Childhood And Youth Studies And Sociology

Childhood and youth studies and sociology is a combination that brings together two disciplines with deeply complementary perspectives on the lives of young people and the social structures that shape them. Childhood and youth studies examines how children and young people develop, experience the world, and are understood and treated by families, institutions, and society. Sociology provides the broader analytical framework, asking how social structures, power relations, and cultural forces produce inequality and shape experience across the lifespan.

Together they give you both the specific developmental and rights-based knowledge of childhood and youth studies and the wider critical perspective of sociology.

At Bangor you will study this three-year full-time programme, with a sandwich year, a year abroad, and a work placement giving you substantial real-world and international experience alongside your academic study. You will explore sociological theory and research methods alongside the developmental psychology, social policy, safeguarding, and rights frameworks that define childhood and youth studies. The combination develops your analytical capacity, your ability to evaluate evidence, and your practical understanding of the sectors that work with children and young people in Wales and beyond.

Graduates of this combination enter careers in youth work, social work, early years provision, education, community development, children's charities, local authority children's services, and policy organisations focused on the rights and wellbeing of young people. The year abroad and sandwich year add international perspective and professional experience that strengthen both employability and the depth of your academic understanding. Many graduates also continue to postgraduate study in social work, education, youth work, or sociology, using the undergraduate degree as a foundation for specialist professional or academic careers.