BSc (Hons) Childhood Development
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What influences development and why do children behave the way they do? On this Childhood Development degree, you’ll explore key issues in children’s development, learning and behaviour, from a range of perspectives.
You’ll learn about cognitive, biological, social, and emotional development throughout childhood and adolescence. You’ll recognise the complex influences that shape the lives of children and adolescents, including how play affects children’s development and motivation.
A key element of the Childhood Development course is the opportunity to gain a short period of hands-on experience working with children and adolescents in a range of settings, including schools, child and family welfare charities, and youth justice.
You’ll be offered clinical experience on campus and will have the opportunity to undertake short courses and work placements, as well as completing additional qualifications such as Safeguarding Children (Level 1).
The Childhood Development course offers students the unique opportunity to explore the psychological factors that influence development from birth to late adolescence. It addresses current psychological understandings of both childhood and adolescence and how these help to explain both typical and atypical development across this early but crucial part of the lifespan. The Childhood Development degree will also include an exploration of current key legislation and policy that influences and shapes practices when working with children and adolescents, e.g. Safeguarding Legislation. Students on this course will both explore how professionals work with children and young people and critically review the role of psychological development in the development of such practices.
You can also undertake a sandwich year placement, which provides you with the opportunity to spend a year working in a professional setting between the second and third year of your degree. This provides you with a fantastic opportunity to develop your employability skills while engaging with the community and building on the knowledge and experience of your degree.
Year One: Childhood Development Degree
- Historical and Conceptual Issues of Childhood and Adolescence
- Working Therapeutically with Children and Young People
- The Development of Children and Young People
Year Two: Childhood Development Degree
- Researching Children and Young People
- Professional Practice and Employability (requires satisfactory DBS check)
- Therapeutic Interventions with Children and Young People
- Children and Young People: Policy and Contemporary Practices
- Critical Perspectives of Childhood and Adolescent Development
Year Three: Childhood Development Degree
- Independent practical project
- Critical reflections on child and adolescent psychopathology
- Development in childhood and adolescence
Plus two options from the list below:
- The Psychology of Education and Work
- Health Psychology Across the Lifespan
- Practical Skills in Behaviour Analysis
Foundation Year
The BSc (Hons) Childhood Development is also available as a four year course including an integrated Foundation Year in Social Sciences, and is designed for students who do not currently meet admissions criteria for direct entry onto the degree. You will start by completing a foundation year, which provides well-structured support, allowing you to develop your skills and knowledge before continuing onto the three year degree programme.
Teaching
The BSc (Hons) Childhood Development degree is delivered through lectures, seminars, workshops, individual / small group supervision and independent study. You will also have the opportunity to attend guest lectures given by academic staff from other institutions and professionals who work in different areas of practice.
You will complete a range of different class activities including group discussions, debates, case studies and in-class projects. You will experience a great range of delivery and assessment methods.
Our academic staff are involved in research, so you’ll be taught by staff at the forefront of their specialist fields.
Assessment
You will complete a range of assessments including essays, practical reports, oral presentations, story bags and case studies. These will also be some examination assessments (seen and unseen) and in-class tests.
Placements
Practical work placements are a compulsory part of our Childhood Development course, plus there are internship opportunities available in all years of study.
Psychology Plus aims to enhance your skills and give you an advantage in the graduate jobs market or applications for further study. You’ll have the opportunity to gain clinical experience in our on campus clinic, and complete specialist short courses, professional certificates and work placements – altogether a great boost to your CV.
Our Behaviour Analysis Clinic specialises in treating the behavioural challenges associated with a wide range of disorders, including autism, learning disabilities, ADHD, and conduct disorder.
Facilities
We have purpose-built psychology laboratories where you can develop your practical psychology skills.
A range of tools are available,including eye-tracking equipment and electroencephalography (EEG) machines. There are also interview and observation rooms that you can use to conduct experiments and tests.
The University was the first institution in the UK to offer a wide range of psychological services to the public. Our Behaviour Analysis Clinic specialises in treating the behavioural challenges associated with a wide range of disorders, including autism, learning disabilities, ADHD, and conduct disorder.
Lecturers
- Victoria Markham - course leader
- Dr Klara Sabolova
- Dr Aimee Giles
- Dr Alexis Jones
- Dr Biao Zeng
- Dr Gareth Miles
- Hayley Gibbon
- Dr Shakiela Davies
- Susan Williamson
- Gabrielle Hale
- Sarah-Anne Evans
We regularly revalidate courses for quality assurance and enhancement
At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.
If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.
The entry criteria below reflect our standard entry requirements for the course for September 2023. However, all applications received by the University are reviewed holistically and individually. Entry criteria for September 2024 is changing and will be published on ucas.com from 8th May 2023. Entry criteria for September 2024 will be updated on our website from the end of October 2023.
Contextual offers
We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions. USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university. Here is a link to our Contextual Admissions Policy.
Other qualifications and experience
We can also consider combinations of qualifications and other qualifications not listed here may also be acceptable. We can sometimes consider credits achieved at other universities and your work/life experience through an assessment of prior learning. This may be for year one entry, or advanced entry to year two or three of a course where this is possible.
