This degree equips you with the skills to empower young people, amplify their voices, and make a difference in communities.
Alongside your degree, gain the nationally recognised professional Youth Work qualification (JNC) while undertaking professional practice in diverse settings, from youth justice to alternative education projects. Explore topics like youth and community justice, applied professional ethics, and participation and engagement, while linking theory to real-world experience.
With extensive support from experts and hands-on opportunities, this course prepares you for a rewarding career in youth and community work.
Joint 1st in the UK
for Value Added Score
The Guardian University Rankings, 2026
Learn hands on
with a work-based placement
Forest School
certification opportunity
Gain an extra qualification
in Youth Work1
About this course
Empower young people to find their voice and thrive with our Youth and Community Work degree. This professionally qualifying programme equips you with the nationally recognised Youth Work (JNC) qualification, preparing you to make a lasting impact in the lives of young people and communities.
You’ll explore key topics such as models, theories, and interventions in youth and community work, applied professional ethics, and youth and community justice, alongside the National Occupational Standards (NOS) for Youth Work. Through a blend of theory and practice, you’ll develop the skills to foster social inclusion, challenge inequalities, and support young people in shaping their futures and place in society.
With three professional placements in diverse settings - locally or abroad - you’ll gain invaluable real-world experience in statutory and voluntary projects, alternative education, youth justice, and more. Expert tutors will support you in identifying placements that contribute to your professional development, while qualified practitioners will mentor you throughout your journey. Students are also typically on campus just two days per week, allowing flexibility for work, and independent study.
At Hull, you’ll benefit from passionate teaching, innovative approaches, and extensive partnership networks that enhance your learning and career opportunities. From day one, you’ll connect theory to practice, building a strong foundation for a meaningful and rewarding career in youth and community work.
If you want to make a change in the world by facilitating young people to engage in activities and experiences that develop their voice, influence, and place in society, then youth and community work is for you.
Want to change lives? Start with yours.
Foundation year
A foundation year at the University of Hull gives you a solid grounding of knowledge and boosts your academic skills, so you can progress on to your chosen programme with confidence.
The foundation course you enrol on may not be an exact match to your chosen degree, but don’t worry. Our foundation courses combine content from multiple related courses in the same subject area, giving you more flexibility and choice about the degree path you take.
For example, if you apply for a Music Foundation Year, you’ll join our Media Foundation course. So, if you decide to switch - say, from Music to Graphic Design - you can do so without restarting your foundation year.
Module options
Each year, you’ll study modules worth a certain number of credits, and you need 120 credits per year. Most modules are 20 credits – so you’ll study six modules each year. Some longer modules, such as a dissertation, are worth more. In these cases, you’ll study fewer modules - but the number of credits will always add up to 120. Some modules are compulsory, some are optional, so you can build a course that’s right for you.
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Preparing for Learning in Higher Education
This module is designed to give you the best possible start to your university studies, making sure you have all the essential skills you need to succeed. Through lectures and workshops we will teach you how to write in an academic style, how to find quality sources, and how to reference work, culminating in writing up a mini-research project.
core
20 credits
Introduction to Education
This module sets the scene for the programme, starting with your own background and experience and exploring what education means, how it differs from schooling and key concepts and approaches. It will also help you to develop the academic skills necessary for your degree programme.
core
20 credits
Research in the Humanities, Social Sciences and Education
This module will equip you with the necessary skills to conduct and analyse research in a specific interest, supported by academics within your subject. You'll navigate through the research process, from identifying an area of interest to presenting findings to your peers.
core
20 credits
Group Challenge (Humanities)
Formulate and execute a group led enquiry into texts, cultural artefacts, film, music or dance. You'll explore their topics in groups at supervised workshops and develop questions on the cultural object relates to the living world of human experience, as well as developing your own methods to answer these questions.
compulsory
20 credits
Foundation in Data Analysis
Develop a strong foundation in data collection and analysis. This module will introduce you to qualitative and quantitative data and how to analyse it; the collection of primary and secondary data; the production of high-quality graphics; and report writing.
compulsory
20 credits
Academic Writing Skills
Developing confidence in expression, oral as well as written, is a key feature of this module, which aims to familiarise you with university submission and assessment procedures. This is a clear building block towards your degree programme and places you at a distinct advantage when you move into the following year.
compulsory
20 credits
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
This engaging module provides foundation knowledge and skills that will enable you to develop understanding and analysis of social inequalities and the nature of discrimination in contemporary society. There will be opportunities to explore key equality legislation and policy. The module will explore the ethical and political rationale for developing equitable, diverse, and inclusive practices as part of an agenda for social justice and social change.
