
Start date
16 September 2024
6 January 2025
19 May 2025
Duration
1 year full-time
2 years part-time (Sept. only)
About the course
Reasons to study
- Develop your career within the specialist field of early childhood education.
- A broad range of module options means you can tailor your studies to suit your current role or future career ambitions.
- 91.3% of our postgraduates are in work and/or further study fifteen months after graduating*
*HESA Graduate Outcomes 21/22, UK domiciled graduates from the School of Business, Education and Law.
If you’re looking to develop your career within the specialist field of early childhood education (0-7 years), then this course could be for you.
Why Education (Early Childhood Studies)?
- In this course you’ll reflect on a range of international attitudes to early childhood education. You’ll also consider the relationship between theoretical perspectives and aspects of practice in early childhood education.
- You’ll have the opportunity to focus on current issues faced by early years professionals and you’ll study early childhood education in international contexts. Themes include children’s rights, sociology of childhood, psychological perspectives on childhood and international approaches to early years education. The course combines knowledge about practical aspects of the early years curriculum with the opportunity to bring a theoretical understanding to help to deepen and challenge your thinking.
- The course is tailored around you. You can expand on your early years focus by choosing from a range of options to match your role, experience or organisation to help you progress as an informed, reflective and inspirational practitioner.
- On this course you’ll have the opportunity to develop an understanding of critical reflection and how to employ independent learning strategies to enable you to evaluate and inform your professional practice.You’ll also develop and deepen your knowledge and understanding of educational research and be able be able to use these skills in researching an aspect of early childhood studies for your dissertation.
- You’ll be taught by an outstanding team of teachers, and will have access to our extensive professional and academic network which feeds directly into course design and delivery and to excellent facilities and specialist equipment.
Course detail
Core modules:
International Approaches to Early Childhood Education
The module will help you to reflect on a range of international perspectives on early childhood education. It will emphasise the relationship between theoretical perspectives and aspects of practice in early childhood education. You'll critically engage with debates about early childhood education and will focus on the education of children in a range of settings.
Methods of Enquiry
This module will develop and deepen your knowledge and understanding of research methods, in both academic and professional contexts. It considers some of the theories, methods and implication of research and the complex role of researchers and of practitioner-researchers. You'll explore a range of methods of enquiry in order to enable you to understand the significance and ethics of research.
Introduction to Action Research
Action Research is a practice-based research methodology for practitioners wanting to change practice(s) within their professional setting. You will learn about the tradition that informs action research as research methodology, how to write a research aim and research question(s) for a piece of research, the different ways of collecting data to answer research questions and how to build rigour and quality into your study. You will use what you have learned in the module to write a proposal for a piece of research that could be undertaken as a dissertation later in your course.
Dissertation
This module seeks to deepen your knowledge and understanding of educational research. You'll learn about traditions of educational research; positivism, interpretism and action research and the strengths and challenges of carrying out research in these traditions. This module provides you the opportunity to carry out a piece of research based on a contemporary or work-related issue or problem.
You will study either ‘Introduction to Action Research or ‘Methods of Enquiry’.
Option modules:
In addition, you choose two modules from the ‘Option modules’ tab below.
Please note: If you start your course in September, you will complete four modules and then your dissertation. If you start your course in January, you will complete two modules, then your dissertation, then the remaining two modules.
One module in each of the September, January and May terms:
Core modules:
International Approaches to Early Childhood Education
The module will help you to reflect on a range of international perspectives on early childhood education. It will emphasise the relationship between theoretical perspectives and aspects of practice in early childhood education. You'll critically engage with debates about early childhood education and will focus on the education of children in a range of settings.
Methods of Enquiry
This module will develop and deepen your knowledge and understanding of research methods, in both academic and professional contexts. It considers some of the theories, methods and implication of research and the complex role of researchers and of practitioner-researchers. You'll explore a range of methods of enquiry in order to enable you to understand the significance and ethics of research.
Introduction to Action Research
Action Research is a practice-based research methodology for practitioners wanting to change practice(s) within their professional setting. You will learn about the tradition that informs action research as research methodology, how to write a research aim and research question(s) for a piece of research, the different ways of collecting data to answer research questions and how to build rigour and quality into your study. You will use what you have learned in the module to write a proposal for a piece of research that could be undertaken as a dissertation later in your course.
Please note you will study either ‘Introduction to Action Research or ‘Methods of Enquiry’.
Option modules:
In addition, you choose one module from the ‘Option modules’ tab below
One optional module from the list below in the September term, and from January to July/Aug
Dissertation
This module seeks to deepen your knowledge and understanding of educational research. You'll learn about traditions of educational research; positivism, interpretism and action research and the strengths and challenges of carrying out research in these traditions. This module provides you the opportunity to carry out a piece of research based on a contemporary or work-related issue or problem.
