Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Creative Writing

at University of Bolton United Kingdom

The BA (Hons) Education and Learning is a fascinating degree at the University of Bolton, giving you the chance to study a balanced combination of current educational policy, the history of education, and sociology, philosophy and psychology. It’s a great opportunity to explore in depth some of the key current issues affecting education in the UK and abroad.

Key themes on this course include critical and reflective thinking, equality and diversity. By thinking about how we learn consciously and subconsciously, we’ll guide you in an exploration of how formal learning, alongside acquired knowledge, shapes our lives, interests and value structures.

We also encourage you to research and analyse a range of educational practices, and reflect on your own and others’ experiences of education. This will help you think critically about learning and teaching, and how education is perceived and received.

On competing this course successfully, you will be well prepared for related postgraduate studies. Although the course doesn’t lead directly to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), you’ll have first-hand experience in schools or other educational establishments to support your application for teacher training.

Highlights

• Small class sizes mean a more keenly focused attention on your learning needs and strategies for success.
• You’ll be studying at a University known for its friendly atmosphere, and get to study alongside students from a variety of backgrounds, each with an individual and unique perspective on education.
• Our professional and approachable tutors will guide and support you throughout your course, offering attentive one-to-one support.

Key Features

• The programme is designed to help you gain some of the required knowledge and experience required for direct entry to Primary Teacher Training courses (QTS), or for entry-level employment in education.
• You’ll have the chance to take on a systematic and reflective study of education that’s illustrated and informed by the diversity of teaching and learning approaches in different sub-sectors of education.
• You’ll be able to take at least one placement opportunity in an educational setting, where you’ll observe learning and teaching in progress, and talk to teachers and students about their roles and experiences.
• Our teaching draws on your own experiences of learning as a starting point for understanding the formal educational process. This means contributing to research and discussion through critical reflection on your own education, and by listening to others’ experiences.

If you have a passion for the arts and culture and a keen interest in areas such as creative producing, galleries and curation, and cultural heritage and museums, this master’s degree offers you a route into a rewarding career in arts management. Whether you are progressing straight from undergraduate study, or are already working in the sector, this programme aims to prepare you to work in partnership with a range of arts, theatre and cultural organisations to develop and manage projects that have tangible social, educational and commercial benefits.

Our dedicated team will support you as you investigate the current arts landscape to develop your understanding of the social, political and cultural contexts for the arts, examining growth areas such as arts and wellbeing, social prescribing, social engagement and regeneration. The applications for arts and culture are varied and you’ll have the opportunity to explore areas such as social enterprise, creative engagement, and arts and culture for health and wellbeing.

Your studies will focus on key aspects of arts management practice, including leadership and management, networking and collaboration, logistics and managing risk. Audience engagement, project planning and development, and impact evaluation will also form key cornerstones of your learning. You’ll have the opportunity to work with a number of arts and cultural organisations via live briefs and work-based learning, as well as to gain additional qualifications such as safeguarding, health and safety in the workplace, equality and diversity, and risk assessment to further strengthen your professional profile. Our aim to support you to develop the real-world skills that will enable you to work freelance, on contracted roles within existing organisations, or to set up your own company.

Highlights

• This MA offers opportunities for you to work with a range of arts and cultural organisations across Greater Manchester and the North West region on live projects.
• Our industry-engaged staff are experienced in developing and leading arts and cultural projects, so are well-versed in the skills and knowledge needed for success in the field.
• We’ll focus on helping you develop the practical, real-world arts management skills you’ll need to work freelance, start your own company, or secure employment with established organisations.
• We'll help you learn about tax self-assessment, invoicing, intellectual property and risk assessments, as well as offer business start-up sessions to prepare you to take advantage of opportunities for enterprise development.

Key Features

• Teaching and supervision are delivered by our dedicated team of experienced and well-qualified staff who are engaged in arts practice, management and research.
• We offer an engaging programme of visiting speakers and practitioners that gives you opportunities to network with and learn from industry professionals.
• You’ll have opportunities to gain additional qualifications such as safeguarding, health and safety in the workplace, equality and diversity, and risk assessment, alongside your master’s degree to ensure you achieve a strong professional profile in preparation for employment.

