Childhood, Youth and Education MSc

Overview

This interdisciplinary Masters applies a comparative, cross-cultural approach to understanding the relationship between childhood, youth and education.

The first of its kind in the UK, the degree draws on insights from anthropology, geography, development studies, education and sociology. This interdisciplinary approach will equip you with the top-notch analytical skills you need in the contemporary world to pursue careers in education and teaching, government and the civil services, international development and aid work, counselling, educational and child psychology, youth services, community and social work, advocacy and policy making, community outreach, healthcare and paediatric specialisms, non-governmental agencies, and much more.

The degree will appeal to those intending to work with or for children and young people, within or outside of educational settings across the globe, as you seek to understand the contemporary issues, debates and challenges that impact upon current and future generations.

Teaching for this degree is research-led and the curriculum is continuously updated in response to contemporary global events that impact on childhood, youth and education. A combination of lectures and interactive seminars, presentations and debates will challenge you to critically address questions about:

How ideas about ‘childhood’, ‘youth’ and ‘education’ differ across cultures
Learning, identity and social difference
The way children’s everyday lives impact on their education
Child rights and child labour
Young people and migration
Class, race and gender
Youth cultures and subcultures
Education, inequality and social reproduction

Through cross-cultural comparison, you will interrogate these kinds of issues, along with prevailing assumptions about the relationship between childhood, youth and education.

As well as undertaking rigorous intellectual training, you will have the opportunity to carry out your own ethnographic fieldwork in the UK or overseas. In recent years, Brunel students have carried out fieldwork in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Colombia, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Philippines, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, China, Morocco, and New Zealand, as well as within the UK and the rest of Europe.

A 30-month part-time option of the course is also available. If you wish to be considered for this option, please make your application for the 24 month part-time route and then contact the Admissions team to request the change to the 30 month duration.

"What I learned [at Brunel] helped to build a foundation of knowledge upon which I built my business and charity and will go on to create greater things. " - Seffie Wells
"What I learned [at Brunel] helped to build a foundation of knowledge upon which I built my business and charity and will go on to create greater things. " - Seffie Wells

You can explore our campus and facilities for yourself by taking our virtual tour.

Course content

You will study three compulsory modules related to i) understanding children and youth, ii) critical perspectives on education and learning, and iii) ethnographic research methods, in addition to your dissertation research.

You will also choose from a range of options from across the Division of Anthropology, Development and Geography, which will challenge you further in your critical and comparative understanding of childhood, youth and education.

Brunel is well-known for its focus on ethnographic fieldwork. Your research methods training will provide you with the skills to conduct your own ethnographic research anywhere in the world, according to your own research interests. This fieldwork will form the basis of your MSc dissertation.

Examples of recent dissertations from students on the MSc Childhood, Youth and Education include:

‘Being left behind’: Ecuadorian school girls’ experience of international migration
‘We don’t matter in school’: an ethnography of adult-youth relations in the UK education system
Straddling meaningful worlds: youth, rap music and power in Equatorial Guinea
Children’s agency in a London preschool: an ethnographic exploration
Beyond sexual exploitation: the complexities of child trafficking in Nepal
An ethnographic study of how social, cultural and religious identity is constructed in a Muslim faith school in London
Judas and the Witch: witchcraft, religion and the street-children of Kinshasa
Children’s understanding of values: the role of the hidden curriculum in primary school
Informal learning and religion: the spiritual path of Hindu devotees
‘I did it my way’: parents of autistic children and their journey through the diagnosis
‘Is this play?’: Maltese children’s negotiations of play in a drama classroom
Re-examining the ‘exiled LGBTQ+ Traveller’ narrative within the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community
The role of the school in the (re)production of the Danish welfare citizen
Taleem and Tarbia: the transmission of education and knowledge by grandmothers in 5 Afghan-Canadian homes
Children’s foodways in school
Challenging the category of ‘teenager’: autonomy in a youth-led go-kart club
Social identity and social reproduction in island Portland

Year 1

Compulsory

Cross-Cultural perspectives on Education and Learning
Gain an appreciation of the key issues in the anthropology of education and learning and an understanding, ethnographically, of how culture shapes and informs the educational and learning process an and in turn impacts social and cultural practices.
SA5550 - Dissertation in Childhood, Youth and Education
The opportunity to carry out a major research project in the anthropology of learning, childhood, youth or education based around your own fieldwork experience.
SA5603 - Ethnographic Research Methods
This module will introduce you to the methods employed by anthropologists when undertaking ethnographic research in preparation for your own fieldwork research on which your dissertation will be based.
Understanding Childhood and Youth
This module will introduce you to the study of childhood and youth as they are constructed and practiced in different social, cultural and economic settings. The first section focuses on children, looking first at how ideas of childhood are constructed by adults, the second section is devoted to young people.

