Education: Early Childhood MA

You will engage with current issues and debates in education which will enable you to build your understanding and develop new insights. By engaging in research and advanced scholarship you'll develop as a self-directed, independent learner and be able to deal with complex issues both systematically and creatively.

Innovative approaches to teaching, learning and assessment are supported by a team of tutors who are also active researchers. You'll study alongside people who have wide-ranging educational interests, including people working in mentor roles and those in primary, secondary, post-compulsory or higher education settings. You'll also gain insights from library and archive professionals, those in museum education, early years teachers, playworkers and children’s centre managers.

Studying with us offers you the opportunity to become absorbed in a student-centred environment. You’ll have the chance to apply your current expertise and shape the course to complement your professional practice and academic interests in early childhood.

The Education: Early Childhood MA can be studied full-time (typically over three academic terms, one year) or part-time (typically two years).

Level 1

Modules

The learning and teaching strategies include lectures, masterclasses given by visiting professors and speakers, tutorials, seminars, workshops and e-learning activities via our virtual learning environment (VLE). There will be particular emphasis on engagement in individual and group enquiry to develop skills in critical questioning, creative thinking and problem-solving.

Delivery
Delivery is structured to include two weekends each semester and some evening teaching for full-time students.

Self-study time
Outside of taught sessions, you are encouraged to undertake further study which may include reading journal articles, engaging in online discussions, and preparing for assessments.

Assessment methods
Our assessments have been externally commended for being innovative yet rigorous, and we’ve received very positive feedback from our students.

On some modules you will be able to negotiate the assessment type so that it aligns to your interests and needs. For example, you could choose to write a funding bid, a proposal for a small-scale investigation, a report or another agreed assessment type.

Your final study is your dissertation or major project. This offers you the chance to further study a topic of particular interest and importance to you.

Qualifications

Entry onto this postgraduate course requires a minimum of a 2:1 undergraduate degree in Education or another related subject.

If your degree is not in Education or a related discipline but you can demonstrate extensive work experience in the field, your application may be considered.

If you have a PGCE which you gained within the last five years then we can recognise up to 60 relevant M level credits for this to provide exemption from two of the modules normally studied in the second year of part-time study. This means that you would complete and pass the first year modules and then proceed straight to your dissertation study.

International students

If you're an international student, you'll need to demonstrate experience, or qualifications equivalent to those above.

If your first language is not English you must show evidence of English Language competence at IELTS level 6.0 or equivalent (with no skill below 5.5).

Interview

Entry onto this postgraduate course will require you to attend an interview.

We are happy to arrange interviews via Skype for overseas students.

APEL policy

If you can't meet these minimum requirements it may be possible to take into account evidence of Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) as an alternative method of meeting the programme’s entry requirements. In such a case, appropriate references and records of employment might be presented to support the applicant’s case for admission.

UK & EU 2020 - 21

The tuition fee for 2020 entry to this postgraduate course is £6,500 for full-time UK/EU, Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man students.

For UK/EU, Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man students studying part time, the tuition fee for 2020 entry to this postgraduate course is £3,250 per year.

Postgraduate loans are available to help you pay for your master’s course. Find out more about postgraduate funding opportunities.

International (non-EU) 2020 - 21

The tuition fee for 2020 entry to this postgraduate course is £12,750 for international students.

Due to immigration laws, international students on a Tier 4 visa must be studying full-time. For more information about visa requirements and short-term study visas, please visit the International Visa and Immigration pages.

More information about funding your studies is available on our International Fees and Funding page.

Tuition Fees

Alumni Scholarships

If you are continuing to postgraduate study directly after studying at undergraduate level with us, we offer a reduction in fees depending on the classification of degree you achieve.

If you are graduating from an undergraduate degree at York St John University this year you could be entitled to:

• a 50% reduction in course fees if you achieve a 1st
• a 35% reduction if you achieve a 2:1
• a 20% reduction if you achieve a 2:2

These reductions apply to all York and London-based taught MA, MBA, MSc and MRes courses, except for Physiotherapy (Pre-registration) MSc, Occupational Therapy (Pre-registration) MSc and all PCGE courses.

All York St John University alumni are eligible for a 10% reduction on their postgraduate course fees regardless of when you graduated. The 10% alumni discount will not be added on top of these reductions.

Additional costs and financial support

COURSE-RELATED COSTS

Whilst studying for your degree, there may be additional costs related to your course. This may include purchasing personal equipment and stationery, books and optional field trips.

ACCOMMODATION AND LIVING COSTS

View our accommodation pages for detailed information on accommodation and living costs.

Our Education: Early Childhood MA gives you the skills and insight necessary to pursue many careers.

Jobs directly related to your degree include:

• Community education officer
• Early years teacher
• Education administrator
• Education consultant
• English as a foreign language teacher
• Further education teacher
• Learning mentor
• Primary school teacher
• Secondary school teacher
• Special educational needs teacher
• Teaching assistant

Jobs where your degree would be useful:

• Careers adviser
• Child psychotherapist
• Counsellor
• Family support worker
• Health play specialist
• Museum education officer
• Play therapist
• Private tutor
• Youth worker