Want to make a real difference to young children and their families? This is where you start.
With a team of highly respected and experienced tutors, who are all experts in their specialisms, you’ll learn from some of the best in the field. This rewarding, flexible degree has babies and young children at its heart. It draws on subjects such as education, health studies, social work and social policy, psychology and sociology.
You’ll experience work-based placements in a range of early childhood settings. And gain the skills you need to move into the early years workforce.
1st in the UK
for Academic Support
National Student Survey (NSS), 2025, HEIs only
Joint 1st in the UK
for Value Added Score
The Guardian University Rankings, 2026
10th overall in the UK
for Student Satisfaction
The Complete University Guide, 2027
Learn hands on
with a work-based placement
Early years
simulated learning environment
Forest School
certification opportunity
About this course
This degree takes a holistic approach to the development of young children, from birth to the age of eight.
From climate change, global pandemics and economic austerity to screen use and social media, the 21st century has brought many factors that are shaping childhood experiences. This course teaches you to understand the challenges of supporting children and babies in this rapidly changing world, and the skills to respond to them.
Develop practical skills within a range of early years environments – from nurseries to care farms – thanks to our links with over 600 education institutions across the UK. Your training will include outdoor play and learning opportunities and the chance to study towards an accredited Forest School certification, and you could experience a placement overseas. This gives you a valuable additional qualification and the ability to take into account a range of extra needs.
We’re proud to be part of the Early Childhood Studies Degree Network, which benefits students through events and profile-raising activity. You’ll also have the opportunity to achieve Graduate Practitioner Status.
Want to change lives? Start with yours.
Foundation year
A foundation year at the University of Hull gives you a solid grounding of knowledge and boosts your academic skills, so you can progress on to your chosen programme with confidence.
The foundation course you enrol on may not be an exact match to your chosen degree, but don’t worry. Our foundation courses combine content from multiple related courses in the same subject area, giving you more flexibility and choice about the degree path you take.
For example, if you apply for a Music Foundation Year, you’ll join our Media Foundation course. So, if you decide to switch - say, from Music to Graphic Design - you can do so without restarting your foundation year.
Module options
Each year, you’ll study modules worth a certain number of credits, and you need 120 credits per year. Most modules are 20 credits – so you’ll study six modules each year. Some longer modules, such as a dissertation, are worth more. In these cases, you’ll study fewer modules - but the number of credits will always add up to 120. Some modules are compulsory, some are optional, so you can build a course that’s right for you.
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Preparing for Learning in Higher Education
This module is designed to give you the best possible start to your university studies, making sure you have all the essential skills you need to succeed. Through lectures and workshops we will teach you how to write in an academic style, how to find quality sources, and how to reference work, culminating in writing up a mini-research project.
core
20 credits
Introduction to Education
This module sets the scene for the programme, starting with your own background and experience and exploring what education means, how it differs from schooling and key concepts and approaches. It will also help you to develop the academic skills necessary for your degree programme.
core
20 credits
Research in the Humanities, Social Sciences and Education
This module will equip you with the necessary skills to conduct and analyse research in a specific interest, supported by academics within your subject. You'll navigate through the research process, from identifying an area of interest to presenting findings to your peers.
core
20 credits
Group Challenge (Humanities)
Formulate and execute a group led enquiry into texts, cultural artefacts, film, music or dance. You'll explore their topics in groups at supervised workshops and develop questions on the cultural object relates to the living world of human experience, as well as developing your own methods to answer these questions.
compulsory
20 credits
Foundation in Data Analysis
Develop a strong foundation in data collection and analysis. This module will introduce you to qualitative and quantitative data and how to analyse it; the collection of primary and secondary data; the production of high-quality graphics; and report writing.
compulsory
20 credits
Academic Writing Skills
Developing confidence in expression, oral as well as written, is a key feature of this module, which aims to familiarise you with university submission and assessment procedures. This is a clear building block towards your degree programme and places you at a distinct advantage when you move into the following year.
compulsory
20 credits
Play Matters
How do adults and environments in early years settings support young children’s learning? In this module you will explore the power that play and everyday experiences have on the development of babies and young children. You will reflect on the role you and others have in supporting them to make sense of the world.