The Harvard Business Review has called the data scientist ‘the sexiest job of the 21st century’*. Our BSc (Hons) Computing (Data Analyst) course offers a route into this exciting career, along with global opportunities in a huge range of sectors. Data analysts provide up-to-date, accurate and relevant data analysis for organisations, making recommendations to improve business performance. Throughout this course, we’ll guide you as you develop technical knowledge and applied skills with a range of data structures, software development procedures and analytical tools.

Our expert and dedicated team will cover managing, cleansing, abstracting and aggregating data, a wide range of standard and custom analytical studies, as well as data visualisation techniques. We’ll support you as you learn how to provide insight and analysis through clear visual, written and verbal communication. The department’s strong links with business mean you’ll have the chance to work on ‘live briefs’ in your coursework assignments, so you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy real-world context and application for the skills and knowledge we’ll help you develop.

With intentionally small class sizes, we can offer you meaningful and personalised interaction with our dedicated and enthusiastic lecturers – many of whom are active researchers and come with extensive industry insights and experience. Meanwhile, guest speakers and lecturers give you access to highly relevant and up-to-date input from industry settings.

All of this is backed by our well-equipped IT suites, where you’ll get to apply and develop your learning individually and in groups, with expert guidance and support.

* https://hbr.org/2012/10/data-scientist-the-sexiest-job-of-the-21st-century visited on 07/01/2019

Highlights

• The department – and the wider University – provides a warm and friendly environment for your studies, with relatively small class sizes, purpose-built teaching facilities, and excellent student support and library services.
• Your teaching and tutorial team brings an impressive range of professional experience and technical prowess to the course, so you’ll have the chance to explore and evaluate a range of perspectives relating to your studies.
• A big part of our commitment to your progress is helping you develop your employability and industry networks. So we’ll encourage you to attend guest lectures that give your learning context, offer industry contact, and contribute to your underlying professional development.
• By underpinning our content and assignments with a strong industrial focus, we foster a keen understanding of the role and value of data analysis in the business environment, and help you develop essential skills such as attention to detail, communication and time management.
• We’ll focus on your individual needs, and provide personalised support to help find the learning strategies that best support your learning and ultimate success.

Key Features

• Our dedicated laboratories, servers and end-hosts feature high-specification hardware and the latest software, so you’ll have industry-equivalent hands-on experience.
• You’ll also get to experience the latest technologies, such as OpenStack – developed by Rackspace and NASA.
• As you’d expect, many of our computing facilities are accessible online, so you can work on your assignments wherever you are, and whenever inspiration kicks in.
• We’ll support you to develop sought-after skills such as background research, critical reasoning and problem solving, as well as professional communication, time management, teamwork, and lifelong learning.
• We’ll also encourage you to build a portfolio of evidence representing the projects and tasks you’ve completed during your studies, ready to impress potential employers.
• We continually monitor and update the course to reflect current and ever-changing issues in computing, and to keep your learning in line with technological advances and innovations.

If you’re looking for a postgraduate course that exactly matches your strengths and ambitions then your search is over. The University of Bolton's MA/MSc Professional Practice (Specialism) allows you to design your own master’s degree. We’ll help you personalise your postgraduate education by combining the disciplines that matter for your future. This bespoke course will support you to gain a combination of academic, analytical, and employment-focused skills that will prepare you for a career in your chosen professional area, as well as provide a sound basis for doctoral-level study.

Supporting your choices
Working with our expert tutors, you can choose two modules from across the whole spectrum of master’s level modules available at the University of Bolton. You’ll also be supported to devise a master’s-level dissertation or major project that develops your research and critical thinking skills and allows you to demonstrate your expertise. We’ll counsel you as you make these choices to ensure you create a coherent programme of study – one that is achievable and that will support you to develop the skills and knowledge you seek. We offer a wide range of subjects and you can choose modules from a single area or from two different disciplines, depending on your interests, prior qualifications and experience.

