If you are applying for this course from within the UK, click apply now
Course starts: 20 September 2021Apply now
Close
If you are applying for this course from within the UK, click apply now
Course starts: 20 September 2021Apply now
This is a four-year version of our popular BA (Hons) Childhood Studies, with an integrated foundation year. Help give children the best start in life. Qualify for a lifelong career in a fulfilling field. Discover new abilities and capacities you didn't know you had.
This course will provide you with skills, knowledge and understanding in a range of subject areas that combine to form childhood studies. You will learn about child development, children's needs, and the historical, social and cultural issues that impacts their lives. You will also develop your knowledge and understanding of the child as an individual and the position of the child in society.
You will have the opportunity to register on a new pathway, Early Childhood Graduate Practitioner Competencies in your first semester. This will allow you to become a practitioner and assures employers that you have completed relevant practice experience. If you choose to take this pathway, you will graduate with the degree title BA (Hons) Childhood Studies with Early Childhood Graduate Practitioner Competencies.
Many of your class materials will be online but will be enhanced with on-campus sessions; tutors will be able to work more closely with you to aid understanding of your subject.
There will be a mix of materials online, including some lectures and directed exercises, with a series of tasks to do each week. You are going to be taught some really interesting topics this year, including social theories, gender, race, global rights and wrongs, as well as Essential Study Skills and Practical Maths, to help you succeed in your chosen undergraduate degree.
There will be lots of opportunities for both face-to-face and online contact, and you will be assigned a personal tutor, as well as having your pathway leader and module leaders for support and guidance. Regular contact between tutors and students will be encouraged via the use of technologies including Canvas, email, Skype and Microsoft Teams.
We will make all reasonable efforts to provide the courses and student experience outlined. It may be necessary to make changes in response to COVID-19 whilst we continue to follow government guidance. View our FAQs for more information or contact us.
A typical week for you will include lectures, seminars, workshops, group work, and computer-based learning.
Your progress will be assessed with written coursework and essays, source reports, blogs, factsheets, research projects, presentations and exams.
Throughout the course, you'll have one-to-one support from academic staff to help you get the best out of your assignments.
We don’t currently display entry requirements for United States. Please contact the Student Admin team on studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk or 0191 515 3154.
The Integrated Foundation Year is specially designed to support you where you have just missed the grades required for direct entry onto a three-year degree, or if you have relevant work experience and are now looking to broaden your subject knowledge but want more time to develop study skills before starting your degree.
Entry requirements are provided for guidance only and we may offer you an entrance interview which will help us determine your eligibility for your chosen degree. This enables us to consider making you an offer if you are perhaps a mature student who has been out of education for a period of time, or you have gained significant knowledge and skills through employment rather than traditional education.
Eligible entry qualifications:
1. Normally a minimum of three Level 2 qualifications (NVQ, GCSE or equivalent), including Maths and English at grade C or above** and a minimum of 40 UCAS tariff points from Level 3 qualifications (e.g. A or AS Levels, BTEC certificates/diplomas, access courses or equivalent)
OR
2. Demonstrable evidence of appropriate knowledge and skills acquired from at least three years of post-school work experience.
If you are unsure of whether you think you might be suitable for the course, please contact us!
** If you have studied for a GCSE which has a numerical grade then you will need to achieve a grade 4 or above. Equivalent alternative qualifications are also accepted, such as Level 2 Key Skills in Communication and Application of Number. If you have not achieved a grade C in Maths and English we may be able to work with you to ensure that you are able to gain these in the first year of the course, depending on your experience.
If English is not your first language, please see our English language requirements.
For more information about our Integrated Foundation Year courses please see our Help and Advice articles.
The annual fee for this course is £9,250.
If you are a full-time UK student you may be eligible to receive financial support to cover your fee and maintenance loan for the full four years.
Please note, this course is not available to international students.
If you are not sure whether you qualify as a UK, EU or international student, find out more in our Help and Advice article.
Take a look at the Your Finances section to find out about the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.
Use our scholarships calculator to see what you may be entitled to.
This information was correct at the time of publication.
BA (Hons) Childhood Studies leads to a range of careers in children's services. Many of our graduates go on to work in health, social care, education, childcare, charities, and voluntary organisations, while many go on to study postgraduate courses such as PGCE Primary Education and MSc Inequality and Society.
Our graduates also qualify as teachers by undertaking the Teach First and School Direct courses.
As an Early Childhood Graduate Practitioner, you will be an advocate for young children’s rights and participation and recognise that young children are active co-constructors of their own learning. By becoming a Practitioner, you will critically apply academic knowledge of pedagogy and research evidence, to the holistic development of infants and young children, in a practice context that is respectful of the child, their family and community.
You will need to undertake the competencies modules across all levels which are observed and assessed during placement. This new option will be registered and linked to the Department for Education website and assures employers that graduates on this pathway have completed relevant practice experience. This enables the wider workforce to be clear about individual early career graduates’ expected level of knowledge, skills and actual experiences in practice.
The University of Sunderland’s Centre for Applied Social Studies (CASS) regularly hosts visiting speakers, and it can be an excellent way to learn from the experiences of people who already have a strong track record in social policy.
CASS is the centre for applied social science research at the University, and you may find opportunities to collaborate with the academic team – particularly on areas relating to children, young people and families.
The Childhood Studies team come from a diverse range of professional and academic backgrounds. They are research-active in a variety of childhood related subjects including: children's development, early years practice, inclusive education, special educational needs and disability, education for sustainable development, childhood identity and social media, children's literature and childhood transitions. Their expertise in these areas is used to inform modules on the course. Members of the team are also involved with external activities such as working with children's charities, local schools and early years settings. Actively engaging with our employer networks in this way supports our emphasis on developing your employability.
Everyone is so friendly here and my experience so far has been amazing
Sign up to receive emails about your subject area.
Using Your Personal Information
The University of Sunderland is collecting this data in order for you to receive information on your chosen subject(s). Your information will be stored securely in our Customer Relationship Management system which is provided by a 3rd party and used only for the administration and provision of this information. Should you choose to opt in to further communications we will also use your information to facilitate other useful marketing information based on your preferences. Further information on how your data is stored and used can be found in our Privacy notice - marketing.