BA (Hons) Childhood Studies

The BA in Childhood Studies at Essex is a unique interdisciplinary degree where we explore the social and emotional worlds of children from birth to 25. It is a wonderful introduction for students wishing to deepen their knowledge about children's lives and forge a career in a wide range of professions, whether in frontline practice with children, or by making a positive impact on children’s lives through research, policy development, and advocacy. It is also ideal for students with a general interest in the field.

Are you fascinated by children's behaviour? What drives their development, what informs their behaviour and shapes their identity? Do you want to help children with emotional, social, behavioural and educational difficulties? Are you interested in why some children falter through life's ups and downs, whilst others seem to thrive in adversity and appear more resilient? Do you want to make a difference to children's lives? If so, this course is for you.

Children and young people today face a wide range of new and challenging experiences, including systemic and economic inequalities, climate change, unprecedented access to online media, increased levels of mental health distress, and online bullying. Childhood experiences affect people for the rest of their lives, impacting feelings, beliefs, relationships, and physical and emotional health. You can make a positive contribution to these vital years, supporting children’s resilience, resourcefulness, and hope.

Childhood studies is a vibrant and exciting field which has expanded in recent years to include knowledge from psychoanalysis, psychology, sociology, social work, and the arts and humanities. Our BA degree is forward-thinking and agenda-setting, bringing together expert staff from a range of disciplines with practice-based experience.

Whether you want to work with children experiencing emotional and behavioural difficulties in children’s homes, children’s advocacy, support those with learning difficulties, or be prepared for postgraduate teacher training in primary or the early years, our course prepares you to make a difference to children’s lives. You may also have a general interest in the field and wish to explore the subject.

The BA would also be an ideal pathway if you are already working with children and wish to develop your knowledge and skills. It can also lead to further study in a wide range of courses including psychotherapy, social work, and speech and language therapy.

You gain a deep understanding of child development, the ecology of childhood (the place of children in different societies) and consider the way our concepts of childhood shape and condition children's lives. You will also learn about the direct work with children through undertaking a placement in year 1 and year 2 where you can begin to make links between theory and practice; in year one this placement can be with children of any age, in year two this is focused on infant observation. Assessment is mainly by coursework.

Topics include:

• Ideas of childhood across time and cultures
• Child development and attachment theory
• Developmental trauma, ADHD and ASD
• Safeguarding
• Children’s literature and popular culture
• Infant observation
• Wellbeing and resilience
• Childhood and the unconscious mind
• Psychodynamics of teaching, learning and group work

The Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies is internationally recognised as one of the leading departments for work on the role of the unconscious processes in mental health, as well as their wider influence in culture and society.

Study abroad

Your education extends beyond the university campus. We support you in expanding your education through offering the opportunity to spend a year or a term studying abroad at one of our partner universities. The four-year version of our degree allows you to spend the third year abroad or employed on a placement abroad, while otherwise remaining identical to the three-year course.

Studying abroad allows you to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically, and to demonstrate to employers that you are mature, adaptable, and organised.

If you spend a full year abroad you'll only pay 15% of your usual tuition fee to Essex for that year. You won't pay any tuition fees to your host university.

Placement year

Alternatively, you can spend your third year on a placement year with an external organisation, where you learn about a particular sector, company or job role, apply your academic knowledge in a practical working environment, and receive inspiration for future career pathways. You will be responsible for finding your placement, but with support and guidance provided by both your department and our placements team.

If you complete a placement year you'll only pay 20% of your usual tuition fee to Essex for that year.

Our expert staff

Our staff blend clinical and professional experience and expertise in their field with the academic rigour that our Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies is known for. You will be taught by lecturers who bring an exciting range of disciplinary expertise to the field of Childhood Studies and produce agenda-setting research. The teaching team includes staff with years of practice-based experience including social work, child and adolescent psychotherapy, and work in therapeutic communities and children’s homes.

Our staff specialise in:

• Child protection
• Mental health
• Infant and early years mental health
• Childhood trauma
• Sociology of childhood
• Developmental psychology
• History of infancy and childhood
• The cultural production of childhood

Specialist facilities

You will experience a lively, informal environment with a number of specialist facilities:

• At our Colchester Campus, you have access to The Albert Sloman Library which houses a collection of books, journals, electronic resources and major archives
• Our Department has its own dedicated library of specialist texts which inform and influence our research
• Attend free evening Open Seminars on topics relevant to childhood studies, education, mental health and psychosocial studies which are open to students, staff and members of the public

Your future

Our unique BA Childhood Studies provides a strong foundation for your chosen career. You will put theory into practice by carrying out reflective practice through a work placement and an infant observation. These give you invaluable experience and build towards employability in your chosen sector. In your third year, your dissertation project supports you in identifying your particular interests and building specialist knowledge.

We help you to explore and understand the kind of role you're preparing for so you graduate with a valuable balance of theoretical understanding and useful practical experience – rare qualities giving you the edge needed to successfully gain employment upon graduation. We also embed a range of Employability Skills throughout our modules.