Capture essential employability, transferable and business skills
Alongside your subject-specific studies, you’ll have the opportunity to build the essential employability, transferable and business skills you need to compete with confidence for your dream job or build your own successful business from the ground up. You’ll focus on developing the skills that are most valuable to you as an individual, as shaped by your prior learning and future plans. We’ll guide you to explore areas such as influence and impact, self-management, creativity and innovation, and professional identity, bringing in business and psychological concepts to enhance your development as a professional.

Focusing on your future
We want to help you gain the skills and self-belief to showcase your worth in your chosen field. We’ll guide you to explore and understand the postgraduate labour market in the sector you wish to join, preparing you to apply your new knowledge, attributes and experiences so that you can satisfy and impress your stakeholders (such as employers, clients, commissioners and funding bodies). We’ll help you learn about the recruitment methods used by different types of organisations in your field, explore your personal brand and self-positioning, and prepare for recruitment and selection or self-employment. In addition, we’ll support you to develop skills in commercial ability and acumen, networking and professional relationship management, as well as strategies for career maintenance and growth.

Tried and tested research-informed coaching
Throughout the programme, we’ll use tried and tested, research-informed coaching and training methods to support your development. These will range from postgraduate-level skills in research, critique, problem-solving, professional presentation and synthesis to interpersonal and business-relevant skills such as innovative thinking, team working and project management, the effective use of technology, public speaking and professionalism. All this knowledge will be tailored to your chosen employment context to help you achieve your vision for your future.

An ideal course for graduates and professionals in a wide range of areas
This course should appeal to (but isn’t limited to) graduates and professionals in areas such as art and design, accountancy, science, engineering, business management, film FX, performing arts, community development and youth, computing, games, construction, law, crime and criminal justice, early years, education, English and creative writing, mathematics, nursing and the caring professions, media, psychology, the humanities and sport.

Would you prefer to complete your course over a longer time? We also offer this course with a duration of 18 months full-time or 24 months part-time. For full-time study, please visit our MA/MSc Professional Practice (Specialism): Extended course search web page for details and to apply. Alternatively, for part-time study, please visit our MA/MSc Professional Practice (Specialism) course search web page.

Highlights

• Dr Selva Pankaj, the author of ‘Thinking into Character – A Proven Methodology for the Creation of Success & Self-Fulfilment’, is a valued partner of the University whose work will support you in the development of business and career planning, confidence and knowledge.
• This course allows you to focus on one subject or to combine two areas of interest to follow an interdisciplinary route. When you successfully complete the master's, your degree title will be chosen to reflect the focus of your studies.
• Our highly qualified and professionally experienced staff have strong links with many economic sectors, offering opportunities for industry masterclasses and lectures, joint projects, and networking.
• The University of Bolton offers a host of world-class facilities across our campus and faculties. Depending on your choice of modules, you'll be able to make use of our specialist facilities to support your studies.
• This MA/MSc is part of the University of Bolton’s ‘Career Development Masters’ suite, which offers shared modules designed to give you a wider business perspective, including tax self-assessment, invoicing, intellectual property and risk assessments, as well as knowing how to start a business and to take advantage of opportunities for enterprise development.

Key Features

• Teaching and supervision are delivered by dedicated staff chosen for their expertise and experience in fields relevant to your areas of study and professional development needs.
• We offer an engaging programme of visiting speakers and practitioners that gives you opportunities to network with and learn from industry professionals.
• We'll offer you opportunities for interdisciplinary work and collaboration.
• Your studies will culminate in your Professional Dissertation, an independent and substantial piece of research that will further your knowledge and practice. This will demonstrate your mastery of an aspect of your field, showcasing your expert knowledge to employers as well as forming an ideal preparation for doctoral-level studies should you to wish to pursue a PhD.
• Your final master’s degree title will reflect your specialist areas of study (please note that the final award title will be selected in agreement with the University within the parameters specified in programme documentation). If you have chosen two specialist subject areas with equal weighting, the title will reflect both specialist subject areas; for instance, MA Professional Practice Creative Writing and Computing. If one of your specialist subject areas has a greater weighting than the other, the word ‘with’ will be used instead of ‘and’ between the two subject areas; for example, MA Professional Practice Creative Writing with Computing.