To find out which qualifications have tariff points, please refer to the UCAS tariff calculator.
If you need more help or information or would like to speak to our friendly admissions team, please contact us here
Additional Requirements
A satisfactory Enhanced Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check may be required depending on your placement.
Typical A-Level Offer
BCC - CDD to exclude General Studies (this is equivalent to 104-80 UCAS tariff points).
Typical Welsh BACC Offer
Pass the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Diploma with Grade C/D in the Skills Challenge Certificate and BC - CD at A Level to exclude General Studies (this is equivalent to 104-80 UCAS tariff points).
Typical BTEC Offer
BTEC Extended Diploma Distinction Merit Merit - Merit Merit Pass (this is equivalent to 112-80 UCAS tariff points).
Typical Access to HE Offer
Pass the Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 80 UCAS tariff points
Additional Requirements
GCSEs: The University normally requires a minimum 5 GCSEs including Mathematics/Numeracy and English at Grade C or Grade 4 or above, or their equivalent, but consideration is given to individual circumstances
International Entry Requirements
We also welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications. Please visit the country specific pages on our international website for exact details.
English Requirements
In general, international applicants will need to have achieved an overall IELTS grade of 6.0 with a minimum score of 5.5 in each component.
However, if you have previously studied through the medium of English IELTS might not be required, but please visit the country specific page on our international website for exact details. If your country is not featured please contact us.
Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee will remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course.
August 2023 - July 2024 Fees
Full-time UK: £9000
Full-time International: £14400
August 2024 - July 2025 Fees
Full-time UK: TBC
Full-time International: £15260
Student Perks
At the University of South Wales, you’re investing in so much more than a degree. We strive to provide our students with the best possible experience, no matter what you chose to study. Whether it’s access to top of the range mac books and PCs, state-of-the-art facilities packed with industry-leading equipment and software, masterclasses and events led by industry experts, or a wide range of clubs and societies to meet likeminded people, better tomorrows start with extra perks.
Each course also has their own unique student benefits to prepare you for the real word, and details of these can be found on our course pages. From global field trips, integrated work experience and free course-related resources, to funded initiatives, projects working with real employers, and opportunities for extra qualifications and accreditations - at USW your future, is future-proofed.
Click here to learn more about student perks at USW.
Additional Costs
As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.
* Obligatory
| Item | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| DBS | £55.42 | A DBS will only be required if a specific placement or dissertation project working with children or vulnerable groups is required. This fee includes £40 for the enhanced DBS certificate, the Post Office Administration fee and the online administration fee. |
| DBS Updating Service | £13 | Whilst optional it is strongly recommended signing up for this service especially if you are likely to have placements each year and wish to pursue a career post University where a DBS check is a requirement. Please note the service has to be joined within 30 days of receipt of your enhanced DBS certificate. |
| Other: Placement Costs | £0 - £500 | All years of study. Cost is dependent on location |
| Other: Making Resources | £50 | Years 2 and 3 |
Funding
Funding to help pay for (or cover) course tuition fees and living costs
Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).
To learn about course fees, funding options, and to see if you are eligible for financial support, visit our Fees and Funding pages.
UK students
Apply via UCAS if you are a UK residing applicant, applying for year one of a full-time undergraduate degree, Foundation Year, Foundation Degree or HND and you have not applied through UCAS before. If you are applying to study part-time, to top up your Foundation Degree or HND, or to transfer to USW from another institution, please apply directly.
International and EU students
Apply directly to the University if you live outside the UK.
In addition to gaining theoretical knowledge around key stages of the developing child and adolescent, the BSc (Hons) Childhood Development degree will also develop a range of practical skills and engage in placement based activities, which will give you both the knowledge and tools to work with children and young people in a variety of settings.
Your Childhood Development degree will open the door to a range of exciting career opportunities across many settings, including youth work, nurseries and early years settings, schools and charities / third sector organisations. There are a range of professional qualifications that this course will help prepare you for, such as Occupational Therapy, Social Work, Youth and Community Work and teaching qualifications.
Our Careers and Employability Service
As a USW Childhood Development student, you will have access to advice from the Careers and Employability Service throughout your studies and after you graduate.
This includes: one-to-one appointments from faculty based Career Advisers, in person, over the phone or even on Skype and through email via the "Ask a Question" service. We also have extensive online resources for help with considering your career options and presenting yourself well to employers. Resources include psychometric tests, career assessments, a CV builder, interview simulator and application help. Our employer database has over 2,000 registered employers targeting USW students, you can receive weekly email alerts for jobs.
Our Careers service has dedicated teams: A central work experience team to help you find relevant placements; an employability development team which includes an employability programme called Grad Edge; and an Enterprise team focused on new business ideas and entrepreneurship.
Graduate Stories
Student Stories
Highlight Stories
The Pontypridd Campus is made up of two sites: Treforest and Glyntaff. Our students love the community atmosphere, as well as living and studying in the same place. It’s quieter than the cities, with green open spaces and views across the valley.
It’s the community and friendships you’ll build that make this place special. Outside your studies you can experience our amazing sport facilities and Students’ Union.
Living in Halls is a great way to meet new people and make friends. We have high quality accommodation in Treforest, Cardiff and Newport.