School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Programme summary for MA Voluntary Sector Studies

About

We offer:

• a supportive framework so you can investigate the topics that matter for you, whether those are more about improving your organisation or your professional capabilities or about exploring new horizons and developing new directions in your thinking and your career
• academic staff who know at first hand about working in and with voluntary and community organisations, are up-to-date with issues of policy and practice and will seek to work co-operatively with you
• a learning process that will encourage you to tackle practical and intellectual problems, reflect on experience and explore solutions

Structure

The programme is constructed of a set of modules, followed by a project leading to the MA.

It has three components:

1. You commence by reviewing the skills and knowledge you bring to the programme and the outcomes you want to achieve, and prepare a personal development plan. This, together with study skills workshops, prepares you for a module on Researching and Learning which supports your critical reflection and inquiry and develops research skills.

2. You select from a range of subject modules (see below).

• For a PGCert, you complete just two of the subject modules , as well as following the parallel parts of the PDAS module.
• For a PG Cert, you complete just two of the subject modules

For the PG Dip, you complete three subject modules and the PDAS Researching and Learning module with a synoptic essay reviewing your learning.

For an MA, you take Researching and Learning and either three or four subject modules and ....

3. To complete the MA, you complete either - if you did three subject modules - a major project (20-25,000 word dissertation) or - if four subject modules - a shorter project (15,000 word report).

Whichever qualification you are aiming at, you take the same programme as far as you go, and so you can adapt your plans. You might start by aiming for an MA but decide a PG Cert or PG Dip is enough or find new aspects of your life or work means changing your plans; or you might set your sights on a PG Cert or PG Dip but then want to keep continue on to the MA.

Career

Students on this pathway have developed careers in and with voluntary and community organisations, NGOs, other volunteer-involving agencies and public sector bodies as well as individual consultants.

Often the scope of knowledge and ideas you gain - and the networks - are as significant for your career as the particular capabilities from the programme.

Support

We support first year students primarily through the personal development planning PDAS process and study skills workshops , and a personal tutor system.

For those seeking a MA award, projects may be considered in three phases: planning; implementation; evaluation and critical review.

Planning is an integral part of the PDAS teaching-learning process , as specified in that module , leading from your personal development planning through to the Researching and Learning module . The final assessment phase of PDAS that module involves support for students who are preparing either a synoptic study (Postgraduate Diploma) or project proposal (MA). It provides you with opportunities to gain familiarity with the specifications for a project proposal and to consider strategies, methods and contents.

Method workshops (shared with students on other pathways) will be provided to assist in the design phase (through the Researching and Learning PDAS module) and will be supported by a programme of tutorial guidance, and tutored and peer seminars (shared with students on other pathways when appropriate). Method workshops will be responsive to the needs of the tutor group, but will typically cover: quantitative and qualitative research; action research; participative and collaborative research; issues of validity and reliability; use of library/learning resources/IT; and presentation to different audiences.

A Project Tutor with relevant expertise will be nominated for each project by the relevant Pathway Leader. Where possible, you will have tutorial contact with the Project Tutor during the design phase.

During implementation of the project, the processes of monitoring progress and development continue, and are the responsibility of the Pathway Leader in liaison with the Project Tutor. The student and tutor should agree a pattern of tutorial contact appropriate to the timescale and phasing of the project. Actual contact will be monitored by the Pathway Coordinator, who may intervene if for any reason it appears not to be satisfactory.

The module fee for the project entitles you to approximately 12 hours of tutorial tuition (or its equivalent). Students who need additional time will normally be required to pay further fees.

Admission

You need to have a BA, BSc etc (from a UK university or equivalent status); we will consider all subjects.

Or, if you don't have a degree, you need to demonstrate that you have learnt through experience the skills and knowledge of the level and kind you would have achieved through a degree. We are open to discussing how you can do this, through interview, and perhaps by a portfolio or by your reports. Or, perhaps you could take one of our modules as a trial to prepare for entry to the full programme; or perhaps take a third level module off from the undergraduate programme. We can discuss how, if you have a diploma in a subject like youth and community studies, you can demonstrate the additional knowledge and skills to required for entry to make degree-level study .

You need also to have experience in work (paid or unpaid) in or with voluntary or community organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or similar agencies or in or with volunteering and voluntary action, so that you have practice-based knowledge to bring to the teaching-learning process of this programme. If you have only a little experience, we would need you to gain current awareness by arranging - in consultation with tutors - a placement or observations in a relevant organisation.

We like to meet and talk with people when considering admission to the programme but sometimes emails or phone calls are the best way to discuss issues and questions.

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