Education (Early Years Pathway) MA

• Overview

  Graduates with a strong interest in early childhood have the opportunity to expand their current knowledge and abilities through our MA Education (Early Years Pathway) degree. In the words of a past MA Education Early Years Pathway student, it is “inspiring and eye-opening: it will change the way you think.”

  You will be taught by our multi-professional programme team with expertise in a range of disciplines within the field of early childhood and early years development. The team are dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families within a local, national and global context.

  Course

  Highlights

  • This course is a specialist pathway for Early Years. Students will have the option to study either a PG Cert, PG Dip or MA at the University of Northampton to help equip them with all the skills and knowledge they need to thrive in a wide range of early years educator jobs.

  Apply Now Open Days

  
• Course Details

  Throughout the course, we encourage you to engage with other professional colleagues and specialist tutors in order to develop a secure understanding of the issues and dynamics of early years teaching, ultimately informing your professional practice.

  There are three levels of qualification available through the MA. If you study two specified modules, you will receive a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (Early Years). If you study four specified modules, you will receive a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (Early Years). If you complete four modules and a dissertation or research thesis, you will receive the full MA in Education (Early Years).

  This course enables you to:

  • critically evaluate the impact of recent legislation and policy on Early Years provision
  • enhance your knowledge and understanding of children’s development in its widest sense
  • investigate and critique theoretical perspectives in early childhood and their applications to practice
  • engage with multi-disciplinary research and literature influencing developments in Early Years policy and practice
  • critically explore developments in the Early Years field, in the UK and internationally

  Methods of Learning

  This course is taught as interactive sessions, with a focus on active engagement and discussion. There are 140 contact hours for the entire MA, which means you will typically have six hours of classes per week for full-time attendance and you will be expected to undertake a further 24 hours of self-directed study and research each week.

  If you are studying part-time, the course will take three years to complete, and you will typically have two hours of classes per week and should undertake eight hours of self-directed study per week. However, the workload is not consistently spread over the year and so there may be times when you are working more hours in a given week.

  As well as your usual sessions, you can also attend workshops and presentations associated with research that the Faculty of Health, Education and Society are involved in.

  Assessments

  There are no exams for this course. Instead, assessment is in the form of essays, portfolios, presentations and small scale research projects. You will complete the MA with a final project or dissertation.

  Read more

  Additional

  Information

  Further information

  For further information about our Education (Early Years Pathway MA), come along to our next Open Day to get a taste of postgraduate life at the University of Northampton or contact our enquiries team study@northampton.ac.uk.

• Careers and Events
  • Open Days

    See for yourself

    Our Open Days offer you a fantastic opportunity to get a real taste of university life at Northampton and discover how studying here will be a life-changing experience.

    Each Open Day has a postgraduate stall, where you can speak with tutors about the postgraduate courses that interest you, to give you all the information you need about studying at the University of Northampton.

    To find out more about the day, please feel free to have a look at our Open Day Guide.

    
  • Careers

    Career Opportunities

    Once you have completed the MA, you will be well placed for opportunities in Early Years leadership in schools, lecturing in further or higher education, as well as research and policy development in Early Years education.

    
• Requirements

  The typical offer for an Education (Early Years Pathway) MA is an undergraduate degree at 2:2 or above from a UK or NARIC recognised university.

  Additionally, we also accept students with the following;

  • A QTS or equivalent.
  • Honours degree from a UK university.
  • Honours degree from a recognised university other than in the UK.
  • Applicants working in children’s services without QTS with an ordinary degree or Early Years Teacher Status or QTLS will be considered.
  • Applicants who have recent professional experience of three years or more will be positively considered. In this case, the applicants will be interviewed.

  Candidates who demonstrate appropriate academic attainment and have previously acquired other qualifications/professional experience will be considered.

  English Language Requirements

  All International and EU students applying for a course with us must meet the following minimum English language requirements:

  • Minimum standard – IELTS 6.5 (or equivalent)
    assessed through writing and interview

  For information regarding English language requirements at the University, please see our IELTS page.

