The BA Honours Early Childhood Studies programme is for those interested in the development, care and education of young children. The programme is concerned with ideas and practices that are drawn from many disciplines: history, psychology, philosophy, sociology, law and management all of which contribute to the field of childcare and education. As undergraduates you are generally introduced to the study of each of these distinctive disciplines, within the context of examining childcare and education policies and procedures, teaching, caring, training and learning. Your judgements and conclusions are required to be grounded on relevant evidence and informed argument. The programme is studied over three years full-time, with the completion of four modules per academic year. The modules will be assessed by examination and submission of coursework assignments. In year 3 students will undertake a research module, alongside three other modules, which will culminate in a thesis submission and provide honours classification of their degree. Why Study BA Honours Early Childhood Studies? Many employers are increasingly expecting higher education to ensure that students graduate not only with a qualification, but also a broad understanding of the social issues in the real world, a well-developed battery of personal transferable skills (including communication, problem-solving and teamwork) and a coherent sense of personal values to which they are committed. The Early Childhood Studies programme is designed to meet these goals. This is achieved, in the first place, by ensuring that your learning process is not based on passive assimilation of knowledge but is one where you participate actively in interpretation, evaluation and application of knowledge. Secondly, in addition to the knowledge component, Early Childhood Studies encourages you to identify and articulate your personal competencies and creates opportunities for your further development. The programme also maintains effective working links with the Careers and Employability Service, who if you need assistance with finding internships and work placements during this programme and in the future, will happily oblige. Early Years is a growth area within the region and demand for highly skilled, competent practitioners is on the increase.