Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Animation and Illustration

at University of Bolton United Kingdom

Health and social care is a vast service sector providing support to people who are vulnerable, such as children, older people and adults with disabilities or mental health issues. Our BSc (Hons) Health and Social Care offers you the opportunity to develop the values, skills and knowledge essential to good health and social care practice, opening the door to a huge range of rewarding employment opportunities.

Balancing policy, practice and academic training, our course is strongly linked to the UK government’s agendas for health and social care. Our highly experienced and dedicated team will lead you in an exploration of the principles of care, care planning and delivery, the ethical aspects of care, and areas such health promotion, safeguarding, and more. We’ll support you as you learn how to collaborate across professional boundaries, use evidence to inform your decisions, and gain understanding of critical issues in health and social care and ways of dealing with them.

Practical experience, including a work experience placement in a health and social care setting, is key to your development. Our focus is on helping you become a knowledgeable, compassionate, and person-centred care professional.

Highlights

• Guest lectures and talks by both health and social care service providers and service users give alternative perspectives, aimed at enhancing your understanding.
• Professional experience is an essential element of the course that gives valuable, hands-on, real-life experience in a health and social care setting. Our extensive network of health and social care contacts means we can offer a wide variety of placements.
• Alongside specialist health and social care knowledge, you’ll have the chance to develop your skills in research, data evaluation, critical reasoning and analysis, as well as in areas such as communication, team working, problem-solving and self-reflection.
• Our emphasis on supporting you to develop study and critical thinking skills will help you to engage with further learning and prepare you for postgraduate study.

Key Features

• We want to work with you as an individual, giving you access to the help and support you need to succeed.
• Our highly qualified and research-active team offers a vast range of professional experience in health and social care, as well as close links with the sector, the NHS, and voluntary and charitable organisations.
• Getting out of the classroom and into the workplace is a key part of your learning, so you’ll undertake a placement in a health and social care setting at level HE5 of the course.
• We’ll encourage you to engage in voluntary work in health and social care environments throughout the course. These activities contribute towards your portfolio of evidence, ready to impress employers when you enter the jobs market.
• By studying alongside students who are already health and social care professionals, you’ll be able to share in the knowledge and experience they have developed in their working environments, helping you to provide the highest standard of care for your own patients in the future.
• A link tutor provides academic communication between our London Academic Centre at Regent College London and the University of Bolton’s academic school so that the experience you receive as an off-campus student is equivalent to that of an on-campus student.
• As an off-campus student you'll also have access to the support of the University’s dedicated off-campus team and resources, to help make you truly feel part of the institution.
• You’ll also have access to the University’s e-learning resources, an extensive e-library and the support of University librarians.

Visual effects (VFX) and animation is at the heart of creating spectacular imagery for the film, TV, commercial and music video industries. VFX is an integral part of nearly every global blockbuster film in the modern era. Whether it’s the creation of hideous monsters, futuristic vehicles, or epic alien landscapes, VFX is the driving force behind the magic that you see on screen.

Our BSc (Hons) Visual Effects and Animation course is ideal if you wish to combine design creativity with cutting-edge 2D and 3D computer generated imagery and animation to create visual effects. We offer hands-on experience covering the whole workflow of a digital VFX pipeline – from concept design, pre-production and visualisation, to the production of photorealistic 3D models/environments, and computer generated and composited images.

Our dedicated and experienced team will lead you in an exploration of 3D computer modelling, texturing, lighting, rendering, rigging and animation, as well as the established areas of compositing, matte paintings and environments.

VFX artists need transferable skills too, including communication, project and time management, team-working and entrepreneurship. We aim to support you to develop these attributes, alongside the imagination, flair and curiosity that will enable you to design and deliver inventive VFX and animation solutions for film, TV and advertising.

Highlights

• Each year our final year students are set industry briefs by Oscar-winning VFX studios such as DNEG. Getting involved with these industry projects can help you form great links with top VFX studios, as well as give you direct feedback on your work from leading industry artists and professionals.
• You’ll have access to our fantastic range of VFX facilities, including our dedicated effects studio with infinity curve green screen, our site-wide renderfarm that uses distributed computing to render high quality, complex photo realistic scenes and environments, and our boutique film studio that includes broadcast standard cameras and lighting equipment.
• You’ll also use industry-standard software, such as Autodesk Maya for 3D work, The Foundry’s Nuke and Mari for compositing and digital painting, Houdini for technical effects and dynamics, and ZBrush for digital sculpting.
• We’re committed to helping develop your employability and career network. You’ll be encouraged to attend guest lectures that enhance your learning and help you make contacts in the industry. For instance, Malcolm Watts, a Lead Modeller at Oscar Award-winning visual effects studio DNEG (and University of Bolton VFX graduate) has recently shared his expertise with students on our film FX courses.
• Alongside your visual effects skills and knowledge, we’ll support you to develop a broader understanding of production design, including concepting, cinematography and composition. This will help you appreciate the roles, skills and expectations of other professionals working in the industry.

