Early Years Education

• Gain the Early Childhood Graduate Practitioner Status at Level 6 (professional qualification) alongside your degree.

• Gain professional experience and put theory into practice through placements at each level of study.

• Graduate as a work ready professional and become an outstanding graduate through a consistently high-quality student experience.

• Learn from a dedicated team of research active tutors who are experts in the field.

• Benefit from our links and partnerships with local and international early years providers.

• Graduate as a research-informed critical thinker who understands the power education has to shape lives and to be a lever for positive change in the world.

This programme offers you the opportunity to gain the Early Childhood Graduate Practitioner Competencies Qualification in addition to your academic award.

If you want to make a positive difference to the lives of young children, their families and the societies in which they grow up, this degree is for you. Early childhood education and the wider issues related to the experiences, development and care of children plays a critical role in the cognitive, social and emotional development of individuals in ways which impact their formative years and later lives. This degree takes a holistic approach to the study of early childhood focusing on education, care and development from conception to 8 years and you can gain the Early Childhood Graduate Practitioner Competencies Qualification at Level 6 in addition to your degree if you wish.

Whether your degree leads you to become an Early Childhood Graduate Practitioner in early years settings, to another graduate career related to young children, or to further study, you will develop the breadth and depth of knowledge and specialist skills necessary to become a critically minded, reflective professional. Our course supports you to develop an in-depth understanding of research, policy and practice in the field and you will draw on a range of disciplines including education, social policy, disability studies, philosophy, health and psychology to develop you as an outstanding graduate ready to work in the Early Years sector or other multi-professional contexts. As well as developing your knowledge and expertise in Early Childhood, our course supports your intellectual, personal, social, ethical and professional development and you will develop important transferable skills such as critical reflection, systematic analysis, communication and collaboration.

Through mandatory modules, placements at each year of study, and an optional module in Year 3, you will learn about the nature and development of the child. You will explore the wide range of factors that influence the child, their development and their learning including issues such as: health, relationships, play, the environment, race, gender, power, technology, culture, inclusion and politics. You will become confident with a range of current policy and put your theoretical knowledge into practice through your placements and a range of research based and practice related assessments.

Year 1 will support you in orientating to university level study through a range of core modules which include content that is fundamental to the multidisciplinary study of education. You will also undertake your first placement. In Year 2, content becomes increasingly specialised as you put your developing knowledge and skills into practice in your placements. In Year 3, in addition to your Dissertation, mandatory module and placement, you will have the opportunity to select an optional module. Throughout your degree you will develop your knowledge and expertise in Early Years Education by drawing on national and international research and practices and the extensive experience and research expertise of our dedicated tutor team.

For detailed information on modules you will be studying please click on the 'View course details' link at the top of this summary box.