Childhood and Youth Studies with Psychology with Foundation Year

With this foundation year course, you'll gain all the credentials you need to begin your career in childhood and youth studies with psychology. It's ideal for you if you don't yet meet the entry requirements of our undergraduate degree, if you're returning to study after a break away, or you need a bit of extra support to get uni-ready.

You'll spend a year studying with us on campus, through ICP. You'll get the knowledge and academic skills needed to take on a bachelor's degree, learning how to analyse information, do research, and improve your academic writing.

The skills you'll learn will help you work in teams as well as on your own in culturally diverse workplaces. You'll develop your understanding of new workplaces and environments, and how to adapt to new environments.

After your foundation year, you'll be ready to move onto the first year of BA (Hons) Childhood and Youth Studies with Psychology.

A guaranteed place
Once you’ve successfully completed your foundation year, you'll be ready to progress onto BA (Hons) Childhood and Youth Studies with Psychology with a guaranteed place.

Course highlights

• ICP is based on the University of Portsmouth campus so you'll have access to all facilities, support and societies

• When you finish your foundation year successfully, you get a guaranteed place on BA (Hons) Childhood and Youth Studies with Psychology

• Get used to how lectures, seminars and tutorials work, so you can move onto your degree ready for success

• Learn how to meet the demands of taking on a bachelor's at university

Careers and opportunities
When you complete this foundation year, you'll be all set to continue on to our BA (Hons) Childhood and Youth Studies with Psychology. Your knowledge of how the mind affects behaviour, coupled with a thorough understanding of the social and biological factors that influence young people’s development, will set you up for a rewarding career working with and supporting young people and children.

The opportunity to delve into your preferred childhood and youth studies specialism - from education and teaching, community and youth / family provision, or leadership and enterprise - will ensure you're prepared for the career of your choice.

What can you do with a Childhood and Youth Studies with Psychology degree?

Areas you can work in include:

• youth work

• social work

• mental health services

• educational welfare

• childcare

• health promotion

• teaching (as a teaching assistant)

• psychologist (by taking a postgraduate conversion course, such as a BPS-accredited Master's)

With further training and qualifications, you can also work in:

• social work

• psychotherapy and counselling

• teaching

Our Careers and Employability service can help you find a job that puts your skills to work in the industry. You'll get help, advice and support for up to 5 years from our Careers and Employability service as you advance in your career.

The University of Portsmouth is passionate about creating career-focused modules that do more than support your studies, they empower your academic journey and prepare you for what comes next.

We design modules that have:

• Clear themes and skills development as you progress through each year
• Assessments that feel meaningful, often based on real-world tasks rather than isolated exams
• Career-enhancing opportunities such as placements, live projects, enterprise and volunteering

For a full list of the modules you will study on this course, please visit https://www.port.ac.uk/study/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-childhood-and-youth-studies-with-psychology?studyMode=4-years-with-foundation-year&startDate=september-2026#modules

You'll be assessed in a number of ways on your foundation year, including:

• assignments
• oral presentations
• exams
• lab reports
• portfolio
• court reports

Typically, you can expect to have two assessments per module.