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Community development

Victoria University

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Jane Hickey, academic teaching scholar, college of arts and education

Jane Hickey

So the Bachelor of Community Development is a three-year degree program where you have the opportunity to learn the skills and knowledge necessary to be an effective community worker within your local, or even international communities.

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Study your way

Jane Hickey

The students that choose to do the Bachelor of Community Development are as diverse as our community in the western suburbs of Melbourne. So we have school leavers that come directly from Year 12 into the degree and we also have a range of mature-aged students that are either changing their career or returning to study after working within the sector. Some of our students use the pathway option coming through a Polytechnic or a TAFE, where they've done previous studies. Diploma of Community Services is a popular pathway into the Bachelor of Community Development. And also once you finish your three-year degree, there's opportunity to continue your studies in a Masters of International Community Development where there's a real focus on that global perspective of community development.

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Practical learning

Jane Hickey

So the Youth and Communities programme recognised that students all learn in different ways. So when you're a student in the community development program, you will not sit and endure long lectures. The classroom is made up of many different learning activities, opportunities to reflect on your values and ethical practice, lots of opportunities to work in collaborative groups and be assessed in many different ways.

So yes, academic writing is important, but there are lots of other ways to evidence your learning throughout your degree program.

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Industry placements

Jane Hickey

In the Bachelor of Community Development, you have the opportunity to undertake two professional placements, one in second year and one in third year. Now, these professional placements are organised for you, alongside with you, by the partnerships coordinators and what they'll do is they will find out what your areas of interest are, what your passions are in your local communities, and then match you with a community organisation, a government department, or a community group in order for you to get those practical skills of learning and working on the job.

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Industry connections

Jane Hickey

VU has really strong industry connections and partnerships with community organisations, government departments, and community groups in the western region of Melbourne, but also, lots of our students come from the eastern suburbs, the northern suburbs and also rural and regional areas, and also, we have some industry partners overseas.

The benefits of overseas study and overseas professional placements allow you to gain a global perspective of community development, but also to refine those skills to be able to work cross-culturally when you come back to Australia.

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Choose VU

Jane Hickey

The industry recognises that VU offers a vocational degree. This means that our VU graduates have the practical skills, as well as the theoretical knowledge in order to be effective community development workers.

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