BA in Early Years: Teaching and Learning

Why choose this course?

If you work in the Early Years and have a foundation degree in Early Years (or equivalent), this flexible course is ideal for developing your career. You'll be able to balance studies with your employment and gain a full BA (Hons) degree.

This course has been developed to build upon your working practice through the examination of social, political, and cultural aspects of early education. As part of the course, you'll consider how creativity and play-act as tools for children's learning, and you'll learn how to make critical decisions that can transform practice. The course offers you an opportunity to explore multi-disciplinary working, deepen your knowledge and understanding of transitions in that occur in childhood and examine current issues in early education.

Assignments enable you to draw on your professional knowledge in work-based situations. You'll also have the opportunity to research and develop your specific area of interest.

Reasons to choose Kingston University

• Kingston is No.2 overall in the UK for education (Guardian League Tables 2022).
• This qualification is valued by employers and will be a mark of your professional excellence and expertise.
• You will be able to combine academic study with work-based learning, attending one teaching session per week at Kingston University.

What you will study

The course covers the following areas:

• effective Early Years practice
• play-based pedagogies
• a range of transitional experiences
• current issues in education and multidisciplinary working
• inclusive practice and differentiated approaches
• creativity across the curriculum
• planning for critical issues
• research design and methodology

Modules

Core modules

• Transition and Transformation
• Creativity and Critical Thinking
• Critical Choices For Leaders
• Dissertation in an aspect of Professional Practice

Please note

Optional modules only run if there is enough demand. If we have an insufficient number of students interested in an optional module, that module will not be offered for this course.

After you graduate

This qualification is respected by employers and seen as a mark of professional excellence and expertise, enabling you to develop your career. Once you complete this course, you will be well-placed to pursue postgraduate opportunities to enhance your professional development in education and related fields.

Many students return to Kingston University for postgraduate and continuing professional development studies. These include Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS) and Masters studies.

Types of jobs

• Early Years manager
• Children's Centre manager
• Early Years Lead Practitioner
• Family Outreach worker
• Assessor/Tutor
• Playworker
• Early Years advisor
• Early years group leader
• Early youth educator
• Higher-level teaching assistant