Course summary

This is a Connected Degree Portsmouth is the only University in the UK with the flexibility to choose when to do an optional paid placement or self-employed year. Either take a placement in your third year, or finish your studies first and complete a placement in your fourth year. You can decide if and when to take a placement after you've started your course. Overview Our experiences in childhood and adolescence can have a huge influence on the choices we make and how society sees us. On this Childhood and Youth Studies with Criminology degree, you'll explore the issues affecting children and young people aged 8–18, and the role of the criminal justice system and the causes of crime – as well as how these subject areas interconnect. Learning from academic researchers and staff with experience as practitioners in the field, you'll focus on young people’s development, learning and relationships, and delve into the complex policies, practices and societal pressures that impact them. You'll also have the chance to focus your childhood and youth studies on a particular specialism - education and teaching, community and youth/family provision, or leadership and enterprise. After the course, you'll graduate with the skills and knowledge for a rewarding career working with children and young people in a variety of settings, including youth intervention, youth justice and social work.

• Spend two-thirds of your time at the School of Education and Sociology, examining topics around child development, education, psychology, health and social work

• Spend your remaining time studying at the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, learning about crime, punishment and rehabilitation

• Practise real-world scenarios in our Family Assessment Room, where you'll examine how parents and children feel during family meetings, and explore your responsibilities as a practitioner

• Tailor your studies to your career goals and interests, and have the option to complete pre-entry qualifications for a career in probation work or community justice

• Enrich your learning and build relationships with potential employers by volunteering, studying abroad or doing a work placement alongside your studies

• Develop a set of key transferable life and career skills, including critical thinking, team working, empathy and problem solving

• youth work

• law enforcement and the police

• social work

• social justice

• children's rights

• social policy

• probation

• educational welfare

• health promotion

• teaching

• Portsmouth in the Community (PitC)

• KidsOut

• Victim Support