BA (Hons) Early Years Childhood Studies

• 96 UCAS points. We accept a full range of qualifications that carry UCAS points, including A-levels, BTECs and T levels. Please see our guide to the UCAS Tariff for examples of how to achieve these points. For most courses, we are also able to consider non-tariffable qualifications.
• Any subjects are acceptable at Level 3. Subjects relevant to the study of early years and childhood studies are preferred.
• You should also have five GCSEs at grade C or above or grade 4 to 9 (or equivalent), including English and Mathematics.
• You'll be required to secure a work placement before the end of semester 1.
• We'll be happy to consider your application if you don't meet the standard entry requirements but have non-traditional qualifications and/or relevant experience demonstrating appropriate knowledge and skills at Level 3.
• This course involves working with children and you must gain an Enhanced Disclosure certificate from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) before starting your studies. Charges are payable to cover the cost of the DBS Enhanced Disclosure application and annual registration with the online Update Service.
• If English isn’t your first language, you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.
• Please note that this course is subject to the University of Bolton's Fitness to Practise procedure.
• We’d love to have an informal chat with you about this course, either over the phone or in person. If you wish to meet in person, please contact the programme leader to arrange a mutually convenient time. Our open days are an especially good time to visit us and find out more. (While we reserve the right to interview you or ask you to undergo other forms of assessment to determine your suitability for study, it's not our usual practice for this course.)

Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.

The University of Bolton's BA (Hons) Early Years Childhood Studies course will help you gain knowledge and understanding of a range of issues relating to early childhood, families and society. It provides a solid foundation from which you can progress onto professional training such as teaching, nursing and social work. As a graduate, you'll possess key transferable skills such as communication, time management, teamwork, critical analysis, negotiation, problem-solving, and dealing with challenging situations.

What can I do with this qualification?

Our BA (Hons) Early Years and Childhood Studies graduates can enter a wide range of job sectors with an equally wide range of employers, including local authorities, local and national charities, state and independent schools, nurseries and health authorities. The degree is an excellent springboard to roles such as teacher and teaching assistant, nursery practitioner and manager, learning mentor, special educational needs teacher, out-of-school worker, family support worker, and social worker, bearing in mind that some of these roles require postgraduate study or relevant experience.

BA (Hons) Early Years and Childhood Studies graduates often progress to postgraduate study leading to professional statuses such as teaching and social work. The most popular options are the postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) and early years teacher (EYT), so many graduates go on to work as primary or secondary school, early years or special needs teachers.

As a graduate of this course, you'll be able to apply for postgraduate courses in teacher education and other related fields, as well as employment opportunities in the field of education, such as family support workers, teaching assistants and learning mentors. Whilst the course does not lead directly to Qualified Teacher Status, it does allow access to career pathways that require a full honours degree.

Previous graduates have taken up posts through Schools Direct and progressed onto postgraduate courses in teacher education and other related fields. Successfully completing this top-up course can support your career advancement in education and professional development or support your application to postgraduate study, including PGCE and other professional master's programmes.

Alternative career options

Graduates can use this qualification as a stepping stone into a range of other careers. Some of these roles require relevant experience and/or postgraduate study. Possibilities include:

• Play therapy
• Counselling
• Child psychotherapy
• School liaison
• Sports and outdoor education
• Student welfare
• Nursing
• Educational psychology
• Speech and language therapy
• Community development
• Consultancy and research

Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2023-2024 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.

The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.

For 2023-2024 entry, the maximum government approved undergraduate tuition fee for UK students is £9,250 per year. The University is able to charge this fee subject to an approved Access and Participation Plan for 2023-2024 and its current rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework.

Bursaries

Click here for more information about the scholarships and bursaries available to University of Bolton students.

Our strategy is student-centred, and we use a blended approach to teaching and learning. You'll have face-to-face sessions, sometimes one-to-one, and participate in online learning.

You can expect a mix of seminars, lectures and tutorials, practical demonstrations, critiques, self-directed study, IT and library sessions and guided study. Group-based activities, such as role-playing exercises, workshops, presentations and discussions of case studies and scenarios from practice, also make up some of the teaching time, and there will be practical skills sessions.

Guest lectures and presentations by various visiting speakers from relevant employment areas offer you the chance to develop your knowledge and understanding further.

The University's e-learning portal Moodle supports your online learning. You can also use Moodle to communicate with fellow students studying the same modules.

Our assessment strategy helps to organise and develop your learning and evaluates your achievement of the learning outcomes. You can expect time-constrained exams and coursework, such as essays, reports, presentations, and portfolios.

Modules

The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.

• Professional and Personal Development
• Introduction to Child Development
• Social Policy for Early Years
• Learning in the Digital Age
• Facilitating Children's Learning
• Work Experience
• Developing Reflective Practice
• Child Development - 2
• Safeguarding Children
• Inclusive Practice
• Children and Society
• Creating Positive Learning Experiences for Children
• Theories and Approaches to Learning in the Early Years
• Leadership and Management in the Early Years
• Research Methods
• Dissertation
• Developing Children's Health and Wellbeing

Assessment methods

Learning activities

Disclaimer

The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.