The growing social and economic challenges to young people and adults in communities mean the need for highly trained, passionate and creative professionals in the areas of youth and community work have never been greater. The University of Bolton’s MA in Community Development and Youth Studies is designed to prepare future leaders for this sector, ready for a career changing lives by challenging discrimination and oppression through informal social inclusion.

The aim of this course is to extend your already considerable professional skills and knowledge with specialist modules that deepen your understanding of areas such as equality and diversity, community learning, and global community development and sustainability. Our expert team will help you gain critical reflection, analysis and evaluation skills that support your ability to determine the impact of professional interventions on the community and young people.

Combining this knowledge with the principles and techniques of academic research and investigation will help develop your evidence-based practice, and grow your skills in evaluating options and formulating creative solutions to complex problems. Studying leadership and management styles, theories and frameworks will support you to become more actively involved in the planning, delivery and transformation of services and interventions.

Overall, our aim is to help you gain the professional and transferable skills to move forward in your career, empowering young people and adults in communities.

Highlights

• Our students are drawn from a wide variety of backgrounds – sharing the individual and unique educational insights and perspectives of your peers helps to enrich your learning experience.
• We promote research and critical enquiry helping you learn to make sound, evidence-based independent judgements.
• Our excellent links with over 70 partners and external agencies means we can offer a wide variety of perspectives and research opportunities; for instance, we work with youth and community centres, schools, alternative education projects, women's refuges and community projects, as well as housing, health, leisure and youth training schemes, resettlement projects, and detached, outreach and mentoring projects.
• On successful completion of this course you’ll be awarded an MA in Community Development and Youth Studies from the University of Bolton.

Key Features

• Face-to-face sessions and one-to-one support is offered by our team of highly experienced, enthusiastic and dedicated experts.
• Staff and students from across our Faculty of Health and Wellbeing work closely together. By studying alongside people from related specialisms and sectors, such as early years and health and social care you can benefit from a wider range of knowledge and experience that supports cross-disciplinary thinking and inter-professional working.
• Our academic team is actively involved in community and youth studies research, helping you to explore issues from a robust research-informed knowledge base.
• Specialists in the field of community development and youth work will be invited to join us as guest speakers and lecturers, offering you first-hand live examples of current practice.
• Our highly experienced team will support you as you develop critical thinking and research evaluation skills and apply these during your independent master’s-level project.

Textiles and surface design is a fast-moving global industry encompassing a wide range of commercial contexts – from fashion fabrics and accessories, through stationery products and packaging, to interior fabrics and wall coverings, as well as contemporary gallery/design led pieces. Our creative and challenging degree is taught by a dedicated and passionate team with extensive professional experience of researching, designing, creating, selling and exhibiting textile/surface design work. We understand the skills and knowledge you’ll need to succeed as a professional designer.

Our intensely practical approach aims to help you gain a broad portfolio of traditional and digital design skills. You’ll have space to experiment with different approaches, materials and techniques, and we’ll support and encourage you to ‘cross the boundaries’ of textile disciplines and develop your own innovative approaches to designing and making. Historical and contextual studies help to underpin your practical knowledge and provide sources of inspiration.

Our professional design studios are equipped with work spaces, and high-specification facilities for embroidery, digital printing, non-woven textiles, garment manufacture, felt making, printed and dyed textiles, and computer aided design are available.

We’ll also support you to develop commercial awareness and entrepreneurial skills, including how to market, exhibit, work with design studios and set up in business, ready for success in this often freelance career.

