Community Development
Through this course you will develop both the practical and analytical skills to effectively work with a range of communities to bring about personal and social change.
- You will explore a range of themes including social justice and equality, local and global contexts, social action, sustainable change and participatory approaches: all of these are linked back to the work you are doing in the community.
- A research project provides the opportunity for you to apply the skills and knowledge gained in the research methods course in a small-scale community-based research project.
Accreditation
This degree programme is a professional qualification to work in Community Development, Youth Work, Community Work and related fields, endorsed by the Standards Council for CLD in Scotland.
Study abroad
There are study abroad opportunities available in year three.
Programme structure
This programme is specifically designed for people who are working paid or unpaid in the field. You will attend classes a day and a half per week from September to May.
Year 1
In the first year you will study
- Community development and social action models
- Local and global contexts
- Practice methodology for community development and social action
- Social theories 1
- Transformational practice.
Year 2
In the second year you will study
- Lifelong learning and social change
- Empowerment strategies and practice models
- Organisation, planning and evaluation
- Critical practice for empowerment
- Social theories 2
- Critical practice.
Year 3
In the third year you will study
- Social theories 3
- Research methods
- Research project
- Practice placement.
Special feature
Practice placement provides you with the opportunity to demonstrate your competence as workers in a different setting, thereby demonstrating the transferability of your skills. A range of placement opportunities will be available by negotiation with the teaching team.
Our international links
There is the possibility of carrying out an overseas placement in the third year of the programme. In addition there are annual study trips which, although not part of the degree programme, are run by the course team and enrich the learning of students by exposing them to different cultures and alternative forms of practice. In recent years we have visited Kathmandu, Mumbai, New York, Amsterdam and Ireland.
Career prospects
Students who complete this degree go on to work in many aspects of community development. These include
- youth work
- community arts
- housing
- addictions
- economic development
- literacies
- adult education
- community regeneration work.
Highers: AAB/ABBB
A-levels: BBB
This is a work-based learning programme and we encourage applicants with no formal qualifications to apply on the premise that they have extensive experience in a community development setting.
For a full list of alternative qualifications please see: Entry requirements.
All applicants must have the equivalent of two days per week of work (paid or unpaid) in the broad field of community development.
Interviews
Acceptance to the programme will be decided by interview.
Tuition fees
How and when you pay tuition fees depends on where you’re from: see Tuition fees for details. If you’re from outside the EU, please see International students for more information.
Scholarships
We offer a wide range of scholarships to our undergraduates, including both home/EU and international students. The University is committed to supporting students and rewarding academic excellence. That’s why we’ve invested more than £1m in additional scholarship funding over the last year.
For a full list of scholarships including eligibility criteria and how to apply, please see: