BSc Childhood Studies (L520)

Childhood Studies is the social science of childhood and adolescence. At Bristol, our multidisciplinary BSc Childhood Studies degree focuses on children from birth to 19 years.

You'll explore issues relating to perspectives on, and children's experiences of, education, care, work, justice, development, health, and rights and responsibilities, in national and international contexts.

With a holistic, in-depth understanding of children and childhoods, our graduates are highly employable across a range of connected areas.

Recent graduate career destinations include:

• senior researchers and policy leads within the civil service and government
• management positions in national children's charities and businesses
  
• social workers
• teachers
• occupational health and speech and language therapists
  
• educational psychologists
  
• children's rights advocates and lawyers
• prison managers.

You can also pursue further study or postgraduate qualifications funded by national and internationally competitive scholarships.

On our programme, you'll consider childhood in the contexts of families, peers, communities and society, at a national and international level.

Topics of study include:

• education
• children's rights
• child psychology and development
• physical and mental health
• safeguarding and protection
• youth justice
• social harm.

Our Childhood Studies teaching team are all actively involved in research with children, their families and professionals. This means your teaching is research-led and underpinned by the latest research and policy developments in the field. You'll also receive bespoke teaching on research methods and the ethical complexities involved in researching childhood.

In the first year, you'll develop a solid understanding of the psychological, sociological and historical constructions of childhood. You'll also study contemporary issues affecting children, such as children's education, child labour and child poverty.

As you progress through the course, you'll have more freedom to choose optional units from a wide range of subjects, including units which enable you to develop employability skills. This will allow you to work towards a career path that's right for you.

Finally, in your third year, you'll complete a dissertation, allowing you to undertake your own research project on a topic of your choice within Childhood Studies.

This multidisciplinary course is ideal for students from a range of backgrounds who are passionate about children's lives and welfare.