Exploring Teaching and Learning
This module will develop your understanding of the ideas of curriculum: what is taught, how it is taught and why it is taught. You'll explore elements of the hidden curriculum, including hierarchy, power, values, confidence, stereotypes and labelling. The module will also help you to understand how a teachers’ role is constructed. What are teacher identities and how do these shape the role of teachers? Is teaching a professional activity? What are the ideas around this aspect? What is a reflexive/reflective teacher and how does this enhance professional development? You'll also consider some learning theories and their practical application within your setting.
Children, Childhood and Society
This module explores the meaning of childhood in different social, cultural and historical contexts, from a range of theoretical perspectives, and how social, economic and political factors impact on children’s lives and their later development. We consider the positioning of children within society and identify current debates about children’s well-being and holistic development and how these are reflected in policy and practice. We discuss children’s understanding of social and/or cultural issues for example, gender roles and expectations, mental health, prejudice, developing sexuality and sexual identity. We explore how the voice and autonomy of the child is taken into account in responding to social and/or cultural issues. This module will be of interest to those wanting to work with children and young people in a range of educational and support roles, encouraging you to take a critical perspective in discussing how our understanding of childhood shapes policy and provision and supports the rights of the individual.
Education, Society and Development
This module helps you examine the dominant patterns of education that have arisen in response to the pressures of globalisation and global institutions. You'll evaluate how the dominant (neo-liberal) systems are affecting education and leading to an increased focus on education as a preparation for the workplace. The module will help you understand the knowledge economy and global competition and the resulting policy formulation related to education, training and human resource development.
Comparative Approaches to Learning
This module will help you explore the increasingly international nature of education. You'll examine different approaches to education and the ways different cultures define the key concepts of education. The module will help you to understand international perspectives on what is valuable knowledge and how it is learned. You'll explore how culture impacts on education, how it affects the structures and processes that take place in classrooms and you will use this knowledge to consider how this affects learners and ideas that travel across cultural boundaries.
Mentoring and Coaching
This module will help you to explore the role of mentoring and coaching. You'll have the opportunity to examine issues linked to implementing and managing mentoring/coaching schemes, the role of mentors and/or coaches, the strategies that could be used within a mentoring and/or coaching relationship and the ethical issues governing them.
Managing Learning and Development in Organisations
This module will help you to develop an understanding of the links between learning and development, organisation goals and broader human resource policies and practice in a variety of organisational contexts. You'll explore how the learning and development agenda can be promoted by examining learning & development policies, roles, functions, as well as strategies, methods and techniques for establishing learning and development needs.
Developing Effective Leadership
This module provides a structured opportunity for students taking a leadership stance either formally or informally, or who aspire to a leadership role, to systematically consider and critically reflect upon leadership as a concept, and “effective leadership” in particular. Students will actively engage with such concepts as the role of the leader, how that role links to and differs from management, and how leaders can be developed.
Critical Social Policy in Education and Public Services
This module will help you examine the historical, political and legislative developments leading to current national and local policy agendas relevant to those working in education and other public services. Emphasis will be placed on the relationship between theoretical perspectives and aspects of practice in a range of contexts such as early years, youth work, teaching, learning and development, health care, community work, family support and social care.
Education, Extremism and Community Cohesion
This module will enable you to critically examine how policy approaches to countering extremism and promoting community cohesion have addressed and impacted on policy and practice within various educational sectors; The module will enable theoretical analysis of the various meaning/s of these concepts and of how they have been framed by policy and translated into educational practice.
Special Educational Needs and Disability: Evaluating Policy and Practice
In this module, you'll study changing cultural and historical attitudes to disability including recent social changes that encompasses the disability rights, human rights and equality, and models of health and disability. You'll explore how our understanding of SEND has developed, and the impact of this on our understanding of inclusion, as well as investigate how the needs arising from specific SEND conditions are culturally and socially defined, and what this means for educational policy and practice.
Understanding E-Learning
You will be introduced to a range of ICT tools and techniques for innovation in teaching and learning. Emphasis is placed on the selection of approaches appropriate to the learners’ needs. Alongside the practical aspects of using these tools you will consider how they can transform learning and develop a deeper, theoretical and analytical understanding. You'll also explore current debates in the field of e-learning.
E-Tutoring
This module will help you to develop understanding and skills in the area of online tutoring, facilitation, and in the design, planning and implementation of e-learning and blended learning courses.
On this course you’ll have the opportunity to develop an understanding of critical reflection and how to employ independent learning strategies to enable you to evaluate and inform your professional practice. You’ll also develop and deepen your knowledge and understanding of educational research.
