Bachelor of Youth and Community Leadership
BYCL
Duration
3 years full-time
Entry times
Semester 1 or 2 (February or July)
Fees Estimate
Scholarships
Pathways
Pathways include:
- Bachelor of Arts with Honours
- Postgraduate Certificate in Education
- Master of Māori and Indigenous Leadership
Download Brochure
Duration
3 years full-time
Entry times
Semester 1 or 2 (February or July)
Fees Estimate
Scholarships
Pathways
Pathways include:
- Bachelor of Arts with Honours
- Postgraduate Certificate in Education
- Master of Māori and Indigenous Leadership
Download Brochure
Overview
The Bachelor of Youth and Community Leadership (BYCL) meets a growing need for innovative leaders who can make an impact on national and global challenges that youth and other communities are encountering.
This degree develops professional leadership and entrepreneurial skills for those passionate about issues such as youth work and development, sustainability, human rights, equality, social entrepreneurship, and humanitarian work. The BYCL builds on UC’s international reputation in youth-led social action, and offers real-world leadership and project experience by way of theoretical study and applied learning.
Youth and Community Leadership is a degree that allows you to customise a programme of study to drive your commitment to social action. It prepares students to cultivate collective leadership to action change, making this an ideal degree for those wanting to create a better world for future generations.
- The Bachelor of Youth and Community Leadership is the only degree of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.
- UC has a worldwide reputation for its student activism and engagement in youth-led movements. Our students have founded efforts in natural disaster relief, anti-terrorism, sustainability, and cultural diversity, and our campus has hosted visitors such as Prince Harry Duke of Sussex, and Dr Jane Goodall.
- UC hosts a number of research and specialist centres focused around leadership, volunteerism, and innovative teaching, such as Te Pokapū Pāhekoheko Hapori | UC Community Engagement Hub, Te Puna i-Ako | e-Learning Lab, the Professional and Community Engagement programme, Te Pokapū Rakahinonga | UC Centre for Entrepreneurship, and the UCSA’s Te Hunga Tūao | Student Volunteer Army.
- You can complement your degree with a minor in another College at UC, providing you with the additional option for deep learning in a discipline of your choice.
- Students who successfully complete our recommended suite of courses for youth work and development are automatically admitted Korowai Tupu membership as a professional Youth Worker. UC is the only university degree-level programme for aspiring youth workers in Aotearoa.
- Your degree is taught by an academic team that have extensive experience in youth work and development, community leadership, service-learning, and activism, both in Aotearoa and globally. We work collaboratively with UCSA's Te Hunga Tūao | Student Volunteer Army and UN Youth to honour the heritage of this unique degree.
- UC graduates have become social entrepreneurs, political activists, and industry innovators, and have been recognised with awards for their contribution to local and global issues.
- Find out more about youth and community leadership pathways and study options.
Admission to UC with University Entrance (or equivalent) is required to enrol.
If English is your additional language, you are also required to meet UC's English language requirements.
For information on the enrolment process, please see how to apply for undergraduate qualifications.
Recommended preparation
The programme is open to students from a range of interests or experience in leadership roles. No particular background study is required. A passion for social change, community work, and volunteering is the best preparation.
Strong written and verbal communication skills will be especially useful.
Bachelor of Youth and Community Leadership – example degree structure
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Compulsory courses
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Elective courses
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Courses from Arts or other degrees
Each small block represents a 15-point course. However, some courses may be 30 points or more.
This diagram is an example only – other combinations are possible. For specific course requirements, see the Regulations for the Bachelor of Youth and Community Leadership.
The BYCL is a 360-point degree, with at least 225 points at 200-level or above:
- 150 points of compulsory courses in leadership development
- 105 points of optional courses from Schedule E: Elective courses
- up to 105 points of courses from any bachelor’s degree at UC.
You may also choose to do a minor within the degree, or from subject options in the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Science, or Bachelor of Sport Coaching. A minor requires 75 points of courses, with 45 points above 100-level. See the degree webpages for the list of available minor subjects.
Community engagement is central to the degree, and there are multiple opportunities to create group projects and connect with UC’s community in Ōtautahi Christchurch, including noho marae (or alternative), volunteer efforts with Te Hunga Tūao | Student Volunteer Army, and work with Te Mātāpuna Mātātahi | Children’s University.
The degree takes 3 years of full-time study, or can be studied part-time for up to 6 years.
For study planning help, contact Te Rōpū Takawaenga o UC | UC Liaison Office (new students) or a Te Rāngai Ako me te Hauora | College of Education, Health and Human Development Student Advisor (advancing students).
Double degrees
It is possible to combine the Youth and Community Leadership degree with other degrees, such as the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Communication, Bachelor of Commerce, and Bachelor of Criminal Justice.
Find out more information about Double degrees.
