Childhood Studies Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)

This BA Childhood Studies offers an interdisciplinary perspective on the key issues that are important for, and to, children and young people from around the world. During your studies you will develop knowledge and skills from a range of complementary disciplines, including language and linguistics, psychology and sociology, and will be well prepared for careers working directly with children and young people or informing the policies and practices that affect them. For example, you will develop valuable skills for careers in social work or social care, youth work, local, national or international policy-focused work (including in the voluntary sector e.g. NSPCC, Barnados, UNICEF, UNESCO), or in academia or teaching.

The programme centres the voices - and the rights - of children and young people and explores conceptualisations and experiences of childhood and youth, and how they differ across cultures and contexts. You will develop a critical understanding of ethical frameworks and protocols relating to safeguarding, data management and data protection that centre the protection of children's rights. You will develop your knowledge, understanding and skills through lectures and seminars led by experts in, for example, child language development, cognitive development, play, children’s literature, philosophy for children, working with children and families, social policy and children’s rights. From second year you will begin to specialise by choosing optional modules that reflect your developing interests and aims for the future. You will be exposed to cutting edge research and have opportunities to critically engage with some of the researchers who designed and conducted it and to explore, with them, what it means for children and young people.

The Department of Education at York is home to world-leading experts on childhood and youth, with specialist sociological, psychological and linguistic expertise that enables a cross-cultural and interdisciplinary exploration of the field. Our research has been rated as top in its field in the UK for impact in real-world settings, and fifth for overall quality. During your degree you will have opportunities to gain relevant work experience through initiatives such as York Students in the Community (YSIC) and York Students in Schools (YSIS). By building up a substantial body of expertise in what it means to be a child, and how children and young people are best nurtured by their immediate caregivers as well as wider society, along with a toolkit of skills for critical thinking, data analysis and communication, graduates of our BA Childhood Studies will be well placed to make a difference to the lives of children and young people in a wide variety of settings and situations.