Community Education at University of the West of Scotland - UCAS

Course summary

OVERVIEW Discover what it means to become a professionally qualified community educator with UWS’s BA (Hons) community education degree. This programme is perfect for anyone interested in working with young people, adults and communities, to engage in learning about how to live the best life possible and to challenge discrimination and all forms of injustice.Teaching, learning and assessment are underpinned by theories and practices relating to youth and community work, equality and social justice, wellbeing and community empowerment. PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS • This programme is designed for those already involved or interested in working with people in communities to promote learning for life and social change. • 40% of learning is achieved in practice based placements that provide experiential learning in community education settings. • This programme is approved by the Community Learning and Development Standards Council for Scotland and is recognised as a lead practitioner qualification. CAREERS As a BA (Hons) Community Education graduate, you’ll find employment opportunities in urban, rural and international locations. As a practitioner or manager within youth work, adulteducation and community development you will find interesting jobs in the community, voluntary and statutory sectors. Graduates from this programme have gone on to work in: • Community and school-based youth work • Lifelong and family learning • Literacy work and TESOL • Faith-based and rural work • Employability • Community development and capacity building • Issue-based practice such as climate change and health/ wellbeing • Charitable trusts • FE Colleges and Higher Education • Campaigning for human rights, equality and social justice

Modules

Year one You will be introduced to key theories in education, sociology and psychology. You are also introduced to the CLD competences as a foundation for Personal and Professional Development Planning (PDP).You will develop an understanding of social theory in relation to power and community contexts and will be introduced to critical pedagogy. You will explore ideas that can be used to enhance competence in group work and communication skills. Academic practice is embedded in all modules and students will learn one language and also take a practice learning module that is focused on building and maintaining relationships. Year two You will research the core domains of practice and strategies for participation and inclusion at local and international levels. You will examine and consider how these can be applied in a range of contexts. You will also undertake a practice learning module focusing on project and community leadership. Year three You will continue your studies of critical pedagogy and its purpose in creating emancipatory practice for equality and social justice. You will develop an understanding of the tensions in managing people and resources and will learn about practice-based research. In trimester two, you will further develop your CLD competences by completing a capstone project within a practice learning placement.Completion of the capstone project will involve developing and evaluating a specific piece of practice. You will evaluate your capstone project and present an artefact (such as a film, training pack or weblog) that can be used to show how the capstone project impacted on (a) your development of competences and (b) the CEd/CLD context of the practice project. Year four In the final year, you will develop your emerging professional identity further by studying the implications of social policy on CLD practice. Alongside Childhood Studies, you will develop more nuanced and critical understanding of inter-professional practices. You will also carry out a research dissertation through professional enquiry linked to practice learning.Learn a Language (optional) This course also gives you the option of taking a language module, which can count towards your degree. These modules cover multiple languages and range from absolute beginner to near-native speaker level.

Assessment method

Our learning and teaching approaches model CLD values and practices by applying an ethical and emancipatory purpose to a range of contemporary, historical and theoretical perspectives and teaching methods. Our use of alternative, visual and participatory methods engages students in the kind of informal and critical practices that students will use to engage learners in their own practice situations. Over 50% of our assessments involve practical or practice based tasks (40% of learning is achieved in practice-based placements that provide experiential learning in community education settings) and there are no formal exams in this degree.

Qualified teacher status (QTS)

To work as a teacher at a state school in England or Wales, you will need to achieve qualified teacher status (QTS). This is offered on this course for the following level:

  • Course does not award QTS

How to apply

Application codes

Course code:
L540
Institution code:
U40
Campus name:
Lanarkshire Campus
Campus code:
I

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1
  • Year 2
  • Year 3

Entry requirements for advanced entry (i.e. into Year 2 and beyond)

Year 2 Entry: Scottish Advanced Highers: BCC A Levels: BBB SQA HNC/BTEC Level 4 HNC: Working in/with Communities; Social Care; Sport in Communities; Community Arts; Additional Support Needs; Social Sciences; Childhood Practice; Social Services with B in Graded Unit

International applicants

ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS: For applicants whose first language is not English, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level. These are shown below.

Entry requirements

Standard Qualification Requirements

Entry to Year 1 with SWAP (BBB) in Access to Humanities. Applicants who do not have formal qualifications but who have a minimum of two years, full-time experience, may be eligible to make a claim for Recognition of Previous Learning. Anyone thinking of this should contact the Programme Leader to discuss.

Minimum Qualification Requirements

Additional entry requirements

Criminal records declaration (DBS/Disclosure Scotland)

Interview


English language requirements

TestGradeAdditional details
IELTS (Academic)6IELTS 6.0 with 5.5 minimum in each skill / component.
Cambridge English Advanced176 overall with no sub-test less than 169
Cambridge English Proficiency176 overall with no sub-test less than 169
Trinity ISEPassISEII with the minimum of a Pass in all sub-tests
PTE Academic54An overall score of 54 with no element below 51
TOEFL (iBT)78no sub-test less than: Reading: 17; Listening: 17; Speaking: 17; Writing: 17

For applicants whose first language is not English, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level. The reason for this is that it’s essential that you are able to read, speak and understand the English language to get the most out of your time at UWS. All international applicants are required to meet minimum English language standards, with the exception of: // Native speakers of English // Erasmus students (unless advised otherwise) // non-Erasmus students from EU partner institutions (your institution must provide confirmation of your English language ability in the absence of a formal qualification) The qualifications above must have been gained within two years prior to the start of your course at UWS.

UWS's English language requirements

https://www.uws.ac.uk/international/english-language-requirements/


Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students
70%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
85%
Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

Scotland £1820* Year 1
England £9250* Year 1
Northern Ireland £9250* Year 1
Wales £9250* Year 1
Channel Islands £9250* Year 1
Republic of Ireland £9250* Year 1
EU £15500* Year 1
International £15500* Year 1

*This is a provisional fee and subject to change.

Additional fee information

TUITION FEE INFORMATION - SCOTTISH STUDENTS: Eligible Scottish domiciled students can usually apply to have their tuition fees paid for them each year of their studies by the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS). If you're not sure about your eligibility, you should contact SAAS. You need to apply to SAAS each year of study to have your tuition fees paid directly to UWS. TUITION FEE INFORMATION - UK, IRISH & GIBRALTARIAN STUDENTS: Eligible students who are domiciled in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland as well as from the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, Gibraltar or the Republic of Ireland will qualify for tuition fees of £9,250 per academic session of study to a maximum of three years if you are studying on a four year bachelor degree course (eg. BAcc (Hons) / BA (Hons) / BEng (Hons) / BSc (Hons)). So, if your degree is four years' duration, you will only be charged tuition fees for three years. Similarly, if you are studying a five year integrated master's degree course (eg. MEng (Hons)) the you will only be charged tuition fees for four years. TUITION FEE INFORMATION - INTERNATIONAL (NON-EU) & EU STUDENTS: These tuition fees apply to all non-EU, EEA, and all other EU students (excluding those from Republic of Ireland and Gibraltar, whose fee level is as per UK (non-Scottish) students - see section above for more details). ADDITIONAL COSTS: The cost of attending university is an investment in your future career. In addition to tuition fees and living expenses, some courses involve extra costs such as consumable study materials, field trips, equipment and uniforms. You may also want to purchase some core texts and technology such as a new laptop etc. Some of these additional costs are optional, some, such as uniforms or safety equipment may be mandatory. Check the course entry on our website for more more information.

Sponsorship information

Visit www.uws.ac.uk/scholarships

Community Education at University of the West of Scotland - UCAS