Key Features

• The course is designed and regularly reviewed in collaboration with professional visual effects artists and studio directors. This ensures that the content is industry-relevant and includes the latest techniques and innovations.
• We’ll help and support you to develop a portfolio of work/show reel that demonstrates your skills in readiness to impress potential employers.
• Course assignments and projects mimic industry pipelines and standards so your experience is a realistic preparation for a career in visual effects and animation.
• Our dedicated staff team have a wide range of professional experience, industry knowledge, technical expertise and academic credentials, offering you a variety of perspectives and broadening your horizons.
• We prefer to keep student numbers relatively small in lecture and practical classes, so that you have plenty of opportunities to ask us questions and get individual help, as well as benefit from the ideas and support offered by your classmates.
• We’ll encourage you to research, analyse, design and develop visual effects techniques so that you can take an idea from a brief or script scene and find the most time-efficient, cost-effective and visually impressive way to turn that vision into reality.

Professional recognition

• The University of Bolton’s BSc (Hons) Visual Effects and Animation degree holds Tick accreditation from Screen Skills, the industry-led skills body for the UK's screen-based creative industries, including animation, film, games, television including children's TV and high-end drama, VFX and immersive technology. Working with industry experts, ScreenSkills awards the quality mark of the Tick to practice-based degree courses that most effectively provide students with the skills and knowledge required by employers in the screen industries. ScreenSkills provides the highest level of industry-led accreditation for VFX focused degrees, meaning our degree is globally recognised for its outstanding levels of teaching, employability and links into the VFX industry.

Our MSc in Motorsport Engineering focuses on preparing you for industry. It’s designed to take you from your bachelor’s degree to a role in the motorsport or automotive industries. Written with industry collaboration, our dedicated, knowledgeable team will cover the key areas needed to make you stand out to employers. We’ll concentrate on technological advancements, such as additive manufacturing (commonly called 3D printing), advanced powertrains, electric vehicles, big data and industry 4.0.

By working with industry players like Airbus, HAAS F1, M-Sport, Prodrive and RML to write the programme, we’re ensuring that the core ethos, skills and projects are industry-centred, realistic and aimed to maximise your employability. The fourth industrial revolution, known as industry 4.0, is happening around us and the motorsport and automotive industries are leading these changes. We’ll explore the latest in motorsport vehicle dynamics, advanced powertrain technologies, and the design and development of electric vehicles. Our dedicated and knowledgeable team will work to help you prepare to develop and innovate as the industry evolves.

Additionally, the course is designed to address all the competencies set out by the Engineering Council and UK-SPEC, and to support you to achieve Chartered Engineer (CEng) status. So, if you’re an ambitious motorsport or automotive engineering graduate seeking to develop advanced digital manufacturing and production engineering knowledge while boosting your understanding of core motorsports engineering principles, this master’s degree should prove an excellent investment in your future.

Highlights

• Your studies will be based in the purpose-built National Centre for Motorsport Engineering (NCME) at the University of Bolton.
• This master’s course is designed to meet professional institution standards in the UK, and support your achievement of Chartered Engineer (CEng) status.
• Our dedicated staff team, who possess a wide range of professional experience, industry knowledge, technical expertise and academic credentials, offers face-to-face sessions and one-to-one support.

Key Features

• Course materials are available online, allowing you to prepare work at home and make the most of the highly interactive in-class tuition.
• Our approach to teaching and learning is ‘student-centred’, so we’ll work with you on an individual basis, providing tailored help and support throughout your studies.
• By studying alongside students and professionals from other engineering specialisms or alternative industrial sectors, you can benefit from a wider range of knowledge and experience that supports cross-disciplinary thinking.
• This course is based at the University of Bolton’s campus in the North West of England.
• We also offer master’s degrees and postgraduate apprenticeships in Systems Engineering and Engineering Management, and this programme is part of a well-established suite of master’s programmes offered by the University of Bolton.