Highlights

• Our Art courses are placed in the top ten in the UK for student-to-staff ratio by the Guardian University League Tables 2020, so you have access to individual tutor support and small group teaching.
• We’ll encourage you to enter national and international competitions, and are proud that many of our students have gained prestigious awards through the Bradford Textile Society, Première Vision Paris, New Designers Awards, Embroiderers Guild and the Society of Dyers and Colourists.
• In 2016, second year student Kera Allen won top award at the highly esteemed Surtex Designext Awards in New York.
• We offer numerous opportunities to visit national and international trade fairs. In recent years we’ve organised study trips to Surtex New York, Indigo Paris, The British Craft Trade Fair and New Designers in London.
• Our dedicated and specialist tutors have industry connections and extensive experience in researching, making, exhibiting and selling textiles, surface and design work, and are engaged in PhD research that feeds into the content of the programme.
• You’ll be introduced to the varied working practices of studio designers in industry, contemporary textile artists and designer-makers and explore the range of materials and products textile and surface designers use and create – everything from fashion and interior fabrics, through wallcoverings, gift wrap, stationery, and cards, to ceramic tableware.
• You’ll benefit from the opportunity to work on a major personal project and present it to the public as part of the Bolton School of the Arts final-year Creative Show.

Key Features

• Bolton has an impressive history of textile manufacturing and engineering spanning over 650 years, so you’ll be studying at a historic home of textile innovation in the UK. The University of Bolton maintains this tradition and is a leading centre of textile and materials research of global importance.
• Facilities on campus include design studios, computer suites, a printed textile workshop, digital textile printing, embroidery and textile workshops, and paper print facilities. We offer industry-standard software and access to the latest global trend prediction sites. You’ll also have access to our wider arts and design facilities, including photographic studios, fine print and ceramic workshops.
• Our long-standing reputation in the teaching and development of textile subjects means we can attract outstanding visiting speakers from across the commercial design and craft-led sectors. Recent speakers include Concetta Gallo MA Royal College of Art (RCA) designer for Habitat, Leigh Cooke designer for Salvatore Ferragamo and Hermes Paris, and Alison Willoughby MA RCA.
• Our close proximity to Manchester, and links with the North West Craft Network and major galleries, workshops and associations in the region, mean you’ll be well-placed to take advantage of work placement opportunities.
• We regularly set-up industry-relevant live projects with external organisations and companies in our practical modules. These are designed to give you experience of working to industry standards, help you learn the realities of working to design briefs, and offer insights into current design practice.
• We pride ourselves on the small group learning and one-to-one support we offer. You can expect to receive individual attention and guidance from our expert tutors, as well as online support through the University’s eLearning system Moodle.

Games are serious business. The industry needs professionals with in-depth technical games knowledge and creative vision combined with business know-how and marketing expertise. The University of Bolton’s MA in Games Development offers you the chance to grow your skills and confidence in all these areas, gaining experience as a developer, and graduating with at least one credit on a published game to your name.

Designed around team-based development projects, the course involves you working with other students to form and run ‘indie’ style teams. Our highly-experienced games team will support and encourage you as you learn to plan, design, develop and publish games.

We will work to further extend your already substantial understanding of game development concepts and production methods, helping you master an arsenal of advanced tools and techniques to create compelling and inventive experiences.

Alongside these games-specific skills, we offer commercial and business knowledge for the creative sector; for instance, business planning, client negotiation, pitching for projects, responding to project briefs, intellectual property licencing and marketing campaign planning. Our academic team will provide critical support while helping you hone your project management and other transferable skills, ready to progress your career in the industry.

Highlights

• You will have opportunities to create and publish games for a variety of platforms including mobile, desktop, VR and console, building an impressive portfolio as you gain experience creating and running an indie studio.
• All the games staff at Bolton have worked on published games and most have experience working at or with publishers and developers – collectively, we have over seventy game credits on published titles.
• We offer focused teaching based on the latest research and industry trends and you will be encouraged to apply your new knowledge immediately in your projects.
• Our projects are flexible and designed to offer appropriate challenges based on you and your development team mates’ skills, competencies and interests.
• Industry experts from the leading games studios in the UK, along with Bolton graduates now successful in the sector, are regularly invited to give guest lectures on aspects of games development.