compulsory
20 credits
Children’s Health and Wellbeing
The significance of good physical, emotional and mental health has never been more important for children and society. In this module you will explore the role of practitioners in supporting the health and wellbeing of young children and babies.
compulsory
20 credits
Ethical Dilemmas and the Moral Maze
Dealing with real-world, ethical, or moral dilemmas is both challenging and pertinent to all areas of lived experience and professional, practice. The module will introduce you to a range of theoretical models and provide opportunities to explore these in relation to real world ethical dilemmas drawn from professional practice contexts.
compulsory
20 credits
Our facilities
Watchlist
Kerrie Lee
Course overview
1 min
Life on campus
University life
2 mins
The Gold Standard for Teaching
University life
1 min
Rewilding Reading
Course Highlight
9 mins
Featured academics
Our team of highly respected and experienced tutors are all experts in their specialisms.
Taught by a team of experts in the fields of education, social care, health, inclusion and therapeutic approaches, you’ll gain real, practical knowledge that will be invaluable in your future career.
Dr Jo Traunter
Team Lead
Jo’s teaching and research interests are in early childhood education and care. She brings over 20 years’ experience of different early years teaching methods and activities to her role as Head of Subject for Education, Childhood and Youth Studies.
Kerrie Lee
Lecturer
An experienced early years practitioner, Kerrie's research focuses on how environment, space and place interact and shape the lives of young people. She is working on a consultation for new projects to support early years in museums and galleries.
Entry Requirements
What do I need?
When it comes to applying to university, you'll need a certain number of UCAS points. Different qualifications and grades are worth a different amount of points. For this course, you'll need 72 UCAS points.
For applicants with qualifications in subjects other than those key to the degree, we will usually require a minimum of 72 points from A levels, BTEC, or other equivalent qualifications.
We consider experience and qualifications from the UK and worldwide which may not exactly match the combinations above.
But it's not just about the grades - we'll look at your whole application. We want to know what makes you tick, and about your previous experience, so make sure that you complete your personal statement.
Have questions? Our admissions team will be happy to help.
Typical offer
72 UCAS points
A levels
DDD
BTEC
MPP
Fees & Funding
How much is it?
Tuition fees for 2027 entry have not been confirmed. Please use 2026-27 information as a guide.
For UK students, our standard course fee is £9,790 per year. Keep in mind that some courses are longer - for example, spending your third year abroad will make your degree four years in total.
If you choose to study a foundation year as part of your course, the fee is £5,760.
How do I pay for it?
You can take out a tuition fee loan to cover the full cost of your course. Once you’ve successfully applied for this, you don’t need to do anything else – the money is sent straight to us.
You can also take out a maintenance loan of up to £10,544 a year to cover your living costs, depending on your household income.
Remember, you won’t start paying your loans back until you’ve left university and earn more than £25,000 per year.
See our full fees and funding information for more details and to find out what support we can offer.
Foundation Year Fee
£5,760
Standard Tuition Fee
£9,790 / year
The amount you pay may increase each year, in line with inflation - but capped to the Retail Price Index.
Future prospects
Our degrees reflect the high demand for well-trained practitioners and are tailored to prepare you to move straight into employment.
With a focus on the key skills valued by employers we’ll support your development into a practitioner for the early childhood sector. You’ll gain experience of working independently and in teams as well as presentation skills and an ability to articulate effectively across a range of contexts with a variety of tools.
The opportunities for graduates in children’s and young people’s services are varied and wide. Potential future careers include Portage worker, community nursery nurse, children’s centre practitioner, family support worker, early years practitioner and child support worker.
Become part of the next generation of futuremakers
Like what you've seen? Then it's time to apply.
The standard way is to apply through UCAS. This will give you the chance to showcase your skills qualities and passion for the subject, as well as providing us with your academic qualifications.
Not ready to apply yet?
Visit our next Open Day, and see all that the University of Hull has to offer. Talk to our lecturers about your subject, find out what university is really like from our current students, and take a tour of our beautiful campus and amazing facilities.
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All modules presented on this course page are subject to availability and this list may change at any time.