Why study this course?
Our Leadership in Communities (including a foundation year) BSc is a four-year course that’s perfect if you don’t hold traditional qualifications or don’t meet the requirements to enter the three-year degree. On completion of the course you’ll receive the same qualification and title as students graduating from the standard course.
You’ll be offered exceptional support from our careers and academic teams. With access to an academic mentor, tutor and skills workshops, you’ll be helped to settle into university life and succeed on your course to become a leader in the field of community development and social work.
More about this course
Our community leadership course with a foundation year will improve your academic skills and provide opportunities to work with communities in a wide range of professional roles after graduation. By the time you complete your full degree, you’ll have gained all the necessary skills in supporting groups and individuals to improve your neighbourhood and make social provision accountable to residents and service users.
Throughout your degree you’ll be supported to develop skills such as essay writing, research and time management that will help you succeed in undergraduate study. You’ll also be able to count on the support of your academic mentor and tutor, who will help you build your abilities and confidence in academic study, even if you’ve been out of education for a few years. At London Met, we also offer dedicated careers advice and student support teams to help you shape your future career goals and achieve them.
You’ll share your foundation year with students completing Year 0 from other disciplines, which will allow you to share your ideas and meet people with different academic interests. During this year we will focus on developing your academic and study skills, which are necessary for higher level study in the area of social sciences and social professions. You’ll develop critical thinking skills that will allow you to look at arguments, theories and beliefs that relate to the relationship between society, government and the individual. This foundation year also enables you to learn more about the course content of the subsequent years, as you’ll attend an introductory community development module.
After successful completion of Year 0, you’ll look at specific problems within communities, including social justice, management and leadership in community organisations, social enterprises and housing.
Accreditation of Prior Learning
Any university-level qualifications or relevant experience you gain prior to starting university could count towards your course.
Modular structure
Year 0 modules include:
- Critical Thinking (core, 15 credits)
- Interventions for Change (core, 15 credits)
- Introduction to Community and Society (core, 15 credits)
- Media, Crime and ‘Race’ (core, 15 credits)
- Reflecting on Self and Society (core, 15 credits)
- Researching Discrimination (core, 15 credits)
- Researching Inequality (core, 15 credits)
- Social Issues in Context: Text to Essay (core, 15 credits)
Year 1 modules include:
- Cultures, Identity and Difference (core, 30 credits)
- Introduction to Self-Leadership (core, 30 credits)
- Introduction to social problems (core, 30 credits)
- Principles of Community Work (core, 30 credits)
Year 2 modules include:
- Human Rights, Social Justice and Diversity (core, 30 credits)
- Management and Leadership in Youth and Community Organisations (core, 30 credits)
- Researching Youth and Community Issues (core, 30 credits)
- Communities in Transition (option, 15 credits)
- Disability and Inclusion (option, 15 credits)
- Employability in the Community Sector (option, 15 credits)
- Inter-Professional Practice (option, 15 credits)
Year 3 modules include:
- Community and Youth Dissertation (core, 30 credits)
- Development and Social Enterprise (core, 30 credits)
- Work Placement for Professional Development (core, 30 credits)
- Homelessness and Housing Policy (option, 15 credits)
- Housing Issues and Housing Solutions (option, 15 credits)
- Management and Supervision in Youth and Community Work Settings (option, 30 credits)
Where this course can take you
Graduates from community development and youth related courses can enter a wide range of careers including social research, community work, counselling, teaching, youth justice and social policy.
What is a degree with a foundation year?
This is a four-year degree course with a built-in foundation year (Year 0). It’s the perfect route into university if you don’t meet the necessary entry requirements for the standard undergraduate degree. You’ll graduate with a full undergraduate degree with the same title and award as those who studied the three-year course.
