Our Early Childhood Studies degree is ideal if you’re looking to work with children and babies from birth to the age of eight.
You will gain a broad understanding of the professional issues that underpin the care and education of young children as well as increasing your understanding and awareness of the rapidly evolving nature of early years provision around the world. You will cover children’s development and learning in the context of the family and the community, as well as wider national and international settings. Paediatric First Aid training is included as part of the course and you will have the opportunity to complete the Early Childhood Graduate Practitioner Competencies.
This course includes placements in each year which allows you to put your academic learning into practice giving you real, practical knowledge that will be invaluable in your future career.
You will benefit from specialist sessions with professionals in the fields of special educational needs, social work, cultural diversity and creative and therapeutic approaches.
This degree is excellent preparation for any leadership role in an Early Years setting. It is also a strong foundation for a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), Early Years Teacher Status (0-5) or the School Direct route into teaching.
NSS*
100% of final year BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies students at The University of Northampton agreed they were satisfied with the course
95% go on to work and / or study within 15 months after the course
100% Staff are good at explaining things
94% Staff have made the subject interesting
100% The course is intellectually stimulating
By studying at the University of Northampton, you can be sure that:
Our expert academics teach in small groups supported with one to one assistance. Our academics and students form a tight bond, providing individualised support and guidance whilst challenging students academically.
Whatever your ambitions, we’re here to help you to achieve them. We’ll support you to identify the skills you’re learning during your course, find your strengths and secure practical experience so that when it comes to applying for jobs or further study you’ll feel confident in standing out from the crowd.
At UON we guarantee a room in our Halls of Residence for all new full-time, first year students who apply and accept their room offer by June 2026 - and we won't ask for a deposit for September 2026*.
Students enrolling on this course at Northampton will be provided with their own brand new laptop** to keep at no additional cost. All sports clubs and societies are free to join at Northampton and every essential course text book is available via the library, meaning you won’t have to purchase copies. For more information on this visit our website (northampton.ac.uk/benefits).
You will experience student life at the University’s £330 million Waterside Campus. Come along to an Open Day and find out more.
The Northampton Employment Promise
In fact, we’re so confident in our careers and employability support that if you achieve at least a 2:2 degree and complete either our Employability Plus Gold programme or achieve a Changemaker Gold Certificate during your time studying with us, but still haven’t secured full-time employment 12 months after graduating, we will secure a three – six month paid internship for you or support you into postgraduate study.
✱ eligibility criteria apply. See northampton.ac.uk/student-life/accommodation/ for more information
✱✱ eligibility criteria and terms and conditions apply. See northampton.ac.uk/benefits for more information
Stage 1
• Children’s Health and Wellbeing (Compulsory)
• Professional Practice in Early Childhood 1 (Compulsory)
• Personal, Academic and Professional Development 1 (Compulsory)
• The Developing Professional (Compulsory)
• Child Development (Compulsory)
• Ethical Approaches to Early Childhood (Compulsory)
Stage 2
• Safeguarding and Child Protection (Compulsory)
• Promoting Children’s Development (Compulsory)
• Professional Practice in Early Childhood 2 (Compulsory)
• Creative and Therapeutic Approaches (Compulsory)
• Special Educational Needs and Disability (Compulsory)
• Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood (Compulsory)
Stage 3
• Dissertation (Compulsory)
• Research and Inquiry in Professional Contexts (Compulsory)
• Graduate Practitioner Practice (Compulsory)
• Specialist Option: Health and Social Care (Designated)
• Professional Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education and Care (Designated)
• Early Childhood Graduate Practitioner Competencies (Designated)
• Early Years Leadership and Management (Compulsory)
Module information is quoted for 2026 entry. Please note that modules run subject to student numbers and staff availability, any changes will be communicated to applicants accordingly.
There are no exams on this course. Instead, you will complete written assignments, presentations, projects, posters and professional development portfolios.
To work as a teacher at a state school in England or Wales, you will need to achieve qualified teacher status (QTS). This is offered on this course for the following level:
This course is available in Clearing. If you have submitted an application, you can add this course. If you haven’t sent us an application yet, you can do this until 24th September 2026.
This is the equal consideration deadline. You can still apply after this date, but your application may not receive guaranteed consideration.
University of Northampton has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.
See why these ratings were awarded
What does this TEF outcome mean?
The following entry points are available for this course:
Discover what it's like to study Early Childhood Studies at University of Northampton: insights on the course, making friends, personal statement tips, uni prep, and recommended books, podcasts, and videos.
GCSE Mathematics at grade 4 (or C) and GCSE English Language at grade 4 (or C) or equivalent qualifications are required.
Find out more about qualification requirements for this course.
Every applicant to the University of Northampton is unique. We assess each application individually, considering qualifications, experience, and personal background. We welcome a wide range of qualifications and qualification mixes. Most UCAS applicants receive Conditional Offers, but Contextual or Unconditional Offers may be given based on factors like course choice, personal circumstances, interview performance, practical activities, GCSE results, and predicted grades.
This section shows the range of grades that students who received offers were previously accepted on to this course with (learn more).
It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place.
Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.
We are unable to show previous accepted grades for this course. This could be because the course is new, it's a postgraduate course, there isn't enough historical data, or the provider has opted out of sharing their entry grades data for this course - learn more.
This report uses your grades to show how students with similar results have done when applying to this course in the past. Sometimes, there isn’t data for every possible set of grades. When that happens, universities and colleges occasionally fill in the gaps for sets of grades that are typically accepted.
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Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.
No additional fees or cost information has been supplied for this course, please contact the provider directly.
Email:study@northampton.ac.uk
Phone:01604 214808
8.00 am to 5.00 pm
Email:study@northampton.ac.uk
Phone:0300 303 2772
The University of Northampton
Waterside Campus
University Drive
Northampton
NN1 5PH
At University of Northampton
