Community Development and Leadership
UCAS Code: L800
Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
Typical offer BBC (112 UCAS points) in three or more A levels.
Access to HE Diploma
Access to Higher Education Diploma in a relevant subject is acceptable for entry. QAA accredited course required.
GCSE/National 4/National 5
English Language and Mathematics GCSEs at grade C (grade 4 from 2017) or above (or equivalent).
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
A minimum of 15 points at the higher level and a minimum of 4 points in English and Maths at standard level.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Scottish Higher
A minimum of 114 UCAS points to include four passes (grade C) at higher level in a related subject.
UCAS Tariff
About this course
This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.
**Why study this course?**
Our Community Development and Leadership BSc (Hons) degree focuses on social concerns affecting communities and individuals. This undergraduate degree also holds two validations from professional bodies, the Endorsement and Quality Standards Board for Community Development Learning and the Chartered Institute of Housing.
In the most recent Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey, 94% of all 2017 graduates from this course were in work or further study within six months.
**More about this course**
Our Community Development and Leadership BSc course combines the disciplines of social policy and sociology to provide a comprehensive view into issues that affect communities and look at how we can prevent them. It’s linked to degrees in social work and youth studies to offer a wide range of learning experiences and job opportunities.
This course is perfect preparation if you’re interested in working with diverse communities, including Black, Asian and ethnic minority groups, LGBT+, transnational communities, as well as vulnerable groups, such as homeless people, people with disabilities, refugees and asylum seekers. Your lectures will concentrate on the most pressing issues in these communities. They will investigate principles of community work and equip you with the skills and competencies you need to practise in the community. You’ll focus on the prevention of social problems in-line with the government’s current community integration strategy, examining the opportunities and challenges associated with regenerating communities.
You’ll also look at how differences in culture and identity affect the opportunities of individuals, addressing the causes of inequality and investigating the challenges of living in a very diverse society. We work closely with our local communities, including our work with refugees, asylum seekers, residents of Lewisham and other boroughs in London, so you’ll get to learn about issues that affect urban communities directly and think about how we can solve them.
The degree prioritises the development of important transferable and employability skills. You’ll have the opportunity to complete a mini placement in Year 2 and a longer one in Year 3. This will increase your chances of gaining employment on graduation. Our team will support you in finding and securing the right placement. We have extensive links with employers who offer work experience opportunities in community trusts, youth clubs, housing associations, charitable organisations and other non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
Employers from the sector will also provide guest lectures, which will give you the perfect opportunity to learn about the practical aspects of working in this field and also to find out what skills and experience employers are looking for. By the end of the course you’ll have the necessary experience and knowledge to become a leader in your chosen field.
Modules
Example Year 1 modules include:
Communicating with Different Client Groups (core, 30 credits)
Cultures, Identity and Difference (core, 30 credits)
Introduction to Leadership (core, 30 credits)
Principles of Community Work (core, 30 credits)
Principles of Community Work and Regeneration (core, 30 credits)
Social Problems and Social Issues (core, 30 credits)
Sociological Imagination (core, 30 credits)
Example Year 2 modules include:
Human Rights, Social Justice and Diversity (core, 30 credits)
Leadership and Organisations (core, 30 credits)
Researching Cultures and Communities (core, 30 credits)
Community, Culture and Change (option, 15 credits)
Decision Making and the Voluntary Sector (option, 15 credits)
Employability in the Community Sector (option, 15 credits)
Global Inequalities in the 21st Century (option, 30 credits)
Health Promotion and Policy (option, 30 credits)
Example Year 3 modules include:
Community Development and Leadership Dissertation (core, 30 credits)
Community Development and Leadership Work Placement (core, 30 credits)
Development and Social Enterprise (core, 30 credits)
Current Issues in Disability (option, 15 credits)
Employability and Management in Youth and Community Work (option, 30 credits)
Experiences of Later Life (option, 15 credits)
Homelessness and Housing Policy (option, 15 credits)
Housing Issues and Housing Solutions (option, 15 credits)
Human Rights and Conflict (option, 15 credits)
Understanding Mental Health (option, 15 credits)
Assessment methods
You'll be assessed through essays, individual and group projects and a final dissertation. The emphasis will be to combine your academic work with reflection upon real-life experience. There are no examinations.
Tuition fees
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The Uni
Holloway
Social Work

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See your living costsWhat students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Social work
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Social work
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
What do graduate employment figures really tell you?We're short of social workers - so if you want a degree that is in demand, then this could be the one for you! There's a shortage of social workers all over the UK, and graduates can specialise in specific fields such as mental health or children's social work. If you decide social work is not for you, then social work graduates also often go into management, education, youth and community work and even nursing. Starting salaries for this degree can reflect the high proportion of graduates who choose a social work career - social work graduates get paid, on average, more than graduates overall, but not all options pay as well as social work. This is also an unusual subject in that London isn't one of the more common places to find jobs - so if you want to get a job near to your home or your university this might be worth thinking about.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Community work
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£15k
£23k
£19k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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