MA Education: Early Years

The course is structured over three trimesters (thirds) and totals 180 credits (90 ECTS). You can start in September or February and will study for 60 credits per trimester.

· Trimester 1
In your first trimester you will study one award core module, Early Childhood Care and Education (30 credits). This updates and extends your critical knowledge and understanding of how young children develop, and creates a foundation for all future learning and will develop your skills and expertise in creating high quality learning environments. In addition you will complete the 30 credit MA Education core module, Education: Economics, Politics and Society.

· Trimester 2
In your second trimester you will study the compulsory core module Social Science Research (30 credits) which sets educational research within the broader context of the social sciences and introduces a range of qualitative and quantitative methodologies and methods from which you can select the most appropriate approach for your dissertation. In addition, two 15 credit elective modules are studied in this trimester. You may choose to study the early years elective module Outdoor Play and Learning in Early Childhood. This module is designed for those who have an interest in the role of outdoor play and learning of children from birth to eight years. This module offers a critical and culturally relevant understanding of outdoor experiences in early childhood education.
You may choose elective modules from other MA Education awards such as Including Vulnerable Learners; Education: Peace and Conflict; Education and Development; Leadership and Coaching.

· Trimester 3
In your third trimester you will research and write your Dissertation (60 credits) on a topic relevant to your award. The dissertation enables you to study and research an aspect of early childhood education theory, policy or practice in depth, guided by an expert to arrive at your own synthesis of a topic to take forward into your career.

Course assessment

There are no written exams on this course; each module is assessed through coursework. This typically involves an essay of 3,500 words for a 15 credit module or 7,000 words for a 30 credit module. For some modules assessment may be by verbal presentation or online activity. The dissertation is 15,000 – 20,000 words and focuses on an area agreed with a specialist tutor, who will offer guidance on structure and academic writing.