This certificate is designed for graduates from any discipline with a professional or personal interest in childhood and youth studies who wish to deepen their understanding of children's lives and develop critical analysis skills.

Key features of the course

•Suitable if you already work with children and young people, or hope to do so

•Explores diverse perspectives on childhood and youth and strategies designed to promote their welfare

•Examines the links between theory and practice, with a strong emphasis on your own context.

This certificate is the first stage of a study programme that progresses to a postgraduate diploma and finally a masters degree. You can step off at any point, or study the whole programme.

Learning outcomes, teaching and assessment

The learning outcomes of this qualification are described in four areas:

•Knowledge and understanding
•Cognitive skills
•Practical and professional skills
•Key skills

On completion

On successful completion of the required modules you can be awarded a Postgraduate Certificate in Childhood and Youth Studies entitling you to use the letters PG Cert CYS (Open) after your name. Your postgraduate certificate will be awarded with distinction if you achieve this classification on your module (E808).

You may continue your studies to gain a Postgraduate Diploma in Childhood and Youth Studies (E93) (with a further 60 credits) or an MA in Childhood and Youth (F55) (with a further 120 credits).

To claim all three qualifications you must study them in sequence (postgraduate certificate, postgraduate diploma and then the MA) and you can only gain all three if you do not use credit transfer towards the MA.

Recognition in your country

If you intend to use your Open University qualifications to seek work or undertake further study outside the UK, we recommend checking whether your intended qualification will meet local requirements for your chosen career.