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Early Childhood Studies

Entry requirements


Pass Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 80 UCAS points.

T Level

Pass (C and above)


Eligible T Level applications will be asked to achieve a minimum overall grade of P (A*-C) or Higher Pass as a condition of offer.

UCAS Tariff

104-112

We welcome a wide range of qualifications and qualification combinations. We assess each application individually, taking in to account any experience and skills you may have in your chosen field. Don't worry if you can't see your specific qualification listed, just contact our team of experts on 01782 294400 or email us at [email protected] for further advice

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About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Early years education

A degree from our Early Childhood Studies programme is ideal if you want to gain a graduate-level qualification that will enable you to work with children aged from birth to 8 years old.

You'll have a holistic approach to understanding early childhood, relating appropriate educational theory to practice. You'll look critically at the role of play, considering differing curriculum models and examining the impact of early childhood researchers and theorists on current government perspectives and practices.

This degree will prepare you for many types of employment and is supported by employers within the industry. Graduates from our Early Childhood Studies degree have progressed into primary Teacher Training, early years teaching, social work, further education, charity work and management. You'll gain placement opportunities across the birth to 8 years old age range and you'll establish lifelong networks that you can use throughout your career.

In addition to our ‘core’ Early Childhood Studies degree we offer 3 pathways: Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND), Mental health and well being or which provide a more detailed focus into those area via specific modules and work based learning experiences.

On successful completion of study, we will issue one of the following awards dependent on your chosen pathway:
BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies, BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies with Special Education Needs and Disability, BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies with Mental Health and Well Being or BA (Hons) with Education for Our Sustainable World

**Work placements**
Our placement staff will work with you to identify a suitable location for your work placement. Please also note that you are responsible for any costs incurred in travelling to and from your work placement, and for any accommodation costs.
Students on our Early Childhood Studies degrees have worked with:
- Schools

- Colleges

- Early years settings

- SEND settings

- NGOs

- Private training organisations

- Local Councils

- Armed Forces

- Prison Service

- Local Authorities

All students will attend work placements in early years settings throughout the programme, they will be expected to undertake work based activities in preparation for their teaching and learning sessions. These may include information exercises such as locating relevant policies and resource audits for review and discussion. Observations of children or work processes in the placement/work setting may be used to inform discussion, such as analysing children's needs, involvement in the planning process or the preparation of work focused learning materials. Placement records will provide support for learners on placement and all students will be supported by a work-based supervisor within the setting.

Modules

Year 1 compulsory modules:
Play and Pedagogy with Babies and Young Children, The Emergent Graduate Professional, Keeping Children Safe in Education, Children, Families and Society
Year 2 compulsory modules:
Approaches to Play Therapy, Research Methods, Contemporary Issues, Developing Professional Practice
Year 2 optional modules:
International Pedagogy and practice (ECS Standard Pathway) Mental Health in context (MHWB pathway), Children with Complex Needs (SEND Pathway), Principles of Outdoor Pedagogy (ESW Pathway)
Year 3 compulsory modules:
Independent Research Project, Pedagogical Leadership in Early Years Settings, Digital Future of Education - 21st Century Learner, Children's Voices.
Year 3 optional modules:
Literacy and Numeracy (ECS Standard Pathway), Mental Health (MHWB Pathway, SEND and the Changing World (SEND Pathway), Educating for a Sustainable World (ESW Pathway)

Tuition fees

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

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£16,750
per year
International
£16,750
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Staffordshire University (Stoke Campus)

Department:

Institute of Education

Read full university profile

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.

96%
Early years education

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.

Education

Teaching and learning

91%
Staff make the subject interesting
91%
Staff are good at explaining things
89%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
87%
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

74%
Library resources
89%
IT resources
81%
Course specific equipment and facilities
91%
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?

100%
UK students
0%
International students
2%
Male students
98%
Female students
87%
2:1 or above
11%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
E
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.

Education

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.

94%
low
Employed or in further education
33%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

38%
Teaching and educational professionals
12%
Childcare and related personal services
8%
Nursing and midwifery professionals

What about your long term prospects?

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

Education

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

£16k

£16k

£18k

£18k

£26k

£26k

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.

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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.

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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

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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