Key Features

• University of Bolton games graduates have been enjoying careers in the games industry for longer than most – we were one of the first UK universities to offer games courses and we now offer specialisms in Games Design, Games Art and Games Programming.
• We share your passion for games. Our dedicated games tutors offer a vast range of industry experience, a wide network of contacts in the games industry, and knowledge of the latest games research and developments.
• This course offers intensive practical experience in an environment designed to emulate conditions in the industry – you will be expected to spend approximately 30 hours per week in our development studio.
• Our well-equipped, dedicated games studios feature high-specification hardware and industry-standard software, along with modern and vintage consoles.

Interested in a career that combines technical skill, the ability to care for people and a level of artistry? Dental technicians (or dental technologists as they are often referred to) make dentures, crowns, bridges and dental braces that improve patients’ appearance, speech and chewing function. The University of Bolton is home to state-of-the-art facilities and knowledgeable, professional staff committed to delivering a varied curriculum of theoretical, practical and transferable material. Studying subjects within the fundamental areas of oral anatomy and physiology, you’ll have the opportunity to get hands-on with the latest equipment in our specialised laboratories and learn the biomechanics and biomaterials science behind dental appliance design.

We’re dedicated to coaching the next generation of dental technicians in the knowledge and competency required to compete and exceed in this sought-after profession. Strongly employer informed and designed to meet the learning outcomes required by the General Dental Council, this course aims to provide students with a thorough overview of the key regulatory, legal and ethical topics relevant to the industry today, as well as the essential theory of dental technology and biomedical science.

Highlights

• As a dental technology undergraduate, you’ll have access to the latest specialist equipment in our advanced laboratories and have the chance to participate in regular hands-on sessions to help develop your practical capabilities.
• You’ll have the opportunity to apply your skills to live patient cases via work-based learning modules.
• The course has strong employer links, reinforced by industrial dental laboratory work placements. Every student is assigned a work-based mentor, supported by a work placement officer from the dental academic team.
• On successful completion of this course you will be awarded a BSc (Hons) in Dental Technology.

Key Features

• Practical projects are assessed in the three key disciplines of fixed prosthodontics, removable prosthodontics and orthodontics. You’ll have the opportunity to further demonstrate your skills by completing a specialist dental technology module.
• In preparation for your dissertation, you’ll focus on study skills and research methodologies over two modules.
• Opportunities for progression after completing the include BSc (Hons) course include dental technology MSc and PhD programmes.

Professional recognition

• This programme was new for 2016 and has been provisionally accepted to commence delivery by the General Dental Council (GDC) following initial quality assurance processes. The GDC inspected the University provision in the academic year 2018/19 and have reported to the Registrar that the programme is fit for purpose to develop individuals for professional registration as dental technicians.

The global games industry continues to grow. Worth over $137 billion in 2018, this value is predicted to rise to over $180 billion by the end of 2021*. Games offers lucrative careers at the cutting-edge of technology and talented games programmers are always in demand in the UK, Europe and the USA.

Offering a broad education in games programming, design, development and technology, our Games Programming degree emphasises the technical aspects of game production. We aim for you to become a skilled programmer and you’ll use C++, the principal programming language in the games industry, at each stage of the course. We assume no prior knowledge of programming but a good knowledge of mathematics, especially algebra, will help you succeed on the course. We’ll guide and support you throughout your studies to help you master object orientated programming and design techniques and learn about advanced programming data structures and algorithms for game development.

Games and interactive applications are becoming more cinematic in look and feel so we teach maths and physics in a very practical way to help you learn to create 2D and 3D environments where behaviour and movement looks realistic. You’ll also have opportunities to gain experience of multi-platform programming and artificial intelligence techniques used in the development of efficient and robust games.

