Early Childhood Studies (0-8 years) (Joint Honours)

When can you start this course? | UCAS code | Fees | Course length | Entry requirements

What is joint honours?

With joint honours, you can study for an honours degree in two or even three subjects. Find out more about joint honours, including what subjects you can combine with this one.

Why choose this course?

If you are interested in gaining an insight into childhood and the experience of being a child today, then this course is for you.

There is an emphasis on the development of your transferable skills such as teamwork, reflection and the ability to use research that you'll need for successful employment.

You'll have a range of relevant modules to choose from which are designed to challenge your ideas about childhood.

You can combine this course with a range of other subjects including sociology, education studies, psychology, popular culture and media, theatre arts, sport and exercise studies, maths, English and law. This allows you to keep your options open.

About the course

This course will enable you to develop your understanding of early childhood from birth to eight years old, discovering how children develop, learn and think. You'll explore the importance of meeting children's needs and how these needs can be met. You'll consider the challenges and opportunities in children's services, and look at childhood from a range of perspectives. We'll encourage you to use your own experiences in early years to enhance your knowledge and develop your understanding of early childhood.

To provide you with an insight into working in the early years sector, you'll have the option to take a stand alone joint honours work experience module. This can be discussed with a Joint Honours academic counsellor. You'll develop your observational and reflective skills, as well as your practical knowledge of early years settings.

You'll be taught by lecturers from backgrounds including early years, primary teaching, social work, nursery management, health visiting, social sciences, law and ICT, so you'll gain a wide range of knowledge and expertise.

Throughout the course you'll be taught through lectures, seminar activities and tutorials in order to support you through your assessments. Throughout the course you'll take part in group work which provides a good opportunity for discussion and interaction. It will help you to develop your confidence and to explore ideas as you learn. We believe it's important that you have the time to listen, discuss and think through ideas in a really supportive atmosphere.

At each stage of the course you'll be able to choose from a range of different modules to tailor your degree to suit your own interests. You'll be assessed through essays, reports, posters, presentations, case studies, online tests and independent research. You won't have to take any exams.

Find out more about what subjects and modules you'll be studying...

Your career

Dr Vivian Walkup talks about the different careers you can go into with a degree in Early Childhood Studies.

This course will prepare you for a career in the private, voluntary or independent sectors, and with further postgraduate training, teaching and social work. If you want to become a teacher, this course will prepare you so that you can go on to study either our Graduate Diploma in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector to teach adults, or our PGCE Primary to become a primary school teacher.

You'll develop your own knowledge, skills and confidence in ways that are looked for in a wide range of early years management and services. You could progress onto our Early Years Professional Status which will enable you to lead practice across early years and mentor other practitioners.

What our students say

Ioanna Antoniadou, one of our recent graduates says:
"The staff are friendly and supportive, and they make you feel comfortable."

Kay Cullow, one of our graduates.
"This course is stretching my thinking and learning with regards to child development."

Carol Lewis, one of our graduates.
"A welcoming environment to study in and the part time option has been such a great opportunity esecially as I have young children."

Laura Gill, one of our graduates.
"I have really enjoyed my time on the course and tutors are so helpful and always available for that extra support."

Start dates

If you're from the UK or EU you can apply to study this course in:

September 2012

If you're from a country outside the EU you can apply to study this course full time in:

September 2012

UCAS code

Popular courses that can be combined with Early Childhood Studies include:

Sociology
Education Studies
Psychology
Theatre Arts
Sport and Exercise Studies
Maths
English
Law

Fees

This is a classroom based subject.

UK/EU students

Full time:

If you combine this subject with another classroom based subject or a resource intensive subject it will cost £6,995 per year.
If you combine this subject with a specialist subject it will cost £7,495 per year.

Part time:

You usually take 18 of these modules in total for your course

Modules from classroom based subjects will cost £875 per module.
Modules from resource intensive subjects will cost £935 per module.
Modules from specialist subjects will cost £1,000 per module.

International students

Full time:

If you combine this subject with another classroom based subject or a resource intensive subject it will cost £9,700 per year.
If you combine this subject with a specialist subject it will cost £9,975 per year.

*These fees apply if you're starting this course between September 2012 and August 2013. We recommend you check fee details with us though, as they can change. Costs can increase each year.

More information about our fees for September 2012 and the support available