Community, Youth & Family Studies (Degree)

Course Overview

This distance learning course is a four-year, part-time course in Community, Youth and Family Studies. Students are awarded a University of Galway Diploma in Arts (Community, Youth and Family Studies) upon successful completion of the first two years of the course and a Bachelor of Arts in Community, Youth and Family Studies on completion of the four-year cycle. This course is designed to enable participants to further develop and enhance their understanding, knowledge and skills relevant to Family, Youth and Community work practice and policy in Ireland or abroad. The main focus of the Degree course will be on Community, Youth and Family studies, but will broadly incorporate community development, family support, adolescence, childcare, health, political and general socio-economic studies.

Mode of Study: Blended Learning

The classes will be delivered via blended learning including a series of monthly workshops on Fridays and/or Saturdays throughout the academic year September to May. The specific timetable for the academic year 2024/25 will be issued to all applicants in due course.

SUSI Funding - New for 2024/25*
This course is now eligible for funding under the SUSI grants scheme. You can find more information regarding the SUSI funding here.

Key Facts

Entry Requirements

Additional Requirements

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Course Outline

This course was developed in response to the continuing education needs of personnel working in community/voluntary and state sectors actively supporting Community, Youth and Family life in a rapidly changing society. It is an interdisciplinary programme drawing upon selected components of Sociology, Politics, Community Development, Family Studies and Law. It is a broad educational course which places specific emphasis on knowledge and skills for personnel working within a broad range of sectors which seek to support and enable families and communities to function effectively within society.

This course is designed specifically to create accessible, student centred learning opportunities within the Social Sciences. Core open learning materials, developed by University of Galway practitioners and experts in the field of Community, Youth and Family support, will be provided to students at the start of the programme. The cost of learning materials and the tuition is included in the course fee. Each course consists of a combination of learning materials, workshops and assignments.  

A University of Galway Diploma in Arts (Community, Youth and Family Studies) is awarded on attaining 90 credits and a Bachelor of Arts in Community, Youth and Family Studies degree on attaining 180 credits. 

The BA course is devised on a modular, credit basis. Each module carries a specific number of credits. The maximum number of credits that a student can attain each year is 45 credits.   

Year 1 Modules

• SP1105 Introduction to Learning (5 ECTS)
  This module concentrates on improving the abilities of undergraduate students to develop their academic, transferable, generic and employment-related skills, and on preparing them to plan, prepare, edit and present written and oral work. The module will challenge students to develop the following skills: academic writing, research techniques, critical thinking and oral presentation.
• SP127 Understanding Communities (10 ECTS)
  This module seeks to provide an understanding of the main themes and initiatives that characterise community development. The key principles of community development theory and their application to various types of community setting are explored. It also aims to provide participants with the practical skills and training necessary to enable them to work effectively with communities.
• SP147 Youth & Society (5 ECTS)
  This module focuses on the life-stage of young person’s popularly and universally referred to as youth. Youth are duly recognized as a group who hold potential for great prospects in their personal and public lives. This life-stage development differs for all youth. Race, class, religion, gender and disability are dominant factors impacting on their life chances, educational experiences, vocational choices and potential. The critical debates around the reciprocity of youth and society are, therefore, located within the constitution of the family and the contexts of community and society.
• SP1123 Group Work and Community Leadership (10 ECTS)
  This module examines the theory and practice of group work and community leadership. It considers group dynamics, communication in groups, effective group processes, conflict management and practical facilitation skills. It also outlines theories on leadership and how community leadership can be developed and supported.
• SP1113 Social Research Skills (5 ECTS)
  This module comprises of an introductory under-graduate course on the theory and practice of social research. Research is essentially about collecting information in a methodical way in order to answer a question or test out a theory. The module focuses on how social research can play a vital role in community, youth and family work.
• SP124 Introduction to Sociology (5 ECTS)
  This module introduces students to a wide-ranging and thought – provoking discipline. Sociology is the study of human social life, groups and societies. A key sociological idea is that the lives of individuals cannot be understood apart from the social contexts in which they live.
• SP1110 Introduction to Family and Society (5 ECTS)
  This module is concerned with the nature of family and its interrelationship with wider society. It looks at how family is defined, the diversity of family forms and the role of family in society. A particular emphasis is placed on the nature of family change in Ireland and the western world. Throughout the module, you will see that family does not exist in isolation from wider systems, culture and ideologies and that these influences continually shape and re-configure people’s experiences and understanding of family and family life.

Further Education

Graduates of this degree will be eligible to apply for a range of postgraduate courses on offer at University of Galway. These include, for example, the MA in Social Work, MA in Family Support Studies and MA in Gender, Globalisation and Rights. There is also a new MA course being launched in 2021, the MA in Child, Youth and Community. This innovative one year full-time/two-year part-time blended learning MA is directly relevant to BA graduates and will enable students to be proficient in programme planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation methodologies in the context of child, youth and community services.

Why Choose This Course?

Career Opportunities

Who’s Suited to This Course

Learning Outcomes

Transferable Skills Employers Value

Work Placement

Study Abroad

Related Student Organisations

Course Fees

Fees: EU

Fees: Tuition

Fees: Student levy

Fees: Non EU

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