Early Childhood Studies with Foundation Year

Interested in our BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies but worried that you don’t have the formal qualifications you need? We now offer the degree with a foundation year so that you can enjoy all the benefits of this distinctive course and achieve your full honours degree in four years.

• Start at foundation year stage if you have the ability and ambition to study for a degree but don’t meet the formal entry requirements to apply for the full honours degree
• Progress to a career where you can make a genuine and lasting difference to children’s lives: this course is an excellent foundation for fulfilling roles in health, education and social care
• Discover how children develop, learn and think from birth to eight years, gaining the professional skills and knowledge to meet their needs
• Enjoy learning which is relevant, up to date and meets the highest professional standards, inspired by our multi-disciplinary academic team

By taking a foundation year, you will gain a firm grounding in the skills and knowledge you need to complete our full BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies. It provides an excellent introduction to a fascinating subject and gives you the opportunity to complete the honours degree in four years – even if you don’t possess the formal qualifications you would normally need.

From stage one onwards, you'll undertake a work placement for one or two days each week to gain valuable practical experience working with young children. This includes the opportunity to obtain either level 3 or level 6 practitioner status alongside your academic degree, should you wish to do so. Please note, for either of these options formal GCSE or Functional Skills qualifications in English and Maths are required. If you do not already hold either of these, we can provided funded options which can be completed alongside your undergraduate studies. 

Your first steps into a rewarding profession

There can be few more worthwhile careers than working with young children, helping them to reach important milestones and to develop skills that will last a lifetime.

On our BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies with Foundation Year you’ll consider the importance of early childhood from a broad range of perspectives and gain a solid understanding of how children develop, learn and think from birth to eight years.

You’ll build your skills in identifying and meeting children’s holistic needs and explore all the challenges and opportunities faced by early years professionals working in a variety of children’s services.

The role of professional and personal development is an important theme for this course. By spending a substantial amount of time on placement from stage one onwards, you'll be able to draw on your own practical experiences with young children.

We also give you the opportunity to achieve extra qualifications as part of your studies, such as the British Red Cross Paediatric First Aid certificate which is valued by employers. 

Real-world learning on placement

You’ll undertake a placement for one or two days each week, building your skills in working with children and boosting your employability.

Thanks to our close partnerships with nurseries, children’s centres and other early years employers across the region, you will have the chance to experience working in different settings. As well as developing your observational and reflective skills, this will help you make more informed career choices for the future.

There is also the opportunity to go on fieldtrips to places such as the Museum of Childhood, Think Tank Museum and Eureka Children’s Museum.

Build a global outlook

We offer you the chance to apply for an international placement so that you can gain valuable new perspectives on the profession. 
 
Other European fieldtrips have seen our students visit the famous Peto Institute in Budapest to gain insights into its groundbreaking work with children who have complex disabilities. Such international experiences look great on your CV, while enhancing your confidence and independence.

Experience and expertise

Our academic team is highly experienced and includes renowned researchers and published authors. This means your course is underpinned by the latest thinking and innovative ideas which are changing the face of early childhood studies.

We undertake important studies into subjects ranging from creativity for early years professionals to social constructions of childhood, from the pressures faced by new parents to ways of engaging fathers in early years settings.

There may even be the chance for you to contribute to fascinating research initiatives yourself. Our students have, for instance, worked with school children and community groups to draw up ideas for improving the play and educational potential of various parks in Nottinghamshire. 

We also run annual conferences where you can share findings from your own projects with an audience of fellow students and practitioners.

High student satisfaction rates

You will receive plenty of encouragement and guidance from tutors who are approachable, dedicated and passionate about their subjects.

You’ll learn in our Kirtley Building which offers first-rate facilities for our Education and Childhood Studies students. It includes specially designed collaborative learning spaces and a large hall for practical activities and observing learning in action.

Explore your personal interests

The variety of optional modules on offer means that you can tailor your studies to match your personal interests and career aspirations. These modules could cover themes as diverse as children’s literature, family dynamics, health and inequality, child protection and children across the world.

Foundation Year - helping you to achieve more

Including a foundation year as part of your four-year study programme will give you a head start in your academic and professional life. The foundation year offers the chance to strengthen your skills, knowledge and confidence – with extensive support from our expert staff – before you advance to stage one of your honours degree. It could also be beneficial if you are planning a career change and want to get to grips with aspects of subjects which are new to you.

Our degrees with a foundation year are continuous, meaning that you won’t need to apply again once you have successfully completed the first year.

Please note that our modules are subject to change - we review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects.

You’ll be taught through lectures, seminar activities and tutorials to support you through your assessments and group work.

How you're assessed

During your foundation year you will be assessed mainly by coursework, and with some in-class tests.

From stage one onwards, you’ll be assessed using case studies, essays, independent research, online tests, posters, presentations and reports. There are no exams.

2025 entry

These are the typical qualification requirements for September 2025 entry.

Contextual offers may apply to students who meet certain criteria.

Additional entry requirements

• An Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service certificate cleared by the University is required for this course. We will contact you with information on how to complete this once you have applied

English language requirements

IELTS: 6.0 (with at least 5.5 in each skills area)

2025/26

Further information about our fees and support you may be entitled to.

Additional costs and optional extras

This is the ideal time to embark on an Early Childhood degree. Well qualified and dedicated early childhood professionals are now in demand across health, education and social care settings. This is a rapidly growing area of employment in the UK, with new opportunities emerging in the independent, private, public or voluntary sectors.

This qualification is your chance to shape and influence many young lives – and the value of the foundation year route is that you can start your study journey even if you don’t initially meet the entry requirements for the full honours degree.

Our graduates are now pursuing successful careers as early years practitioners and nursery managers. There are ample opportunities for promotion and progression to leadership positions in children’s services too.

You could also advance to further studies to broaden your career scope. Some of our graduates have, for instance, gone on to train as children’s nurses by undertaking a shortened two-year Paediatric Nursing qualification. You could also consider our exciting range of postgraduate courses, including the MA Education or MA Social Work.

Please note that this course does not lead to Qualified Teacher Status. However, if you’d like to train to be a teacher, you can apply to study our PGCE Primary.

Contact us

If you need any more information from us, eg on courses, accommodation, applying, car parking, fees or funding, please contact us and we will do everything we can to help you.

Additional information about your studies

Teaching hours

Like most universities, we operate extended teaching hours at the University of Derby, so contact time with your lecturers and tutors could be anytime between 9am and 9pm. Your timetable will usually be available on the website 24 hours after enrolment on to your course.

Course updates

The information provided on this page is correct at the time of publication but course content, costs and other individual course details do change from time to time and are updated as often as possible, so please do check these pages again when making your final decision to apply for a course. Any updated course details will also be confirmed to you at application, enrolment and in your offer letter.

If you are thinking about transferring onto this course (into the second year for example), you should contact the programme leader for the relevant course information as modules may vary from those shown on this page.

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• Early Childhood Studies BA (Hons)