Childhood Studies

Childhood Studies is the social science of childhoods and adolescence. At Bristol, our interdisciplinary BSc Childhood Studies course focuses on children from birth to 19 years. We explore issues relating to perspectives on, and children's experiences of, education, care, work, justice, development, health, and rights and responsibilities in a national and international context.

With a holistic and in-depth understanding of children and childhoods, our graduates go on to successful employment in a range of connected areas. For example, 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, prison management, occupational health and speech and language therapists, educational psychologists, social work and teaching, children's rights advocates and lawyers, and further study or postgraduate qualifications funded by national and internationally competitive scholarships.

On our programme, you will consider childhood in the contexts of families, peers, communities, and society at a national and international level. Topics of study include children's education, rights, development, physical and mental health, psychology, safeguarding and protection, youth justice, and social harm, among others. The Childhood Studies teaching team are all actively involved in research with children, their families and professionals, so your teaching is research-led, underpinned by the latest research and policy developments in the field. You will also receive bespoke teaching on research methods and ethical complexities involved in researching childhood.

In the first year, you will develop a solid understanding of the psychological, sociological and historical constructions of childhood, as well as contemporary issues affecting children such as child labour, child poverty and children's education. In the second and third years, you can choose optional units from a wide range of subjects, including a work placement unit, allowing you to pursue different routes through the degree toward a career path that is right for you. In your third year you will complete a dissertation, allowing you to undertake your own research project on a topic of your choosing within Childhood Studies.

The interdisciplinary nature of this course makes it ideal for students from a range of different backgrounds who are passionate about children's lives and welfare.