Optional

SA5523 - Anthropology of the Body
Explore key theories of ‘the body’ in anthropology and other cognate discipline through the work of scholars such as Pierre Bourdieu, Michel Foucault and Thomas Csordas. You will also be exposed to contemporary approaches to the study of subjectivity, personhood and experience across societies and cultures.
SA5527 - Anthropology of the Person
Anthropological approaches to understanding ‘the person’ are discussed through the work of theorists such as Mauss and Hacking including contemporary approaches to the study of subjectivity, personhood and experience in formal and informal environments.
Applied Learning for Children, Youth and International Development
Examine the relevance and responsibility of your academic studies in children, youth and international development to community, voluntary action as you consider how you might utilise your subject knowledge and transferrable skills when you graduate.
War and Humanitarian Assistance
In this subject you will analyse the social and economic consequences of contemporary warfare and the rebuilding war-torn societies from an anthropological perspective and by doing so, understand the different ways anthropological research can enhance the understanding of contemporary warfare.
Critical Perspectives on International Development
Gain a theoretical and historical overview of the changing relationship between anthropology and international development as you learn to understand the multiple ways in which anthropological research can enhance our understanding of contemporary policies and practices in international development.
SA5601 - Ethnicity, Identity and Culture
Learn about the range of key concepts, theories and controversies in the anthropology of ethnicity, culture, nationhood and identity. Drawing on case studies from within and beyond Britain, it will encourage you to consider how identities are created, deployed and contested.
SA5540 - Kinship, Sex and Gender
An introduction to some of the key social anthropological literature on kinship, gender and sexuality including universalities and particularities in the construction of gender roles and different theoretical paradigms on gender and sexuality.
SA5604 - Thinking Anthropologically
To introduce you to the discipline of anthropology, and to offer you a grounding in its key theories and methods. By the end of the module, you will be able to draw connections between the materials studied your own degree specialism.

This course can be studied undefined undefined, starting in undefined.

Please note that all modules are subject to change.

Read more about the structure of postgraduate degrees at Brunel

Careers and your future

This degree will prepare you for a range of challenging careers in many fields and organisations, including: education and teaching, government and the civil services, international development and aid work, counselling, educational and child psychology, youth services, social work, advocacy and policy making, community outreach, healthcare and paediatric specialisms, non-governmental agencies, and much more.

It will also provide you with a firm grounding for doctoral research on childhood, youth and education if you choose to undertake a PhD.

UK entry requirements

A 2:2 (or above) UK Honours degree or an equivalent internationally recognised qualification with personal statement demonstrating knowledge of interest in subject area.

Applicants with other degrees along with relevant experience will be considered on an individual basis.

EU and International entry requirements

Select your country

If you require a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK, you must prove knowledge of the English language so that we can issue you a Certificate of Acceptance for Study (CAS). To do this, you will need an IELTS for UKVI or Trinity SELT test pass gained from a test centre approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and on the Secure English Language Testing (SELT) list. This must have been taken and passed within two years from the date the CAS is made.

English language requirements

IELTS: 6.5 (min 6 in all areas)
Pearson: 59 (59 in all subscores)
BrunELT: 63% (min 58% in all areas)
TOEFL: 90 (min 20 in all)

You can find out more about the qualifications we accept on our English Language Requirements page.

Should you wish to take a pre-sessional English course to improve your English prior to starting your degree course, you must sit the test at an approved SELT provider for the same reason. We offer our own BrunELT English test and have pre-sessional English language courses for students who do not meet requirements or who wish to improve their English. You can find out more information on English courses and test options through our Brunel Language Centre.

Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants. This information is for guidance only and each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Entry requirements are subject to review, and may change.

Fees and funding

2025/26 entry

UK

£12,125 full-time

£6,060 part-time

International

£22,320 full-time

£11,160 part-time

N.B. UK and EU applicants: the 30 month part-time course will not be eligible for a Postgraduate Loan. If you wish to be considered for the part-time 30 month version, please make your application for the 24 month part-time route and then contact the Admissions team to request the change to the 30 month duration.

More information on any additional course-related costs.

Fees quoted are per year and are subject to an annual increase.

See our fees and funding page for full details of postgraduate scholarships available to Brunel applicants.

Scholarships and bursaries

Teaching and learning

How the course will be delivered

You'll be taught by world leading experts in your field of study, and have the opportunity to interact with fellow students at London’s leading campus University.

Your programme will consist of various learning and studying activities, including lectures, seminars and discussions. On each taught module, students will have in person lectures, seminars or workshops for two-to-three hours per week on average during the teaching terms. There will also be supervision sessions for the dissertation, as well as regular opportunities to seek guidance during module lecturers’ feedback and consultation hours. Additionally, students can seek support in individual meetings with their personal tutors, both on campus and online. There will also be regular cohort meetings and student society events, at both programme and departmental levels. Field trips and excursions to support students’ learning will be organised throughout the year.

All lectures, seminars, cohort meetings and other social activities will occur in person on the Brunel campus. Students are expected to regularly attend these events, as sustained engagement with a learning community is a central dimension of the Brunel experience. Online provision of some activities will be made available when it is appropriate to the learning outcomes of your programme.

Required equipment

Access to a laptop or desktop PC is required for joining online activities, completing coursework and digital exams, and a minimum specification can be found here.

We have computers available across campus for your use and laptop loan schemes to support you through your studies. You can find out more here.

How you'll learn on your course

You'll learn through a combination of lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials as well as through your own reading. You'll also be encouraged to attend the department’s calendar of lunchtime research meetings where guest speakers share insight from their own research and experience.

Childhood, Youth and Education is taught by a team of Brunel experts who have worked in many countries across the globe, including South, West and East Africa, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka, as well as Britain.

Find out more about their particular research interests by following the links:

Should you need any non-academic support during your time at Brunel, the Student Support and Welfare Team are here to help.

Assessment and feedback

Assessment is typically by essay or practical assignments (for example, analysis of a short field exercise), and a dissertation of approximately 15,000 words based upon your own fieldwork experience. There are no examinations.

Read our guide on how to avoid plagiarism in your assessments at Brunel.

Key Information