Future undergraduate students
The School of Child and Youth Care offers a program of academic study and fieldwork practice leading to a Bachelor in Child and Youth Care (BCYC) degree through a combination of on campus and distance learning options. Child and youth care practitioners attend to the social, physical, cultural, spiritual and emotional needs of children, youth and families. They work directly in a wide variety of practice settings. Our guiding vision is to promote child, youth, family and community well-being through a focus on de-colonizing praxis.
Whether studying on campus or at a distance, you will participate in a learning community that places a high value on collaborative learning, mutual respect and accountability. You will have a chance to learn about research, direct practice, program design, advocacy, and policy and community development. Your education will take you into the community through practicum placements where you'll have the opportunity to work with a diverse range of children, youth and families to further develop your skills and apply your knowledge.
Choose to complete your program primarily on campus or in your home community through distance learning. NOTE: Our specialization courses are typically available through distance delivery only, while on some occasions core courses may be merged with distance courses to create distance or blended classrooms and may only be available through distance or blended learning. This may impact funding for some students.
Learn about program requirements, specializations, practicum and admission. Note: Many positions across the human service sector require employees to have a class five drivers license. Acquiring this license takes a minimum of two years. In order to keep your options open, consider beginning the process early.
Our undergraduate degree program is available primarily through distance. All distance students complete a 10-day on-campus seminar course in their 4th year. Students completing the Academic Writing Requirement may need to take this course online or on-campus through a letter of permission from another accredited institution. UVic does not typically offer this course on online.
Our blended model of course delivery combines the face-to-face on-campus classroom with the distance classroom. Blended learning opens the conversation between distance and campus-based learners creating opportunities for shared learning. NOTE: Some courses may be offered in distance format only while others may be available on-campus only. This may have funding implications for some students.
Practicum offers a unique opportunity for you to integrate theory with practice in a professional child and youth care setting. Our practicum courses will give you an exciting "hands-on" experience to enhance your skills and broaden your knowledge of children and youth.
Our students undertake practicum placements in a variety of settings:
- child protection/welfare agencies
- schools (i.e. preschools, elementary, secondary, alternate, art-based, etc.)
- organizations addressing youth and family homelessness and poverty
- immigration and refugee services (e.g. Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society)
- programs for children and youth with disabilities
- recreation and leadership centres
- nature-based agencies (e.g. Power-to-be)
- foster care, guardianship, and adoption support programs
- youth justice agencies
- residential care and group homes
- child and youth mental health centers
- substance misuse and harm reduction agencies
- children who witness violence programs
- grief and loss programs
- sexual assault support centres
- brain injury and rehabilitation programs
- child care and early learning centres
- therapeutic settings (e.g. Mary’s therapeutic farm)
Diplomas in early childhood education, youth justice, family studies, social work, child and youth worker programs or a number of human service and/or social science programs may be eligible for block credit into the BCYC program.
The school also recognizes that we learn from doing. If you're an experienced practitioner returning to school you may be eligible for our prior learning assessment through course challenge and experience review (CYC 310A).
Our Child and Youth Care undergraduate student society provides a focus to CYC student life. Join our community as a participant or become a student representative. The CYC Student Society includes leadership roles for students representing key constituencies (e.g. distance learners, Indigenous learners) and organizes regular community-building events and skill-building opportunities (e.g., resumes, first aid, bystander). As a student representative, you could advocate for the needs and interests of on- and off-campus students. This is your opportunity to practice what you’re learning and gain valuable relationships across the program.