Childhood Studies
University of Bristol
UCAS Code: L520 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
University of Bristol
UCAS Code: L520 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
Standard offer: ABB. Contextual offer: BBC. Please visit: bristol.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/entry-requirements-qualifications/contextual-offers/ for more information about contextual offers.
Access to HE Diploma
Access to HE Diploma in Education, Humanities, Social Science, Science, Law or Psychology (or similar titles). The 45 graded Level 3 credits must include 15 credits at Distinction and 30 at Merit or above. Mature students can contact mature-students@bristol.ac.uk to check the suitability of their Access course.
Requirements for principal subjects are as for A-level, where D1/ D2 is A*, D3 is A, M1/ M2 is B and M3 is C.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Standard offer: 32 points overall with 16 at Higher Level. Contextual offer: 29 points overall with 14 at Higher Level. Please visit: bristol.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/entry-requirements-qualifications/contextual-offers/ for more information about contextual offers.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
DDM in any Applied General BTEC National Level 3 Extended Diploma
Scottish Advanced Higher
Advanced Higher: AB
Scottish Higher
Standard Higher: AABBB
Requirements are as for A-levels where you can substitute a non-subject specific grade for the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Skills Challenge Certificate at that grade.
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.
Childhood Studies is the social science of childhood 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, justice, development, health, and rights and responsibilities in a national and international context.
Our research-based teaching includes the expertise of lecturers from related disciplines, including education, psychology, sociology, social policy, history, social work and law.
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.
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.
The interdisciplinary nature of this course makes it ideal for students from a range of different backgrounds who want to develop a holistic understanding of children and childhood. Our graduates go on to careers in areas such as education, psychology, research, policy, children's therapy, social work, law and social justice, children's charities, government, business, and the civil service.
Tuition fees
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The Uni
University of Bristol
School of Education
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Social work
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Social work
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
We're short of social workers - so if you want a degree that is in demand, then this could be the one for you! There's a shortage of social workers all over the UK, and graduates can specialise in specific fields such as mental health or children's social work. If you decide social work is not for you, then social work graduates also often go into management, education, youth and community work and even nursing. Starting salaries for this degree can reflect the high proportion of graduates who choose a social work career - social work graduates get paid, on average, more than graduates overall, but not all options pay as well as social work. This is also an unusual subject in that London isn't one of the more common places to find jobs - so if you want to get a job near to your home or your university this might be worth thinking about.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Social work
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£16k
£27k
£28k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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