compulsory
20 credits
Education, Power and Knowledge
This module offers you the opportunity to make a difference, through education, from the beginning of your studies. As agents of educational change, you will explore the issues you are passionate about, alongside fellow students and academics. You will examine how mainstream education has been shaped through agendas of power and how knowledge contributes to maintaining or disrupting current educational provision. This module then introduces you to alternate approaches to education, and to the direct action of educators and learners to do education differently. These approaches can act as drivers of social change to challenge poverty and inequity to enable education to create opportunities to develop flourishing communities at local, national and global contexts
compulsory
20 credits
Learning Across the Lifespan
This module aims to build your understanding of theories of human development and learning in different phases of the lifespan.
It prepares you to think of ways to support learning by introducing you to a range of theories which may complement or be in tension with one another.
In developing an understanding of this underlying theoretical knowledge, you will have an awareness of different interventions across a range of situations and contexts.
‘Thinking with’ theories will help you understand theories in a situational way, bearing in mind that theories can be combined in various ways.
compulsory
20 credits
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Watchlist
Dr Patricia Shaw
Course overview
2 mins
Rewilding Reading
Course Highlight
9 mins
Your course in their words
Student Story
2 mins
Featured academics
You'll benefit from the outstanding support of academic staff who are experienced education practitioners.
Our research is driven by the belief that education can challenge inequalities and injustices in society, and seeks social and educational change to enhance fairness, equity and social justice.
Julie Rippingale
Lecturer
Julie is a highly experienced lecturer and interdisciplinary specialist in youth and community development with extensive frontline practice and management experience.
Christine Smith
Lecturer
Christine Smith is passionate about the transformative potential of community and education in creating the conditions to produce greater social justice and in combating new formations of inequality.
Entry Requirements
What do I need?
When it comes to applying to university, you'll need a certain number of UCAS points. Different qualifications and grades are worth a different amount of points. For this course, you'll need 80 UCAS points.
For applicants with qualifications in subjects other than those key to the degree, we will usually require a minimum of 80 points from A levels, BTEC, or other equivalent qualifications.
We consider experience and qualifications from the UK and worldwide which may not exactly match the combinations above.
But it's not just about the grades - we'll look at your whole application. We want to know what makes you tick, and about your previous experience, so make sure that you complete your personal statement.
Have questions? Our admissions team will be happy to help.
Typical offer
80 UCAS points
A levels
CDD
BTEC
MMP
Fees & Funding
How much is it?
Tuition fees for 2027 entry have not been confirmed. Please use 2026-27 information as a guide.
For UK students, our standard course fee is £9,790 per year. Keep in mind that some courses are longer - for example, spending your third year abroad will make your degree four years in total.
If you choose to study a foundation year as part of your course, the fee is £9,790.
How do I pay for it?
You can take out a tuition fee loan to cover the full cost of your course. Once you’ve successfully applied for this, you don’t need to do anything else – the money is sent straight to us.
You can also take out a maintenance loan of up to £10,544 a year to cover your living costs, depending on your household income.
Remember, you won’t start paying your loans back until you’ve left university and earn more than £25,000 per year.
See our full fees and funding information for more details and to find out what support we can offer.
Foundation Year Fee
£9,790
Standard Tuition Fee
£9,790 / year
The amount you pay may increase each year, in line with inflation - but capped to the Retail Price Index.
Future prospects
Graduates of this course go on to impactful roles such as Youth and Community Workers, Youth Justice Officers, Mental Health Practitioners, and Outreach Workers. Others specialise in areas like child exploitation, domestic abuse support, or sexual health projects, making a real difference in young people’s lives.
The course also provides a strong foundation for postgraduate study, for example our MA Social Justice and Community Engagement or MA SENDI degrees, opening doors to advanced roles in education and beyond.
Become part of the next generation of futuremakers
Like what you've seen? Then it's time to apply.
The standard way is to apply through UCAS. This will give you the chance to showcase your skills qualities and passion for the subject, as well as providing us with your academic qualifications.
Not ready to apply yet?
Visit our next Open Day, and see all that the University of Hull has to offer. Talk to our lecturers about your subject, find out what university is really like from our current students, and take a tour of our beautiful campus and amazing facilities.
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Students studying the Youth and Community pathway will receive the Professional JNC qualification in Youth and Community Work.
All modules presented on this course page are subject to availability and this list may change at any time.