  Contacts

  Course enquiries
  study@northampton.ac.uk

  Application status enquiries
  admissions2020@northampton.ac.uk

  Current student enquiries
  SID@northampton.ac.uk

  International student enquiries
  international@northampton.ac.uk

  Enquire online
  Online enquiry form

  Applying for 2020
  Facebook Applicant Group

  Office hours:
  Mon – Thu: 9am – 5pm
  Fri: 9am – 4.30pm

  Phone Call

  0300 303 2772

  +44 (0)1604 892134

  +44 (0)1604 892546

• Course Content
  • Level 7

  • Contemporary & International Issues in Early Years (30 Credits)
    Module code: EDUM072

    Core Module N
  • Supporting Parents and Developing Community (30 Credits)
    Module code: EDUM073

    Core Module N
  • Practitioner Led Development Project (30 Credits)
    Module code: EDUM146

    Core Module N
  • Young Children’s Literature, Media and Culture (30 Credits)
    Module code: EDUM101

    Core Module N
  • Research Thesis (60 Credits)
    Module code: EDUM100

    Core Module N
  • Dissertation (60 Credits)
    Module code: EDUM079

    Core Module N
  • Research Methods (30 Credits)
    Module code: EDUM077

    Core Module N
• Further Studies
  • Alumni 20% Discount

    Our Graduate Discount Scheme

    If you have previously studied an undergraduate degree with the University of Northampton, you may be eligible for a 20% discount on Postgraduate course fees.

    Visit our Graduate Discount Scheme page to find out more information and eligibility requirements.

    
  • Postgraduate Loan

    Get funding to study

    If you are starting a postgraduate Master’s course either full-time or part-time you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan through Student finance England.

    Visit the GOV website for more information on eligibility.

    *Please note that the maximum period of study allowed for part-time courses is two years. Please note to be eligible for a postgraduate loan for this course you must be studying the full 180 credits.

    If you have previously studied a PGCE and have APL modules you will not qualify for a loan from Student Finance England.

    
• Fees & Funding
  • UK & EU
  • International

  20/21 Tuition Fees

  Fees quoted relate to study in the Academic Year 20/21 only and may be subject to inflationary increases in future years.

  Full Time: £7,425
  Part Time: £1,235 per 30 credits

  Additional Costs

  There are no additional costs for this course for students beginning their studies in September 2020. Should this change, applicants and students will be contacted by the university with details of the costs.

  Postgraduate Loans

  If you are starting a postgraduate Master’s course in 2020/21 either full-time or part-time* you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan through Student Finance England**

  *Please note that the maximum period of study allowed for part-time courses is two years.

  **If you have studied a PGCE and have gained  exemptions for this course you will not be able to get a PG loan as you need to be studying the full 180 credits

  19/20 Tuition Fees

  Fees quoted relate to study in the Academic Year 19/20 only and may be subject to inflationary increases in future years.

  Full Time: £6,750
  Part Time: £1,125 per 30 credits

  Additional Costs

  There are no additional costs for this course for students beginning their studies in September 2019. Should this change, applicants and students will be contacted by the university with details of the costs.

  Postgraduate Loans

  If you are starting a postgraduate Master’s course in 2019/20 either full-time or part-time* you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan through Student Finance England**

  *Please note that the maximum period of study allowed for part-time courses is two years.

  **If you have studied a PGCE and have gained  exemptions for this course you will not be able to get a PG loan as you need to be studying the full 180 credits

  20/21 Tuition Fees

  Fees quoted relate to study in the Academic Year 19/20 only and may be subject to inflationary increases in future years.

  Full Time: £13,750

  Additional Costs

  There are no additional costs for this course for students beginning their studies in September 2020. Should this change, applicants and students will be contacted by the university with details of the costs.

  19/20 Tuition Fees

  Fees quoted relate to study in the Academic Year 19/20 only and may be subject to inflationary increases in future years.

  Full Time: £12,750

  Additional Costs

  There are no additional costs for this course for students beginning their studies in September 2019. Should this change, applicants and students will be contacted by the university with details of the costs.

  Scholarships

  EU and International Scholarships

  We’re committed to offering the opportunity to study in the UK to the best and brightest students from around the world.

  TD Lewis Scholarship

  The T D Lewis Scholarship provides both undergraduate and postgraduate students with financial awards of up to £1,000.  This scholarship is awarded on educational excellence…

  The Chancellor's Fund

  The Chancellor’s Fund is a bi-annual fund providing students with awards of between £100 and £1,000. You must be a current student to apply.  The…

• Part Time Study

  Courses offered on a part time basis are an excellent way of gaining a qualification around a busy home life or job. The University of Northampton recognises that many of our students have family and work commitments and offer various courses on a part time study basis, working flexibly around your requirements.

  A lot of our courses can be completed part-time, so you can fit your studies around your life. The majority of part-time and professional courses start in October. Please apply as soon as possible to ensure we have your details before your course starts.

*Course data provided by Unistats