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Early Years Education (with Early Years Teacher Status) (Taught)

  • MA
  • 1 Years
  • Full-time
  • 09/2025
  • Postgraduate
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2025-20262026-2027
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Course summary

1st in the UK for our research impact in Education in REF 2021 (Times Higher Education)

Outstanding for Overall Effectiveness in Early Years ITT (Ofsted 2023)

10th in the UK for Education (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024)

Do you want to work with children from birth to five years old (including Reception) in the public and private sectors? Achieve Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS) in just one year with this Masters-level course.

Early Years learning primarily focuses on the following ideas:

  • what constitutes ‘quality’ in Early Years education?

  • equity, inclusion and justice for the pre-school child and the wider family

  • ideas of communication, imagination, language and literacy, and provision for the bi/trilingual child

  • understandings of early mathematical and scientific development

  • discourses of nurture, care and attachment.

On this MA, there are two routes available:

  • an employment-based route for people already working in an Early Years setting

  • a placement route for those not currently working in the sector.

As a student on the employment-based route, you’d normally work in an Early Years setting within about 90 minutes’ travelling distance from our campus. This is so you can attend teaching on campus as well as work within your placement setting. University staff also need to be able to support you on your placement.

As a student on the graduate route, we’d seek to place you within similar travelling distance of our campus. We welcome applicants currently not living within 90 minutes of campus. Please note that, if your application is successful, we would expect you to relocate so we can give you the appropriate level of support in your work and studies.

This course is currently funded by the UK Government. There is currently no fee to pay for UK students. There are also training bursaries if you’re on the employment based route. Find out more on the UK Government web pages.

Modules

Please check our website in January 2025 for the modules running in the academic year 2025/26.

Ways to study this course

Campuses

  • Main Site

Study options

  • MA • Full-time • 1 Years

Start dates

  • 09/2025

Open days

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Entry requirements

You should normally have a lower second-class (2.2) undergraduate honours degree or above.

If you are a graduate:

your qualification can be in any subject.
If you are currently working in the Early Years sector:

your qualification can be in any subject
you must be currently working in a UK school or nursery in an Early Years or Foundation class setting.
You must have achieved a GCSE grade C (or equivalent) in English, maths and a science subject.

Note: If you have achieved Early Years Professional Status (EYPS) or Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS) you are eligible to apply for the course. You can’t receive funding from the government, but you may be eligible for exemption from the practice-based course modules, and still be awarded an Early Years Education MA on a self-funding basis. Email MAEYTSadmin@sussex.ac.uk for more information.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

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.

Additional fee information

Please click on the course URL to see up-to-date fee information.

Sponsorship information

Our goal is to ensure that every student who wants to study with us is able to regardless of financial barriers, so that we continue to attract talented and unique people.

Details of our scholarships are not yet set for entry in the academic year 2025/26.

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