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Early Childhood Studies at University of Portsmouth - UCAS

Course options

2025 - 2026
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There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

University of Portsmouth has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.

Open days

9Nov
University of Portsmouth Open Day
Undergraduate
7Dec
University of Portsmouth Open Day
Undergraduate

Course summary

This is a Connected Degree Portsmouth is the only University in the UK with the flexibility to choose when to do an optional paid placement or self-employed year. Either take a placement in your third year, or finish your studies first and complete a placement in your fourth year. You can decide if and when to take a placement after you've started your course. Overview If you want to help children have the best start in life, there are questions you need to explore. For example: how is their wellbeing affected by factors like digital technologies, race, culture and globalisation? On this course, you'll look for answers across a child's crucial first 8 years. On your BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies degree, you’ll discover how a child develops physically, emotionally and mentally. And with plenty of opportunities to work with children, you’ll practice how to make a positive difference for them. You can customise your degree and develop specialist skills that are valued in a variety of professions. Course highlights

  • Learn different ways to measure children’s development from birth to age 8, which you can apply in all kinds of careers
  • Choose to do a different work placement in every year of study – from local schools, to other organisations that put young children first
  • Develop new skills by working with children in our own play and sensory rooms, and in outdoor environments such as forests and beaches
  • Look at how children are affected by society and politics, and discover what psychology and philosophy teach us about early years
  • Be taught by experts and hear from guest speakers, with unique insights into childhood and education based on their lived experience
  • Gain transferable skills in psychology, sociology, teaching and learning, leadership and management, and creative thinking
You can follow an optional psychology pathway through this degree by choosing specific modules in psychology. This will lead to a BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies with Psychology award when you graduate. You can achieve the professional status of 'Graduate Practitioner' for Early Years Practice by undertaking assessed practice in the early years sector in each year of study. This leads to the award BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies (Graduate Practitioner). This professional accreditation is recognised by the Department for Education and highly regarded by early years employers. In your final year, you can tailor your studies to include the Early Years Initial Teacher Training (EYITT) route, which leads to the award of Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS). Careers and opportunities You’ll graduate with rewarding career options, including working with children, families and communities in a variety of professional roles. You could also take your studies further on a postgraduate course, such as MA Education Studies or MSc Educational Leadership and Management. What jobs can you do with an early childhood studies degree? Our graduates work in a range of educational roles and settings:
  • early years teaching – with Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS)
  • primary teaching – with a PGCE or SCITT (School-Centred Initial Teacher Training) leading to QTS (Qualified Teacher Status)
  • pedagogical leadership in early childhood
  • early years provision and setting management
  • forest school leadership and training
  • freelance education and private tutoring
  • special educational and disability needs
Our graduates also pursue a variety of careers related to health and wellbeing:
  • health and wellbeing promotion
  • family support
  • professional nannying
  • therapeutic play – with further training
  • play work
Our graduates also become consultants and researchers into early years issues. Towards the end of your degree and for up to five years after graduation, you’ll receive one-to-one support from our Graduate Recruitment Consultancy to help you find your perfect role.

Subject options

This course offers the following subject options:

  • Early Childhood Studies with Psychology

Modules

Year 1 Core modules in this year include:

