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Anglia Ruskin University

UCAS Code: X3C2 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)

Entry requirements

GCSE/National 4/National 5

5 GCSEs at grade C, or grade 4, or above, including English.

UCAS Tariff

88

from two A-levels or equivalent

About this course

Course option

3years

Full-time | 2025

Subject

Early childhood studies

Join the only UK university provider of specialist Montessori degrees at undergraduate and postgraduate level and start your career as a Montessori teacher. Take a Montessori placement and work towards your Early Years Graduate Practitioner Competencies, whether you study in Chelmsford or by distance learning.

If you’re interested in working in a Montessori and early years context, our BA (Hons) Montessori Early Childhood Studies degree will develop your knowledge and skills to become a competent and effective Montessori teacher.

You’ll explore the Montessori method of education, focussing on the three elements of the Montessori Dynamic triangle: the child, the environment and the teacher. Together, we'll explore the Montessori materials and presentations that support children’s learning and development, giving them opportunities for self-direction, while you guide them on their journey to self-discovery and reaching their full potential.

You’ll also examine child development, cosmic education, social justice, and inclusion, developing your ability to reflect critically on your experiences as well as a broad and balanced societal view supported by theoretical knowledge and research evidence.

If you study on the face-to-face version of this course, you’ll need to attend lectures on campus one day and week and spend one day a week in your chosen placement setting.

Our Education courses ranked 7th in the UK in the Guardian University Guide 2024.

Throughout your degree, you’ll work towards achieving the core Early Years Graduate Practitioner Competencies, with placement, that ensure your qualification is full and relevant for a Montessori graduate. Undertaking placements in a Montessori setting will give you the important hands-on practical experience that you'll need to be successful in the sector.

You’ll consistently receive the necessary support and tools to graduate as a well-rounded individual, with a passion for the Montessori pedagogy, and ready to enter an ever-changing early years workplace fully-equipped to make a difference to the children you work with.

You’ll learn from staff who are all qualified Montessori practitioners and have experience of working within Montessori educational settings. They’ll support you with ongoing feedback and personalised teaching approaches, along with resources based on your needs, interests, and experiences as a learner.

You’ll also benefit from the educational links and research our lecturers are involved in through our Early Childhood Research Group.

If you already have a Level 4 Montessori qualification, or a Montessori FdA, you can join the course at Level 5 or 6.

Guided by the Early Years Professional Framework, we work with employers to ensure our BA (Hons) Montessori Early Childhood Studies will give you the knowledge, skills and abilities that you need.

You’ll be qualified to work in any registered setting in England, including nurseries and preschools, as a Montessori teacher, or in leadership roles.

You might also want to continue on to a Masters course, such as one of our MA Education degrees, which include options to specialise in leadership and management, SEND, and Montessori settings, or our PGCE. Take advantage of our Alumni Scholarship and get 20% off your fees.

Modules

Year 1 Core Modules: Play, Health and Wellbeing; Researching Childhood; Early Childhood Graduate Competencies; Theoretical Montessori Foundations; Montessori Curriculum 1. Year 2 Core Modules: Embracing Diversity; Supporting Children's Learning 1: Comparing Curricula; Early Childhood Graduate Competencies; Safeguarding Children; Montessori Curriculum 2; Ruskin Module. Year 3 Core Modules: Children's Rights; Undergraduate Major Project; Montessori Leadership and Management; Change and Sustainability in a Montessori Context; Early Childhood Graduate Competencies; Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Modules are subject to change and availability.

Assessment methods

You’ll show your progress through both academic and practical tasks that reflect the knowledge, skills and understanding required to work in educational settings, including essays, professional reports, videos, and presentations.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,535
per year
England
£9,535
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,535
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,535
per year
Scotland
£9,535
per year
Wales
£9,535
per year

The Uni

Course location:

Chelmsford Campus

Department:

School of Education at Anglia Ruskin University

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What students say

We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

95%
Early childhood studies

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Childhood and youth studies

Teaching and learning

90%
Staff make the subject interesting
100%
Staff are good at explaining things
100%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
90%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

90%
Library resources
95%
IT resources
95%
Course specific equipment and facilities
80%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

96%
UK students
4%
International students
3%
Male students
97%
Female students
76%
2:1 or above
8%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
B
D

After graduation

The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Childhood and youth studies

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£27,500
high
Average annual salary
98%
med
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

94%
Welfare professionals
2%
Health professionals
2%
Business, finance and related associate professionals

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Childhood and youth studies

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£29k

£29k

£32k

£32k

£29k

£29k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here