Highlights

• University of Bolton games graduates have been enjoying careers in the games industry for longer than most – we were one of the first UK universities to offer games courses.
• We’ll help and support you to develop a portfolio of work that demonstrates your skills in readiness to impress potential employers.
• Team working skills are essential so you’ll have opportunities to work with students from our Games Design and Games Art courses on projects that mimic the multi-disciplinary teams found in the industry.
• Our Game Jams are great opportunities to build your social network and practice your programming and problem solving skills.
• We collaborate with games development companies on beta testing, offering you the chance to test upcoming games before they go to market. Previously, students have even got their names mentioned in game credits.
• Industry experts from the leading games studios in the UK, along with Bolton graduates now successful in the sector, are regularly invited to give guest lectures on aspects of games development.

Key Features

• Teaching staff on the games courses have a vast range of industry experience and an extensive network of contacts in the games industry.
• The course covers both 2D and 3D game environments and game engines for traditional gaming (PC and console), mobile gaming (cloud, social and casual) and virtual reality gaming, along with game play analysis and hardware specification.
• We organise studio visits and field trips to games development companies, and will encourage and support you to undertake work experience and industrial placements.
• We design the course assignments and projects so that they mimic industry pipelines and standards to give you a real feel for a career in the games sector.
• Our dedicated games labs feature high-specification hardware and industry-standard software.

Our BA (Hons) Community Development and Youth Work degree offers dual accreditation from two nationally-recognised professional bodies. Recognised by the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) and endorsed by the Endorsement Standards Board for Community Development (ESB) and National Youth Agency (NYA), it involves 800 hours of fieldwork practice. Work-based learning through fieldwork placements, and academic studies that support the development of knowledge and skills for practice, are central to this course.

The core values of community development and youth work are at the heart of this degree. Our passionate and knowledgeable staff will guide you to explore issues such as social education, social policy, community engagement, politics, globalisation, social justice, equality and diversity, social history, housing and homelessness. You'll also be supported to develop key transferable skills such as communication, self-awareness and time management.

Fieldwork placements or work-based learning could be in a number of distinct settings that work to improve the lives of people in communities and young people, preparing you to adapt to the changing environments in which you may be employed in future.

Highlights

• The University of Bolton’s BA (Hons) Community Development and Youth Work degree is the first in the North West to be professionally recognised by the Joint Negotiating Committee for Youth Work, as validated by the National Youth Agency (NYA) and the Endorsement and Quality Standards Board for Community Development (ESB).
• The course has been designed in consultation with employers, ensuring the relevance of the skills and knowledge gained by graduates.
• Extensive work placements mean you can amass hundreds of hours of practical and professional community development and youth work experience.
• Our excellent links with over 70 partners and external agencies means we can offer a wide variety of placements; for instance, in youth and community centres, schools, alternative education projects, women's refuges and community projects, or housing, health, leisure and youth training schemes, resettlement projects, and detached, outreach and mentoring projects.
• You have the chance to graduate with a wide range of practical and transferable skills that apply in all kinds of social, professional and academic areas.

Key Features

• Our programme gives you the chance to enjoy extensive practice-based experience at each level of your studies.
• You’ll have access to excellent academic and pastoral support from teaching staff who are also experienced professionals in community development and youth work.
• Throughout the course, we’ll support and encourage you as you develop your understanding and articulation of the key theories of personal and social change affecting young people and communities today.
• Specialists in the field of community development and youth work join us as guest speakers and lecturers throughout the course.
• If by the end of semester 1 you decide that you don’t want the professional endorsements, or your circumstances change, you can transfer to our parallel course – the BA (Hons) Community Development and Youth Studies.

Professional recognition

• The University of Bolton’s BA (Hons) Community Development and Youth Work (Endorsed Route) is professionally recognised by the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) for Youth Work (as validated by the National Youth Agency (NYA)) and the Endorsement and Quality Standards Board for Community Development (ESB).
• Successful achievement of the BA (Hons) Community Development and Youth Work (Endorsed Route) confers professionally qualified status for youth workers in England.