Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Young People, Family and Community

at University of Wolverhampton - Walsall Campus United Kingdom

National Student Survey 91% Student Satisfaction for BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies (2016)

If you have an interest in childhood this course will develop your skills and knowledge required for a range of careers working with children, their families and the services that support them. The course will draw on a range of disciplines such as history, psychology, education, sociology, welfare and social policy.

Whether you are new to this area or you have experience and you are looking for career development then this course will suit you. The course takes account of the ecology of children’s lives in studying the complexities of family life and of children’s development from conception onwards and the significance of childhood across cultures and societies.

The University of Wolverhampton is to be one of 3 universities to pilot the new Early Childhood Studies Degree network’s Graduate Practitioner Competencies. The new Graduate Practitioner Competencies are a proactive approach to shape the identity of the early childhood workforce and strengthen the professional practice aspect of the Early Childhood Studies degree. Graduate level practice creates a paradigm shift, making the distinction between level 3 and 6 practice explicit for students, practitioners and employers. The competencies have been developed by the ECSDN members in conjunction with students and employers. The competences are far reaching and reflect the wider national and internationally early childhood sector.  The graduate practitioner competencies are underpinned by the QAA Benchmarks. For students joining the Early Childhood Studies degree at the University of Wolverhampton there will be a choice of pathways:

• Early Childhood Studies with Placement (not assessed)
• Early Childhood studies with Assessed Practice (Level 3 full and relevant equivalent)
• Early Childhood Studies with Assessed Practice (Graduate Practitioner Competencies)

The BMus (Hons) Popular Music degree at the University of Wolverhampton prepares you for a career in the music industry. 

A popular music degree opens the door to a fulfilling and varied career that enables you to follow your interests and talents. Performing professionally as a solo artist, a member of a band or as a session player is a natural progression for many students. Careers as a songwriter, arranger, transcriber, programmer, instrumental teacher or musical director are other pathways you can pursue as a graduate. A sustained career in popular music however, will most often be a portfolio of these roles and a degree in popular music from the University of Wolverhampton will provide you with the range of skills you need for an established career in a field that you already love.

You will engage with a range of workshops, lectures and seminars that develop instrumental skills, performance and stagecraft, songwriting and music production. An experienced staff of performers, composers and producers will encourage and stimulate your interest and passion for popular music and will help sharpen your musical development over three years of study.

This exciting and applied course has been endorsed through the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences Undergraduate Endorsement Scheme (BUES), which awards endorsement to sport and exercise science degree courses that provide undergraduates with the opportunity to develop the knowledge and skills essential to enter into the profession. 

The course covers the physiological, biomechanical and psychological influences on human performance and health. You will examine how individuals respond and adapt to sport and exercise in a variety of settings, and learn how to design interventions to maximise performance and promote health for a range of people. This may include elite athletes or clinical populations such as those with obesity or cardiac rehabilitation patients.

You will also explore local, national and international public health and sport initiatives that aim to encourage a physically active population. This course is therefore ideal if you wish to work in applied settings such as professional sport, exercise referral schemes, community physical activity programmes and professional environments that promote active lifestyles and well-being.

This unique course been developed alongside industry partners and endorsed by the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA). It has been mapped against the Coach Professional Standard, meaning that you will be equipped with the competencies and skills needed to meet the requirements of potential employers. The course covers aspects of football coaching such as pedagogy, coaching science, and performance analysis in combination with opportunities to apply your knowledge in industry. Placement modules are a leading feature of the course allowing you to gain hands-on experience and mentoring in an applied setting. These settings include the option to work with our partner clubs such as Wolverhampton Wanderers, West Bromwich Albion, Walsall FC, AFC Telford and our University team, WLV Sport FC.

The BSc (Hons.) Football Coaching and Performance degree will give you the skills and experience to help gain employment in the football industry as a coach within an academy, performance, community or grassroots setting, as a football performance specialist. You will also be well prepared for a range of coaching and related roles within the wider sport and physical activity sector. 
The course has been designed through consultation with West Bromwich Albion, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Walsall FC, as well as The Football Association (FA) Coach Educators to identify the skills and qualities needed to work in the football industry. Our unique coaching course combines a football specific degree with the opportunity to apply your knowledge in industry through our excellent placements with our partner clubs, at home or abroad. 

You will study all disciplines of football coaching, covering modules in; pedagogy, coaching science, and performance analysis, all of which are taught both theoretically and in a range of practical contexts.

What happens on the course?

• Placement modules allow you to gain hand on experience and receive mentorship within professional environments, including opportunities with some of our key partners such as Wolverhampton Wanderers, Walsall FC, West Bromwich Albion and WLV Sport FC.
• The first two years of our football coaching degree will prepare you to complete the Football Association (FA) Level 1 and Level 2 qualifications (although completion of these qualifications will require additional tasks outside of the degree programme).
• This degree is delivered by academic staff who are Union of European Football Association (UEFA) qualified coaches, coach educators, and who have extensive applied knowledge and experience from grassroots to international level.
• Our employability modules enable you to explore careers in football coaching and engage in career development planning that prepares you for graduate-level employment in the football industry or elsewhere.
• Each year you will have opportunities to participate in career development activities and network with employers from sports businesses, sport development and performance sport.
• The course has been designed in line with The International Council for Coaching Excellence (ICCE) coaching degree standards. On completion of this course you should, therefore, have the knowledge and skills required to meet the sector standards for employment in certain specific roles, as well as a range of other related roles.
• You will have the opportunity to transfer to a sandwich placement year in a coaching or football related context, with a partner club or organisation. Our sandwich placement option allows you to take a full-year work placement, which can be undertaken abroad. A number of students in our department have been successful in securing places on these schemes in countries such as Spain, France, Canada and the US.

