Program Overview

• Acquire a deep understanding of why early years education is so important
• Enjoy the freedom to follow up your own interests with a wide range of optional modules
• Voluntary work in your second year counts towards academic credit
• Focus on your employment prospects, whether you are looking to pursue a teaching career or other support roles in schools and early years settings
• Benefit from a dedicated and supportive programme team

In Year 1, you learn to familiarise yourself with the important names and terms in educational theory and you are encouraged to reflect on how your own educational experiences have influenced you.

In Years 2 and 3, you learn more about the impact of different social, political and cultural perspectives on early childhood learning. The course gives you a lot of flexibility to follow your interests. In Year 2, you can choose from a range of optional modules as diverse as What is a Child?, Play, or Progressive Education. In this second year, you can also choose to do volunteering for academic credit.

In Year 3, you write your dissertation on a topic of your choice – examples of 2017 dissertations include the role of the parent in the nature/nurture debate, the impact of life scripts in early childhood, and the relation between physical education and academic performance. You also pursue optional modules which may include the Loss of Childhood, Early Childhood in a Changing World, or Film in Education. By the end of the programme, you graduate as a well-rounded, critical thinker in early childhood theory.

The Education Studies and Early Childhood BA is the right degree for you if you have a wide interest in education and early childhood. You may be thinking about teaching, but at this stage you are looking to keep your options open. The programme tutors form a dedicated and enthusiastic team who look forward to meeting you and talking about your ambitions.