  • Becoming a Researcher (20 credits)
  • Child and Youth Development (20 credits)
  • Health & Wellbeing of the Child and Young Person (20 credits)
  • Perspectives of Early Childhood Education (20 credits)
  • Understanding Childhoods (40 credits)
There aren't any optional modules in this year. Year 2 Core modules in this year include:
  • Global Childhoods (20 credits)
  • Just Playing? (20 credits)
  • Professional Practice in Early Childhood Education and Care (20 credits)
  • Research With Children and Young People (20 credits)
Optional modules in this year currently include:
  • Children's Literature (20 credits)
  • Children's Social Minds (20 credits)
  • Development of Learning (20 credits)
  • Empire and Its Afterlives in Britain, Europe, and Africa (20 credits)
  • Engaged Citizenship in Humanities and Social Sciences (20 credits)
  • Gender, Race and Education (20 credits)
  • Global Security (20 credits)
  • Intercultural Perspectives On Communication (20 credits)
  • Introduction to Teaching (20 credits)
  • Marketing & Communication (20 credits)
  • Modernity and Globalisation (20 credits)
  • Nationalism and Migration: Chaos, Crisis and the Everyday (L5) (20 credits)
  • News, Discourse, and Media (20 credits)
  • Principles of Economic Crime Investigation (20 credits)
  • Professional Experience (20 credits)
  • Puritans to Postmodernists: American Literature (20 credits)
  • Transitional Justice & Human Rights (20 credits)
  • Wildlife Crime: Threats and Response (20 credits)
Placement year (optional) Have the opportunity to do an additional work placement year after your second or third year on this Connected Degree - we're the only UK university to offer flexible sandwich placements for undergraduates. Year 3 Core modules in this year include:
  • Aspiring Leaders and Managers (20 credits)
  • Promoting Confident, Capable Learners (20 credits)
Optional modules in this year currently include:
  • Behaviour Matters (20 credits)
  • Dissertation (Childhood Studies) (40 credits)
  • Going Outside: Pedagogies for Outdoor Learning (20 credits)
  • Introduction to Teaching (20 credits)
  • Major Project (40 credits)
  • Professional Experience (20 credits)
  • Psychology in Practice (20 credits)
  • Supporting Children and Young People's Mental Health (20 credits)
  • Therapeutic Play Principles and Practices (20 credits)
  • Working With Looked After Children (20 credits)
We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies. Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry and some optional modules may not run every year. If a module doesn’t run, we’ll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.

Assessment method

Assessment methods include: Essays, reports and reflective accounts Individual and group presentations Individual and group project work including the opportunity to work towards a Major project in liaison with a local employer An online portfolio Developing a simple Wordpress or Google Sites website You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark. You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future. Year 1 students: 8% by written exams, 15% by practical exams and 77% by coursework Year 2 students: 10% by practical exams and 90% by coursework Year 3 students: 100% by coursework

How to apply

29Jan

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
LX53
Institution code:
P80
Campus name:
Main Site
Campus code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1
  • Year 2
  • Year 3

Entry requirements for advanced entry (i.e. into Year 2 and beyond)

We welcome applications for advanced entry. If you’d like to apply for advanced entry, you need to select the required year when you complete your UCAS application.

This course may be available at alternative locations, please check if other course options are available

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

Additional entry requirements

Criminal records declaration (DBS/Disclosure Scotland)

Applicants must pass Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) before starting their professional placement working with children and young people. The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is for UK Criminal Records checks only. Applicants who have been living overseas for the past 5 years will require an equivalent ‘certificate of good conduct’ from each country they have been resident in, as well as from their home country. The outcome of your DBS or Certificate of Good Conduct will be reviewed by the course team who will make a decision about your suitability to work with children and young people in the UK. Your DBS Certificate Number and date of receipt will be recorded on our Single Central Record

English language requirements

TestGradeAdditional details
IELTS (Academic)6English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.0 with no component score below 5.5.
PTE Academic54An overall score of 54 with a minimum of 51 in each skill.
TOEFL (iBT)7979 with a minimum of 18 in Reading, 17 in Listening, 20 in Speaking and 17 in Writing.
Cambridge English AdvancedCambridge English: Advanced (CAE) taken after January 2015. An overall score of 169 with no component score less than 162.
Cambridge English ProficiencyCambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) taken after January 2015. An overall score of 169 with no component score less than 162.
Trinity ISEPassTrinity College Integrated Skills in English (ISE) Level III with a Pass in all 4 components

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students
80%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
95%
Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

EU £9535 Year 1
England £9535 Year 1
Northern Ireland £9535 Year 1
Scotland £9535 Year 1
Wales £9535 Year 1
Channel Islands £9535 Year 1
Republic of Ireland £9535 Year 1
International £17200 Year 1

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

Students who are resident in EU countries: please note that the net fee is inclusive of the Transition Scholarship Placement Year and Year abroad (at the time of publishing for 2024/25): UK/Channel Islands and Isle of Man students – £1,385 EU – £1,385 (including Transition Scholarship) International (Non-EU) – £2,875. Fees are accurate at the time of publishing and are subject to change at any time without notice. All fees are subject to annual increase. For more information about fees, go to port.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/undergraduate-fees-and-student-finance/tuition-fees-living-costs-and-other-study-costs
Early Childhood Studies at University of Portsmouth - UCAS