Bachelor in Leisure and Social Pedagogy

The degree in Leisure and Social Pedagogy has as mission to qualify professionals to assume functions of designing and managing projects and institutions, training of animators, coordination of educational teams with pedagogical projects that fit in contexts of leisure, education and training and / or local development.

The course takes six semesters (each with 30 ECTS) and students can choose the vocational option in Education and Leisure or Adult Education and Local Development.
The course objectives are:
1. To qualify professionals capable of assuming several roles: creation, management and direction of projects and institutions; training leisure and social workers; coordination of educational teams with educational projects that fit in leisure, learning, training and local development contexts.
2. To qualify professionals capable of conducting studies to analyze and understand social and educational contexts as dynamic and complex realities on which they will act professionally, from the responsibility inherent to their status as social and educational agents and through participatory approaches.
3. To qualify professionals capable to design, implement and evaluate social and educational projects from entrepreneurial initiatives, fundraising and networking of local, regional, national and international partnerships, that answer to social, educational and cultural needs at local, national and European levels.

Access to the course is through the following possibilities:
a) National Acess Application (for candidates with a course of secondary education or equivalent degree);
b ) Special Applications (for candidates who fulfill the conditions issued in Decree 393 -A / 99 of 2 October);
c ) Special Applications (for candidates with: Above 23 years old candidates Evidences, college graduates and
Technological specialization courses – CET);
d ) Change of Degree/Institution.

The specific exams required for access to the degree are one of the following: (09) Geography ; (11); hHstory; (18) Portuguese .

Professional with functions in Local Development and Community Intervention;
Animation and Sociocultural Management Professional;
Educational and Free Time Projects manager (for children and young people);
Educator, trainer and adult mediator;
Social Inclusion Professional.

Portuguese.

The learning goals focus on the acquisition and mastery of theoretical and technical knowledge, on students’ capacity building forconstructive and critical analysis of social and educational realities and on the skills acquisition and
development that allow them to investigate and act in these contexts. They are grouped as:
1. Knowledge acquisition and proficiency. – Students must demonstrate the acquisition and understanding of knowledge acquirements such as: the scope and principles of social, cultural and educational intervention; the theoretical, scientific and methodological frameworks which support social and educational intervention; development and social change issues; psychological and physical development of human beings, their characteristics and behavior; formal, non formal and informal education typologies, its specificities and potentials; the learning specificities of contexts of non formal education and leisure; the methodology of action-research, its guidelines, techniques and instruments as a base for socio-educational intervention; the project methodology, its guidelines, techniques and instruments; intervention contexts; local resources as a mean of promoting of social, cultural and educational projects; importance of cultural and natural heritage as a mean of carrying out social and educational projects;
2. Acquisition and development of skills and abilities. – Students have to develop and demonstrate skills such as the ability to: articulate theoretical background with Leisure and Social Pedagogy achievements and practices; to justify their Leisure and Social Pedagogy intervention options, achievements and evaluation; design projects at different areas including the diagnosis, planning, implementation and evaluation stages, following a participatory methodology and being guided by educational purposes according to the participants/ target group needs and potentials; designing, implementing and managing activities tailored to specific target groups; act in the training, management and development of teams in work contexts; design, develop, evaluate and present a process of action-research and its results; communicate and present Leisure and Social Pedagogy projects, its results and impact in the community.

The Diploma in Leisure and Social Pedagogy grants qualification to continue studies in a Master Degree.