicant, Part time: £1420 per 30 credit module
• International Applicant, Full time: £16560 per year

Funding

• Postgraduate Loans Scheme: £10,280 to fund your Masters Programme under the Postgraduate Loans (PGL) scheme
• Postgraduate Scholarship: Apply for a 50 per cent discount on your tuition fees
• Alumni Discount: up to 15% fee waiver (exclusions apply)
• Early Payment Discount: 5% fee waiver
• Asylum Seekers scholarship: 100% fee waiver
• Civic Engagement: £1,000
• Hardship Bursary: up to £2,000
• Sport Scholarships: Up to £6,000

What Makes This Course Different

• Validated by the National Youth Agency: Professionally validated by the National Youth Agency - the national agency for youth work in the UK. As well as a Master's qualification, you will leave us with an accredited JNC youth work status.
• 50 years' experience in youth and community work: Learn from those professionally qualified in youth work. Between them, course tutors Paul Adams and Tracie Trimmer-Platman have over 50 years of experience working with communities and young people.
• 100% graduate employability: Our employment rate in youth and community work is second to none. Our students find jobs - 100 per cent of those who finished their PGDip or MA in 2014 secured youth-work-related posts.

Course Modules

• Policy, Theory and Practice in Youth Work: This module will enable you to critically engage with the body of knowledge relating to policy, theory and practice of informal education with young people.
• Field Work Practice 1: This module will enable you to complete a fieldwork placement in accordance with JNC professional requirements.
• Field Work Practice 2: This module will enable you to complete a fieldwork placement in accordance with JNC professional requirements.
• Community Development, Theory and Practice: This module will enable you to examine and review community development theory, principles and values and develop skills for reflective and critical community development practice.
• Applied Research Project: This module will enable you to undertake a small-scale practitioner enquiry relevant to youth and community work within the context of your professional practice.

What We're Researching

Paul Adams, Course Leader of the MA Youth and Community Work course, is involved with a number of youth work organisations, including national government working groups.

Our Centre for Social Work Research (CSWR) generates knowledge in social work thinking and methods. It also helps and encourages more social workers to become involved in research to improve shared knowledge.

Your Future Career

The traditional model of youth work, where you work in and later manage a youth club as the focal point of the community, is becoming less common.

• Career options: The range of roles open to you now is as rewarding as it is wide. You could move into the Third Sector, a social enterprise, a housing association, a voluntary organisation or even a college.

How We Support Your Career Ambitions

We offer dedicated careers support, and further opportunities to thrive, such as volunteering and industry networking. Our courses are created in collaboration with employers and industry to ensure they accurately reflect the real-life practices of your future career and provide you with the essential skills needed.

How You'll Learn

This master's course can be studied on a one-year full-time or a two-year part-time basis.

• Workload: Typically, you will spend Tuesdays at the University of East London working through the core modules through lectures and discussion-led seminars or tutorials.
• Placement practice: The rest of your week is largely taken up with your placement. The professional validation aspect of the course specifies that you must complete 400 hours in placement practice during your course – one 200-hour placement in each semester.

How You'll Be Assessed

There are certain national professional standards you have to meet and demonstrate through your placements. These will form part of the learning agreement we draw up with you and your organisation-based mentor before your placement.

Campus and Facilities

• Stratford Campus, London, E15 4LZ: Our historic Stratford campus is located in one of the best-connected areas of London: close to Stratford's thriving town centre, the 2012 Olympic Park, just 15 minutes from London's West End and 20 minutes from Canary Wharf.

Who Teaches This Course

This course is delivered by the School of Childhood and Social Care.

• Course leader: Paul Adams
• Course leader: Tracie Trimmer-Platman