Early Childhood Studies BA (Hons)

Course overview

Successive governments have shown a commitment to developing the early childhood care and education workforce into a graduate profession and first-class professional body, equipping those at the frontline to support and enhance children’s development and learning.

You develop relevant and specialist knowledge within sociology, psychology, education, health, legislation and policy. And you develop theoretical and practical skills that can be applied to leading early years practice, supporting learning and further training in various disciplines including social work, nursing and teaching.

Your studies include child development, understanding how practitioners support children's learning and language development, and developing transferable professional skills. This programme introduces you to ideas about teaching and develops emerging skills as a critical and reflective practitioner.

Career opportunities

Career opportunities are working with families and children in a range of different roles: for example as support workers and assistants in schools, local authority or health services. Students progress into roles in nurseries, schools and children centers supporting both children and parents. With a good honours degree, you can progress to post graduate professional study such as for teaching in the early years or social work.

The programme incorporates broad employability skills development that will help to prepare you for future employment. You will be encouraged to volunteer and will have opportunities to take part in projects. There are guest lectures from professionals working in relevant areas and opportunities for site visits. Workshops are available for skills development.

All programmes are designed to incorporate employability skills development alongside your degree course. Our staff utilize their extensive connections to provide many and varied opportunities to engage with potential employers through fairs, guest lecture sessions, live projects and site visits. In addition we offer a series of workshops and events in the first, second and third year that ensure all students are equipped with both degree level subject knowledge PLUS the practical skills that employers are looking for in new graduate recruits.

Our award-winning careers service provide information sessions each year to help students prepare for employment and they work with regional and national employers to provide careers fairs advertise graduate positions, in addition to providing postgraduate support for all Teesside University alumni.