This full-time course is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills required to practice as a Paramedic. On successful completion of the course, graduates will be eligible to apply to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) for registration as a paramedic. The course offers education and training in the rewarding, challenging and diverse role of a paramedic, teaching the essential emergency and urgent care skills that are needed for safe care delivery.

The programme is delivered in partnership with the West Midlands Ambulance Service who will provide you with experiential learning in the out-of-hospital unscheduled care environment. You will also have opportunities to develop skills in simulation and experience placements in the wider NHS. This course will prepare you for key aspects of the paramedic role including public interaction, contributions to all aspect of community and out-of-hospital care, and working in demanding conditions and challenging environments.

This exciting Sport Business Management programme has been developed alongside industry partners and endorsed by the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA). The course has been mapped against the Professional Standards of a General Manager, meaning that you will be equipped with the competencies and skills needed to meet the requirements of potential employers.

The programme will provide opportunities to explore different strands of sport business management including marketing, strategy, policy, finance, economics, and sport event management. Studying these key areas will prepare you to enter a range of careers including sport development management, governing body management, insight and data management, facility management and business management.

This course aims to combine the intellectual exploration of acting and the practical development of skills. It will develop the actor as collaborator – able to exercise his/ her craft and to contribute to the creation of work.

The course will equip you to work with explorative companies such as Stan’s Café, Talking Birds, Knee High, Forced Entertainment as well as in more conventional performance environments such as repertory theatre, film and television. You will also be equipped to seek employment in applied drama contexts, directing, writing and arts marketing.

What happens on the course?

You will complete actor training in vocal and physical skills. In addition you will work on the skills that will make you a creative actor and collaborator.

You will have a unique opportunity to work on production modules during the degree which are taught full time and exclusively to other modules for a 3 week intensive period.

As part of your studies you will form companies to negotiate appropriate marketing strategies to promote your work to a public audience as well as prepare your audition portfolio, cv and showreel.  

You will develop your acting skills for the stage, screen and radio and apply a range of skills, techniques and new technologies to enable creative engagement with different performance/acting contexts.

You will develop your knowledge and understanding of forms, practices, traditions, texts, theories and histories of drama, performance and theatre in their cultural, historical and contemporary contexts

You will complete a substantial final year project in an area of your choice which will enhance your future employability.

The MA in Education is designed for teachers, lecturers and educational managers in primary, secondary and further and higher education, and for other professionals working in education, both in their early careers and with substantial experience in education. The course is concerned with the development of critical enquiry and reflection in the field of education, and the development of professional knowledge and expertise. This course also offers opportunity for those interested in research to progress onto doctoral study.

Ideal for  those working in education across a range of contexts, and for those wishing to study and research in education the MA Education is designed to provide an excellent opportunity to develop career  and employability skills. For those students with previous study at Level 7 such as PGCE, there is opportunity to build on your previous experience and qualifications. This course also allows you to customise your learning  experience through  flexible and varied assessment approaches. Our MA Education programme includes opportunity to develop your skills, knowledge and understandings and apply what you learn to your current or future role, responsibilities or career aspirations. As well as provide a high-quality learning experience in a collaborative and supportive environment.

Previous participants on the course have told us that the MA Education has developed  skills in flexibly thinking with the ability to underpin change with theory.

As a dance student at the University of Wolverhampton, you will develop your technical and performance skills, explore your creativity, and deepen you understanding of dance in a wider cultural context.  We offer one of the most varied dance degree courses in the UK and you will have unique opportunities to enrich and expand your experience in dance.

Reasons to study with us:

• You will have daily technique classes, training in contemporary, jazz, ballet, musical theatre, street, body conditioning and improvisation throughout the course
• All our staff are practitioners with international performance and research experience
• Our Performance Hub offers outstanding facilities with Harlequin floors and lighting rigs in the dance studios, a fully equipped theatre, recording studios, and a superb library
• We have excellent links with national and international dance organisations in nearby Birmingham and this will enhance your employability and experience in the current industry
• Our world-leading research in dance science informs our teaching and supports your health and well-being as a dancer

The course content includes dance technique and repertoire, choreography, film-making, dance science, dance history, cultural studies, dance education and workshop leadership, work placements, and research projects. You will have the following practical opportunities: performances in our theatres (Walsall and Wolverhampton), performing in local and national arts events, joining Le Loup Dance Company (our student company), front of house and backstage training, and participating in work placements of your choice.

National Student Survey 2018: We achieved an outstanding 100% for overall satisfaction for the course, and 100% for good teaching, 100% for academic support, and 100% for learning opportunities. These excellent results are well above the sector wide scores.

Can't decide which course you love the most? Why not look at our joint option... BA (Hons) Dance and Drama.