The full-time route starts in either September or January and takes 12 months to complete. The modules are normally taught in weekly seminars and workshops. Some modules may take place on Saturdays.
The part-time route starts in September and takes 24 months to complete. The modules are normally taught at Saturday Day Schools.
You'll also use our Virtual Learning Environment and online library facilities which provide access to a wide range of high-quality learning materials.
The course is normally assessed through course work. The assessment on the course allows you to demonstrate your practical knowledge and skills alongside developing your critical and theoretical understanding of the subject.
The assessment builds on your particular interests and context and is likely to have outcomes that will be of benefit to your professional life and to your employer.
You’ll be provided with guidance to help you develop your assignment work by module tutors and specialist learning support staff. For international students, we provide a weekly academic study skills support workshop to help you get the most from the main modules.
Feedback (usually written) is normally provided on all coursework submissions within three term time weeks – unless the submission was made towards the end of the session in which case feedback is available after the publication of results.
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Triple proof of teaching excellence: our staff rank in the top three in England for the proportion who hold doctorates, who have higher degrees, and hold teaching qualifications (HESA 2024). So, you’ll learn from some of the best, helping you to be the best.
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We are joint first in the country for National Teaching Fellowships, which mark the UK’s best lecturers in Higher Education, winning a total of 23 since 2008 (2024 data).
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We won the first Global Teaching Excellence Award, recognising the University’s commitment to world-class teaching and its success in developing students as independent learners and critical thinkers (Higher Education Academy, 2017).
Read more about academic staff at the University of Huddersfield
Entry requirements
You should have an honours degree in a relevant subject at 2:2 or above, or a professional equivalent.
The University will determine whether a degree can be recognised as UK equivalent.
If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum for IELTS is 6.0 overall with no element lower than 5.5, or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our Where are you from information pages.
Facilities
Student support
At the University of Huddersfield, you'll find support networks and services to help you get ahead in your studies and social life. Whether you study at undergraduate or postgraduate level, you'll soon discover that you're never far away from our dedicated staff and resources to help you to navigate through your personal student journey. Find out more about all our support services.
Important information
Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons
When you enrol as a student of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by our terms and conditions, Handbook of Regulations and associated policies. It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you will be asked to agree to them when you join us as a student. You will find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan.
Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons
Changes to a course you have applied for but are not yet enrolled on
If we propose to make a major change to a course that you are holding an offer for, then we will tell you as soon as possible so that you can decide whether to withdraw your application prior to enrolment. We may occasionally have to withdraw a course you have applied for or combine your programme with another programme if we consider this reasonably necessary to ensure a good student experience, for example if there are not enough applicants. Where this is the case we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible and we will discuss with you other suitable courses we can transfer your application to. If you do not wish to transfer to another course with us, you may cancel your application and we will refund you any deposits or fees you have paid to us.
Changes to your course after you enrol as a student
Changes to option modules:
Where your course allows you to choose modules from a range of options, we will review these each year and change them to reflect the expertise of our staff, current trends in research and as a result of student feedback or demand for certain modules. We will always ensure that you have an equivalent range of options to that advertised for the course. We will let you know in good time the options available for you to choose for the following year.
Major changes:
We will only make major changes to non-optional modules on a course if it is necessary for us to do so and provided such changes are reasonable. A major change is a change that substantially changes the outcomes, or a significant part of your course, such as the nature of the award or a substantial change to module content, teaching days (part time provision), type of delivery or assessment of the core curriculum. For example, it may be necessary to make a major change to reflect changes in the law or the requirements of the University’s regulators or a commissioning or accrediting body. We may also make changes to improve the course in response to student, examiners’ or other course evaluators’ feedback or to ensure you are being taught current best practice. Major changes may also be necessary because of circumstances outside our reasonable control, such as a key member of staff leaving the University or being unable to teach, where they have a particular specialism that can’t be adequately covered by other members of staff; or due to damage or interruption to buildings, facilities or equipment, or pandemics.
Major changes would usually be made with effect from the next academic year, but may happen sooner in an emergency. We will notify you as soon as possible should we need to make a major change and will carry out suitable consultation. If you reasonably believe that the proposed change will cause you detriment or hardship we will, if appropriate, work with you to try to reduce the adverse effect on you or find an appropriate solution. Where an appropriate solution cannot be found and you contact us in writing before the change takes effect you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the University without liability to the University for future tuition fees. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so.
In exceptional circumstances, we may, for reasons outside of our control, be forced to discontinue or suspend your course. Where this is the case, a formal exit strategy will be followed in accordance with the student protection plan.
The Office for Students (OfS) is the principal regulator for the University.