The BYCL degree includes compulsory courses in each year, as well as a range of course options from other degrees.
You can also choose to do a minor from the subject options below.
See ‘How do I plan my degree?’ above for an example degree structure diagram.
Compulsory courses
Year 1
The first year of the degree offers introductory courses on developing leadership skills, understanding communities, identifying areas in need of change, and creating group projects.
- YACL 101 Introduction to Youth Leadership: Leading the Self
- CHCH 101 Strengthening Communities through Social Innovation
- three 100-level courses chosen from the optional courses list (below)
- another two courses at 100-level from any bachelor’s degree at UC
Plus one of:
- EDUC 101 Spark! How & What People Learn
- EDUC 102 Child and Adolescent Development
- POLS 103 Introduction to New Zealand Politics and Policy
Year 2
The second year explores team leadership and training, potential boundaries for change, cultural and political influences, and further project experience.
- YACL 201 Social Leadership: Leading with Others
- EDUC 206 Education and Society: Ideals and Realities
- two 200-level courses chosen from the optional courses list (below)
- another three courses, with at least two at 200-level, from any bachelor’s degree at UC
Plus one of:
- CULT 202 Cultural Politics/Cultural Activism
- EDUC 204 Promoting Child and Adolescent Wellbeing and Health
- INOV 290 Enterprise in Practice (Project)
Year 3
Final-year students in the BYCL will develop research and management skills, building on their experiences throughout the degree to create meaningful change in their community.
- YACL 301 Civic Leadership: Leading for Change
- YACL 302 Leadership Project: Implementing Change
- EDUC 302 Researching Development: Opportunities and Risks in Adolescence or EDUC 339 Globalisation, Social Justice and Education
- 30 points of courses from the 300-level courses in the optional courses list (below)
- another two courses at 200-level (or above) from any bachelor’s degree at UC
Optional courses
Throughout the degree, students will need to complete at least 105 points of courses from the lists below.
Choose at least three 100-level courses from:
Choose at least two 200-level courses from:
Choose at least 30 points at 300-level from:
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Minor subjects
You may also choose to complete one of the following in your degree:
Professional youth work accreditation
Following a particular course pathway focused on youth work and development in the degree will grant you professional membership with Korowai Tupu, the professional association for youth work in Aotearoa New Zealand.
This pathway has been designed in consultation with Korowai Tupu, Ara Taiohi (the national peak body for youth development in Aotearoa), the Canterbury Youth Workers Collective (CYWC), and other professional organisations.
You can go onto a range of postgraduate programmes at UC, depending on your leadership focus in humanities, business, or education:
- Bachelor of Arts with Honours
- Postgraduate Certificate in Arts
- Postgraduate Certificate in Business
- Postgraduate Certificate in Education
- Postgraduate Certificate in Māori and Indigenous Leadership
- Postgraduate Diploma in Arts
- Postgraduate Diploma in Business
- Postgraduate Diploma in Education
- Master of Arts
- Master of Arts (Thesis)
- Master of Education
- Master of Māori and Indigenous Leadership
- Doctor of Education
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
As global tensions rise and cause more reactionary social movements, the world will continue to benefit from meaningful action from strong leaders.
The Bachelor of Youth and Community Leadership produces graduates who are more socially, ethically, and culturally aware. They will have skills in effective communication, project management, stakeholder engagement, leadership, research, and solution-based thinking to help create real results.
BYCL graduates will be strong leaders in their area of interest, with career examples including politics, teaching, iwi development, community services, humanitarian efforts, charities, not-for-profits, government, consultation, media and marketing, social entrepreneurship, and advocacy.
Find out more about what you can do with a degree from UC.
See Tuition Fee Structure for more information
| Year | Points | Info | Fees (NZD) |
| 2020 | 360 | Banded Fee - total tuition fee dependent on course selection | $6,213 per 120 points |
| 2021 | 360 | Banded Fee - total tuition fee dependent on course selection | $6,281 per 120 points |
| Year | Points | Info | Fees (NZD) |
| 2020 | 360 | This is an indicative fee - total tuition fee will be dependent on your course selection (banded) | $27,000 (first 120 points) |
| 2021 | 360 | This is an indicative fee - total tuition fee will be dependent on your course selection (banded) | $28,000 (first 120 points) |
Contact us
See more information about our Youth and Community Leadership programmes.
For the full degree requirements, see the Regulations for the Bachelor of Youth and Community Leadership.
For study planning help, contact Te Rōpū Takawaenga o UC | UC Liaison Office (new students) or a Te Rāngai Ako me te Hauora | College of Education, Health and Human Development Student Advisor (advancing students).
For more information on facilities, resources, and staff, see Te Rāngai Ako me te Hauora | College of Education, Health and Human Development.
For more general information, email info@canterbury.ac.nz or freephone 0800 VARSITY (827 748).