Early Childhood (Q89)

Interested in making a difference in young children’s lives? This Early Childhood degree focuses on children from birth to seven years, ideal if you work with young children or want to learn more about their experiences. You’ll explore early childhood through national and international perspectives, focusing on children’s voices, play, creativity and participation. Drawing on theory and research, you’ll examine how children develop and learn within families, communities and early years settings. You’ll also consider early childhood in diverse social, cultural and multi-disciplinary contexts, building critical insight for further study or professional work in early childhood care and education.

Key features of the course

• Suitable for people working, volunteering or looking to work in the early childhood sector

• Takes a holistic approach to understanding early childhood from a range of perspectives

• Explores the importance of young children’s play and creativity in the context of the family and early childhood settings

• Encourages collaboration with other students to reflect on contemporary issues and debates in early childhood

This early childhood degree has three stages, each comprising 120 credits.

In Stage 1, you’ll study two 60-credit modules that develop your understanding of early childhood from a range of perspectives. Drawing on theory and research, you’ll examine how children grow, develop and learn, with a particular focus on young children’s play and creativity within the context of the family and early childhood settings.

In Stage 2, you’ll study a 60-credit module that examines critical issues in early childhood, focusing on listening to children and reflecting on practice. You’ll also choose one further 60 credit module from a range of options that broaden your perspective into areas such as development, education, youth and wellbeing.

In the final stage, Stage 3, you’ll study two 60-credit modules that explore how childhood, youth, parenting and families are shaped by society, engaging with issues such as inequality, diversity and wellbeing, and introduce research methods and analytical techniques relating to children and young people.