BA (Hons) Early Childhood Education
DURATION
3 up to 6 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
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EARLIEST START DATE
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TUITION FEES
GBP 13,450 *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* international students full time, part time £1680 per 15 credits / UK students full time £9250, part time £1155 per 15 credits / EU students full time £13450, part time £1680 per 15 credits
Scholarships
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Introduction
"Due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, examinations may be replaced by an alternative form of assessment during the academic year 2021/2022. Please refer to the Programme Specification on these pages for further details."
Why choose this course?
You want to work with children and families to help each child fulfill their potential. You’re excited to learn about children’s education, development, and care. We’ll teach you the latest theory, philosophy, and best practices. There are so many different approaches you can try. This is a chance to specialise in the development of young children between 0 – 7 years old. We’ll teach you how to give every child you work with the best possible start.
Gain practical experience
You’ll benefit from our strong links with employers and practitioners. You’ll see theory come to life in early educational settings. We’ll help you to improve your practice as you dive into work-related learning. We’ll unlock your ability to capture a child’s imagination, so you can support their educational needs. When you graduate, you’ll have a CV packed with valuable insights, skills, and experience.
Pick the path that’s right for you
Choose to specialise in the area that suits you best. We give you the opportunity to focus on practice or research. Whichever path you choose, you can enter a variety of careers related to working with children and families.
If you focus on practice, you’ll complete two extended work placements in your 2nd and 3rd years. In addition to your degree, you’ll graduate with Early Childhood Graduate Practitioner Competencies. This puts you in an excellent position to seek immediate employment in early childhood settings and to count in staff-child ratios from the day you start work. This means you’ll be able to make a difference early on in your career. Plus, you’ll have a range of transferable skills that are in high demand.
If you focus on research, you’ll specialise in theory and critical analysis. You’ll investigate philosophies, concepts, and current issues related to early childhood education. We’ll teach you how to critique their impact through work-based learning. Through your studies, you’ll become an expert in the theories which underpin child development, education, and care. You’ll become a confident, self-aware, and reflective graduate. You’ll have the research skills to work in a variety of multi-agency settings or progress to post-graduate studies.
What’s more, you can study full or part-time. This degree is suitable for students who have just completed their Level 3 studies and early childhood practitioners who want to increase their qualifications. If you’re passionate about improving early childhood education, then we’ve got a flexible programme of study that’s right for you.
Learn from experts
You’ll learn from lecturers who have worked in early childhood settings for many years. Our staff comes from a variety of professions, including primary teaching, children centre management, health visiting, and nursing. With so much experience to learn from, you’ll gain a unique and valuable insight into your chosen career. Our expert teaching team is committed to delivering an innovative education experience. So much so, that we’ve been awarded TEF Gold. This means that you’ll be studying at one of the best universities in the country for teaching and student support. Sounds good, right?
Your main campus is de Havilland
You’ll share this campus with students from business, law, sport, education, and humanities subjects. The student housing is close to our Sports Village which includes a gym, swimming pool, and climbing wall. You can get breakfast, lunch, or dinner in our on-campus restaurant or bar (in the newly built Enterprise Hub) on days you don’t feel like cooking. You can also use the common room to play pool, video games or just to hang out with friends. Our Learning Resources Centres are open 24/7, which means you can study whenever suits you best. Want to pop over to the other campus? You can take the free shuttle bus or walk there in just 15 minutes.
This course includes the options of:
- Work placement
- Study abroad
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Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Curriculum
What will I study?
Degree programmes are structured into levels, 4, 5, and 6. These correspond to your first, second, and third/final year of study. Below you can see what modules you’ll be studying in each.
Level 4
- Personal and Professional Skills II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Early Childhood Development II 30 Credits II Compulsory
- Creativity and Learning II 30 Credits II Compulsory
- Global Perspectives on Childhood II 30 Credits II Compulsory
- An Introduction to Interprofessional Education II 15 Credits II Compulsory
Level 5
- Psychological Perspectives II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Transitions in Early Childhood II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Pedagogical Approaches II 30 Credits II Compulsory
- Children’s Wellbeing II 30 Credits II Compulsory
- Study Abroad - BA Early Childhood Education II 60 Credits II Optional
- Designing an Inquiry II 15 Credits II Optional
- Child Study II 15 Credits II Optional
Level 6
- Developing my Pedagogical Creed II 30 Credits II Compulsory
- Research Project II 30 Credits II Compulsory
- Working with Parents, Families and Communities II 30 Credits II Optional
- Developing Mathematics and Literacy in Early Childhood II 15 Credits II Optional
- Special Education Needs and Disability II 15 Credits II Optional
- Interprofessional Working in Early Childhood Settings II 15 Credits II Optional
- Pedagogical Leadership II 15 Credits II Optional
Study abroad
An opportunity for an amazing experience, which will help make you stand out from the crowd. With more and more companies working internationally, the experience of living in another country can make a great impression on future employers.
This course offers you the opportunity to enhance your study and CV by studying abroad in semester B of your second year of study. The University has partnerships with over 150 universities around the world, including the USA, Canada, Asia, Africa, Australia, South America, and closer to home in Europe.
We’ll ask you to make your decision in your second year, so there is plenty of time to think about it.
Work placement
The second year of the course focuses on applying theory to practice through work-related learning. In order to achieve this, you will undertake a placement in an early childhood setting of approximately 22 days.
You will spend a whole week in your placement setting after which you will attend placement for one day each week throughout Semester A and Semester B.
Your learning and experience in placement will support and inform your learning in the taught modules during Year 2. If you are already at work you may not need an additional placement but the placement tutor may recommend some visits to other settings.
What if I need support?
You’ll get a personal tutor to guide you through your course, all the way to graduation. You might also want or need extra support during your time with us. Rest assured, no matter what you study, we’ve got you covered. For help with study skills, including referencing, essay writing, and presentations, you’ll have access to our academic support services. You can attend workshops, 1-to-1 sessions, and online tutorials. Both our LRCs (Learning Resource Centres) run drop-in study skills sessions. And the best thing is, it’s all free.
Within the School of Education, we have a dedicated ‘Student Success and Engagement Team’ who are there to support you with your welfare and academic writing support. There are also opportunities to have a peer mentor, who will be a more experienced student specially trained to provide support for you.