Early Childhood Studies - BA (Hons)

Explore the world through a child’s eyes as you develop your skills in childcare. Prepare yourself for a rewarding career in any registered setting in England, without needing to retrain.

Working with young children is hugely rewarding and a lot of fun. It can also be very challenging, and it’s a fast-moving sector. We’ll help you develop the skills and understanding you need to apply for great jobs and to perform well in them.

This course has been designed to make sure that our graduates have the skills employers are looking for. It offers a good balance between academic theory and practical experience.

In Year 1, we’ll focus on the child and on learning, moving on to explore the workplace and consider possible career options in Year 2. In Year 3 we’ll look at culture and society, and engage with some of the wider debates about childhood.

We encourage you to do work placements with children from birth to eight years old. As well as this, starting in semester 2 of Year 1, you can choose to do a weekly work placement (plus reflective essay) or a more theoretical assignment. If you choose the theoretical route, you’ll still be encouraged to organise visits to observe children.

We think you’ll enjoy using our modern facilities. There’s our Early Childhood Resource and Research Room, where you can experiment with spaces, equipment and play. There are ‘persona dolls’ for exploring social and emotional issues; a domestic play area for role play; general play equipment; and IT equipment appropriate to early years classes.