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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.
If you're interested in a career engaging with families, children and their communities, the BA (Hons) Childhood Studies degree will provide you with skills, knowledge and understanding in a range of subject areas that combine to form childhood studies. You'll learn about child development, children's needs, and the historical, social, and cultural issues that impact their lives. You'll also develop your knowledge and understanding of the child as an individual and the position of the child in society and family.
You'll have the opportunity to register on an exciting pathway during your first semester of this childhood studies degree: Early Childhood Graduate Practitioner Competencies. This will allow you to further demonstrate your commitment to working with children as you'll complete relevant placements and a portfolio of evidence to showcase your skills, strengthening your CV. If you choose to take this pathway, you'll graduate with the degree title BA (Hons) Childhood Studies with Early Childhood Graduate Practitioner Competencies.
A typical week on the BA (Hons) Childhood Studies course will include lectures, seminars, workshops, group work, and computer-based learning.
Your progress will be assessed with essays, reports, group work, seminar presentations, and self-evaluation. Throughout the degree, you'll have one-to-one support from academic staff to help you get the best out of your assignments.
If you choose a degree in social science, you could be presented with a wide variety of job opportunities when you graduate. We’ve compiled a list of seven potential jobs you could go into with a social science degree to give you some inspiration.
Read about the jobs you could get with a social science degree
We caught up with Senior Lecturer, Drew Dalton, to find out why social sciences are a great area to study at degree level and how they can make you think differently.
Explore the impact studying social sciences can have on the way you think
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.
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're perhaps a mature student who has been out of education for a period of time, or you've gained significant knowledge and skills through employment rather than traditional education.
Eligible entry qualifications:
If you're unsure of whether you think you might be suitable for the course, please contact us.
**If you've studied for a GCSE which has a numerical grade, you'll 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 English isn't your first language, please see our English language requirements.
The annual fee for this course is £5,760.
Undergraduate fees are set according to rules from Government in line with forecast inflation. The fee for your first year of study for 2025/26 will be £5,760. You will pay tuition fees for every year of study. Fees may increase every year based on the Retail Price Index.
If you're 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 isn't available to international students.
If you're 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 scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.
This information was correct at the time of publication.
The BA (Hons) Childhood Studies degree can lead 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 the PGCE Primary Education, MA Social Work, MA Childhood and Youth Studies, or MSc Inequality and Society. Some of our graduates also choose to qualify as teachers.
Read more about what you can do with a Social Science degree.
Gain additional experience of working with children from the ages of 0-8 and develop your practical skills in a range of settings by opting for the Early Childhood Graduate Practitioner Competencies (ECGPC) route alongside your childhood studies degree. You'll be able to choose this option from your first semester and follow it for the duration of your course. You'll also develop a portfolio of evidence and a range of practical and transferable professional skills whilst attending placements, which will enable you to work with children, other professionals, and parents and carers.
Your portfolio of evidence, along with your end of year assessments, will be based on nine different competencies, including advocating for children’s rights, observing children, planning activities for children, and developing your professional skills. Developing these pieces of evidence and your practical skills are excellent for your progression after you complete your degree.
Your next steps may include furthering your studies or entering into your chosen career, and by completing the ECGPC route, you will be adding credence to your applications. You'll be a recognised Early Years practitioner (at level 6) and employers and education establishments will know that you've completed relevant practice experience.
If you choose to take this pathway, you'll graduate with the degree title BA (Hons) Childhood Studies with Early Childhood Graduate Practitioner Competencies. Hear more about the ECGPC pathway from one of our graduates.
The University of Sunderland’s Centre for Applied Social Sciences (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're research-active in a variety of childhood-related subjects including children's development, early years practice, inclusive education, special educational needs and disabilities, 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 childhood studies 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.
