Education, Childhood and SEND Undergraduate Courses

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_Top15for career prospectsEducation - Guardian University Guide 2025

_Top15for teachingEducation - National Student Survey 2024

_Top5for student satisfactionChildhood and Youth Studies - Complete University Guide 2025

_Top10for teachingChildhood and Youth Studies - National Student Survey 2024

_Top20for graduate prospectsChildhood and Youth Studies - Complete University Guide 2025

Education, Childhood and SEND - your questions answered

In the below video, Head of Discipline, Sharon Bell, answers some of the most frequently asked questions about Education, Childhood and SEND at the University of Derby.

Sharon Bell, Head of Discipline for Education, Childhood and SEND.

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Undergraduate Education, Childhood and SEND courses

"There were a lot of opportunities to take extra training"

"I was really glad that I chose Education Studies because it allows me to go into a whole range of roles. You get to learn about the whole picture, rather than just what goes on in mainstream classrooms. There were a lot of opportunities to take extra training alongside your degree."

Sarah is now the Managing Director of Operation Diversity, a company she set up to enable individuals with dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties to reach their full potential. She is also an ambassador for the British Dyslexia Association (DBA), a motivational speaker and Inclusion Consultant.

Sarah Chapman, BA (Hons) Education Studies graduate

Career prospects

These programmes are an excellent foundation for a range of valuable careers within Education, Social and Health Care, Careers Guidance as well as the Voluntary and Charitable sector.

Recently, our graduates have been successful in:

starting up their own business
using their Early Childhood Studies degree to be qualified Early Years practitioners and managing nurseries
using their TESOL expertise to teach English abroad
supporting children and young people in pastoral and mentoring roles and as Higher Level Teaching Assistants
supporting children, young people and families employed in the Voluntary and Charitable sector
becoming an offender and community learning facilitator

Many of our students choose to further their education by studying a postgraduate degree or undertake an additional professional qualification to become successful teachers, social workers and health care professionals.

A day in the life of our Education, Childhood and SEND students

Rewarding and inspiring, our courses are the perfect choice to gain a broad understanding of education from early years to lifelong learning, giving you the opportunity to fulfill careers in teaching and education. Take a look at a typical day in the life of our students studying Education, Childhood and SEND courses:

Placements

The programmes within the Discipline of Education, Childhood and SEND are focused on real world learning, where you can apply theory to practice and generate knowledge during placements to develop understanding back in the classroom.

BA (Hons) Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) students have placement modules in the first and second year, whilst BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies have placements attached to the programme throughout all 3 years if following the practitioner-option route or you can undertake a placement in Year 2 if following the non-practitioner route. BA (Hons) Education Studies students have a Community project in Year 1, an opportunity to undertake a placement module in Year 2 with additional placement experiences if you choose the TESOL and SEND pathways.

Options and Specialisms

After the first year on your chosen 3 year programme (Education Studies, Early Childhood Studies & SEND), you will be able to choose from a range of option modules to match your interests and career aspirations. Availability of the options change as we aim to reflect relevant and important areas of study. If you are studying BA (Hons) Education Studies, you will have the option to take a specialist pathway in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) or SEND.