Does BA Community Development Studies include real placements?

Yes. From year two the placement series places you with London-based community organisations, local authorities and NGOs. Placements are matched to interests where possible, and the final research project is grounded in a placement community. BA Community Development Studies is built as a fieldwork-anchored degree.

Is BA Community Development Studies a social work degree?

No. Social work is a regulated profession with its own qualification routes. BA Community Development Studies sits adjacent to social work — graduates often work with social work teams — but does not by itself confer social-worker registration. Some graduates pursue a Master's-level social work conversion afterwards.

Can I study BA Community Development Studies online?

Yes. The online route mirrors the on-campus degree with live tutorials, recorded lectures and asynchronous discussion forums. Online and distance students complete placements with community organisations local to them, supervised remotely with on-site partner coordination.

What kind of research project will I complete on BA Community Development Studies?

An 8,000-to-10,000 word study grounded in your placement community. Past examples include a participatory project on housing satisfaction in a London estate, a qualitative study of a youth mentoring programme and a mixed-methods evaluation of a local food bank's reach.

Is BA Community Development Studies useful for civil-service or local-authority careers?

Yes. The applied research, policy literacy and engagement methods of BA Community Development Studies map directly to public-sector graduate routes — the Civil Service Fast Stream, NHS graduate scheme and local-authority management trainee programmes. Several recent graduates have entered such routes.

BA Community Development Studies | LSJHML London | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The BA Community Development Studies at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a three-year UK honours degree for students who want to work with communities — organising, researching, advocating and convening — across the public, third and local-authority sectors. You will study community development as a practice and a discipline, learn applied social research methods, and finish with a placement-led research project rooted in a real community context.

This BA Community Development Studies is taught as a fieldwork-anchored degree. By the end you can plan a community engagement programme, run a small qualitative study with proper ethical care, and write up findings for both an academic and a practitioner audience. Most weeks involve work outside the classroom.

Key Features

UK honours degree aligned with Social Research Association standards and Community Development Foundation frameworks.
Applied research methods spine — qualitative interviews, focus groups, surveys, participatory methods.
Community placement series from year two with London-based community organisations, local authorities and NGOs.
Public engagement workshops — facilitation, deliberative methods, citizens' assemblies and consultation design.
Final research project grounded in a placement community with academic and practitioner supervision.
Industry-led masterclasses from working community development officers, local-authority leads and NGO programme managers.

What You Will Learn

The BA Community Development Studies is structured around the working competencies of an applied community professional — practice frameworks, research methods, policy literacy and ethical fieldwork. You leave able to plan and deliver a community engagement project, design a small research study, navigate the funding and policy environment, and write up findings without losing the voices of the people involved.

Community development theory — historical traditions, current frameworks, ethics of practice.
Applied social research — qualitative and quantitative methods, mixed-methods design, participatory research.
UK public-sector context — local authorities, NHS, devolved governments, statutory consultation.
Third-sector practice — charity governance, funding bids, programme management, monitoring and evaluation.
Public engagement methods — facilitation, deliberative formats, citizens' assemblies, online consultation.
Policy analysis — reading consultations, impact assessments, equality impact reviews.
Research ethics — informed consent, working with vulnerable participants, data protection.
Communicating findings — reports for practitioner audiences, academic writing, public-facing prose.

Who This Course Is For

School leavers committed to working in the public, third or community sectors.
International students looking for a UK degree in community practice taught in London.
Career-changers from teaching, social work or local government wanting a formal UK undergraduate credential.
Volunteers and frontline workers in NGOs or charities ready to formalise their experience into a recognised qualification.

Career Pathways

BA Community Development Studies graduates move into community-facing roles across the UK public and third sectors. Typical first roles include:

Community Development Officer (local authority, housing association, charity)
Social Researcher (research agency, public-sector body, think tank)
Local Authority Officer (engagement, equalities, regeneration)
Charity Programme Manager (small or mid-size third-sector organisation)
Public Engagement Lead (university, museum, NHS trust)
Consultation Officer (regulator, central or local government)

Graduates progress to an MA in Community Development Studies, MA Anthropology or postgraduate work in public policy or social research.

Entry Requirements

Three A-Levels at BBC or above (or international equivalent — IB 28 points, BTEC DMM, or accepted national qualification).
GCSE English Language at grade 5 or equivalent English proficiency test.
IELTS 6.0 overall (no band below 5.5) for non-native English speakers.
A short personal statement; some courses request a portfolio or interview.
Mature applicants (21+) without standard qualifications may apply with a portfolio and short interview.

Why Study at LSJHML

The London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages is a specialist higher-education provider based in central London. Our programmes are designed in dialogue with working professionals — journalists, translators, civil servants, academics, broadcasters, editors, publishers and policy researchers — so what you learn in seminar on Monday is what your future employer is using on Tuesday. We deliberately keep cohorts small, give every student named tutor support, and treat employability as a structural part of every programme rather than an optional add-on.

London is the work — politics, courts, capital markets, theatre, broadcasting, publishing, public service, the global press. Your studies are taught in the same square mile where the stories you read about happen. Whether you join us on-campus, online or by distance learning, the city is your classroom and our industry network is your launchpad.