StudyQA — Certificate: Community Development

Description Contents Requirements

Do you want to...

increase your understanding of community development?
enhance your career prospects?
enhance your community development practice?
network with other people studying and working in community development and related fields?
undertake study visits in Wales and Europe?
be connected with an exciting partnership of NGO, employer and academic organisations?
interact and discuss with tutors who have up to date and practical experience of community development in Wales, UK, Europe and globally?
obtain recognised qualifications at a reasonable cost?

...then enrol for the programme, beginning with the Postgraduate Certificate course in Community Development. We have designed the Programme for those working in the private, public, voluntary and community sectors and recent graduates. It is for those who wish to develop understanding of the theory, processes and practice of community development and be capable of acting in key roles in guiding and shaping community development opportunities and social change.

Modules include work-related learning, desk-based study, assignment research and writing and web-based discussion. Assessment of each module is generally based on one assignment and this can take various forms as is appropriate for that module - e.g. essay, report, field study presentations, problem solving and local investigations, groupwork. We encourage students to explore non-traditional forms of fulfilling assignment requirements - video, tape, workshop or conference activities. Individual requirements must be discussed with the programme coordinator and module tutors prior to undertaking such work.

The main aim of the Certificate and Diploma courses is to increase the critical understanding, practical knowledge and skills of workers in the field of community development. The final MA element of the programme provides opportunities for guided research and thesis writing. The Certificate and Diploma courses are modular. Both courses consist of theory and practice elements with appropriate skills focus in each element. The structure and module titles are given below. Each single module is worth 10 credits. The Certificate is worth 60 credits and the Diploma 60 credits and the full MA 180 credits.

Postgraduate Certificate:

YSE/YSC4400 Understanding Community
YSE/YCE4401 Community Analysis
YSE/YSC 4403Community Development Practie
YSE/YSC 4402 Community Enterprise
YSE/YSC 4413 Sustainable Communities
YSE/YSC 4405Study Visit

Postgraduate Diploma:

YSE/YSC 4406 Community & Regional Development
YSE/YCE 4407 Community Development Theory
YSE/YSC 4408 Community Planning
YSE/YSC 4410 European Study Visit
YSE/YSC 4414 Critical Reflections
YSE/YSC 4411 Researching Communities

MA Thesis:

Provides students with the opportunity to carry out a sustained and intensive investigation into a topic related to the field of Community Development and to the broad span of areas represented by the taught modules. Total study time is estimated at 600 hours, with up to 10 hours of supervision.

Community Development Programme

The undergraduate, postgraduate and short courses programmes in Community Development bring together staff from a range of disciplines including sociology, social policy, economics, philosophy, education and environmental sciences. They also bring in practitioner tutors from across the region, all Associate Lecturers in the School of Lifelong Learning. Guest speakers from across Wales, the UK, the EU and global regions are invited periodically to contribute according to their areas of interest and expertise.

Staff also participate in and manage action research work, with a string of successful European funded projects completed and more underway.