There are a range of jobs related to the BA Childhood Studies such as:

• Children’s or young people’s practitioner
• Therapeutic community practitioner
• Play practitioner
• Families practitioner/support worker
• Learning support worker
• Children’s advocacy and children’s participation
• Children’s charities (entry-level in fundraising and funding, policy and research, communications)
• Research development
• Civil Service and graduate schemes

The BA provides an outstanding pathway into future teacher training in the Early Years and Primary Schools.

After taking this degree you could enter further study or training:

• Early years teacher
• Primary school teacher
• SENDco
• Child psychotherapist
• Social worker
• Children's nurse
• Counsellor
• Arts therapist
• Play therapist
• Educational psychologist
• Speech and language therapist

We also work with the University's Student Development Team to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.

UK entry requirements

• A-levels: BBB - BBC or 120 - 112 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of 2 full A-levels.
• BTEC: DDM - DMM or 120 - 112 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of the equivalent of 2 full A-levels. The acceptability of BTECs is dependent on subject studied and optional units taken - email ugquery@essex.ac.uk for advice.
• Combined qualifications on the UCAS tariff: 120 - 112 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of 2 full A levels or equivalent. Tariff point offers may be made if you are taking a qualification, or mixture of qualifications, from the list on our undergraduate application information page.
• IB: 30 - 29 points in the IB Diploma or 120 - 112 UCAS tariff points to include a minimum of 2 Higher Level subjects.
• IB Career-related Programme: We consider combinations of IB Diploma Programme courses with BTECs or other qualifications. Advice on acceptability can be provided, email Undergraduate Admissions.
• QAA-approved Access to HE Diploma: 120-112 UCAS tariff points, depending on subject studied - advice on acceptability can be provided, email Undergraduate Admissions.
• T-levels: 120-112 UCAS tariff points. We consider T-levels on a case-by-case basis, depending on subject studied. Depending on the course applied for there may be additional requirements, which may include a specific grade in the Core.

Contextual Offers:

We are committed to ensuring that all students with the merit and potential to benefit from an Essex education are supported to do so. We make Contextual Offers, of up to two A-level grades (or equivalent) below our standard conditional offer, to applicants from underrepresented groups residing in the UK. Our Contextual Offers policy outlines the full eligibility criteria.

For further information about what a Contextual Offer may look like for your specific qualification profile, email ugquery@essex.ac.uk.

If you haven't got the grades you hoped for, have a non-traditional academic background, are a mature student, or have any questions about eligibility for your course, more information can be found on our undergraduate application information page or get in touch with our Undergraduate Admissions Team at ugquery@essex.ac.uk.

Additional requirements:

A satisfactory enhanced DBS check (including child and adult barred list check) will be required prior to starting any placement(s) for this course, This will be organised by the University. Please contact our DBS team if you have any questions relating to this.
A satisfactory Overseas Criminal Record/Local Police Certificate is also required, in addition to a DBS Check, where you lived outside of the UK in the last 5 years for 6 months or more.

English language requirements

English language requirements for applicants whose first language is not English

IELTS 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each component, or specified score in an equivalent test that we accept.

Details of English language requirements and the tests we accept for applicants who require a Student visa (excluding Nationals of Majority English Speaking Countries) can be found here

If we accept the English component of an international qualification it will be included in the academic levels listed above for the relevant countries.

Pre-sessional English courses

If you do not meet our IELTS requirements then you may be able to complete a pre-sessional English pathway that enables you to start your course without retaking IELTS.

Additional Notes

If you’re an international student, but do not meet the academic requirements for direct admission to this degree, you could prepare and gain entry through a pathway course. Find out more about opportunities available to you at the University of Essex International College

Course structure

Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field. The following modules are based on the current course structure and may change in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.

We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We'll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website and in line with your contract with us. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, we'll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.

Placement

On a placement year you will gain exciting and relevant work experience within an external organisation, where you can gain the competitive edge you need in the graduate job market, make key contacts in the sector and further develop the competencies and experience needed to build your CV. The rest of your course remains identical to the three-year degree.’

Year abroad

On your year abroad, you have the opportunity to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically, and to demonstrate to employers that you are mature, adaptable, and organised. The rest of your course remains identical to the three-year degree.

Teaching

• Undergraduate students in the Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies typically attend a one-hour lecture and a one-hour seminar for each module per week. There are some variations in place depending on the module.
• Teaching takes place through lectures and seminars often in relatively small groups, with a focus on group interaction and discussion
• Discussion in seminars includes discussing theoretical ideas, how these might apply to practice and discussing your own experiences and observation on placement
• You will also participate in skills based workshops, debates, observation seminars, reflective groups and teach others through presentation of theoretical readings and practice case examples

Assessment

• Your grade is made up mainly of coursework marks, including essays, case studies and reflective reports. There are exams, but these are infrequent