Professional recognition

• The University of Bolton’s MSc Motorsport Engineering uses UK-SPEC learning outcomes and is designed to meet the academic requirements leading to Chartered Engineer (CEng) status. Please see the Engineering Council UK website for further details of UK-SPEC.
• We’ll be seeking accreditation of the MSc Motorsport Engineering for Chartered Engineer (CEng) status from the Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).

Psychology is a core component of psychotherapy and counselling and the University of Bolton offers one of the oldest and most established psychology courses in the UK. Our BSc (Hons) Psychology, Psychotherapy and Counselling degree offers you the chance to learn about the interaction between these disciplines, gaining an appreciation of the diversity of perspectives involved, along with an understanding of their therapeutic use.

Our friendly and experienced team will guide you as you develop knowledge of the theories, methods and debates central to the three core elements. We’ll support you as you explore psychology, gain specific counselling skills, and consider broader social issues that impact on the roles of psychotherapist and counsellor, such as assumptions, stereotyping, diversity and prejudice. We’ll also focus on developing your knowledge and skills in the use of psychological research methods, and your appreciation of the ethical issues involved.

Inter-personal and transferable skills are also vital, so we’ll challenge you to develop sought-after communication, problem solving, numerical, analytical, self-management, IT skills, and more. Overall, our dedicated team are focused on helping you gain the skills employers’ value along with a detailed understanding of psychology, counselling and psychotherapy.

Highlights

• Our psychology courses are ranked top in the UK for teaching quality by The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020, as well as top in the UK for student satisfaction by The Complete University Guide 2020.
• This course is one of only a few Psychology, Psychotherapy and Counselling degrees in the country accredited by the British Psychological Society. Accredited as conferring eligibility for the Graduate Basis for Chartership, this degree is the first step towards becoming a Chartered Psychologist.
• Integrated into this degree are opportunities for you to gain accredited qualifications in counselling skills. Through successful completion of this degree, you’ll also achieve the Level 2 and Level 3 Certificates in Counselling Skills conferred by ABC Awards.
• We emphasise inter-personal, transferable and employability skills as well as academic success. After graduation, you may have the opportunity to progress onto professional qualification in applied psychology, such as our Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapies.
• We focus strongly on employability skills and the practical application of your studies as well as academic success. Workshops will involve analysis of life events and role playing of various scenarios using case study material. You can also benefit from final year applied sessions in counselling skills.
• Your personal tutor will be on hand to support you throughout your degree; one of our team of helpful and approachable psychology staff with a diverse range of research interests and professional experience.
• We’ve invested to create a learning environment that offers innovative methods of teaching and assessment using top-class facilities, such as our observation laboratory with video cameras, microphones and video editing equipment.

Key Features

• We stress the applied nature of psychology throughout the programme, emphasising learning through experience to help prepare you for further professional qualifications in psychology, counselling or psychotherapy.
• We’ll explain the principles and methods of psychological research, including the collection, analysis, reporting and interpretation of data. During your final year you’ll have the opportunity to carry out an individual research study.
• Teaching is dynamic and varied using methods that include lectures, small group work, discussion groups, case studies, demonstrations and laboratory workshops. You’ll be encouraged to take responsibility for your own learning with opportunities for you to participate and gain practical experience.
• Course content is delivered by our highly-qualified staff who have substantial experience in the field. By offering personal supervision throughout the course, we aim to give you the best possible opportunity to achieve your true potential.

Professional recognition
Successful completion of the degree course is approved as conferring eligibility for the Graduate Basis for Chartership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society, provided the minimum standard of qualification of second class honours is achieved.

The British Psychological Society is the professional body for psychologists.

Through the successful completion of the module "Introduction to Counselling Concepts" (PPC4001) you’ll gain the ABC Accredited Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills. Through the successful completion of the module "Counselling Skills" (PPC5001) you’ll gain the ABC Accredited Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Skills.

Our MSc in Biomedical Engineering is focused on helping you gain the advanced knowledge, scientific and technical expertise, and research skills needed for a professional career in this diverse and rapidly developing field. Our dedicated staff will support you to develop the specialist engineering knowledge and skills needed to address medical and biological problems in healthcare, rehabilitation and advanced materials.

We’ll support you as you extend your knowledge and understanding of the engineering and scientific principles that underpin biomedical engineering and explore emerging technological advancements in the field. We’ll focus on helping you gain the postgraduate-level research and critical thinking skills that you’ll need to successfully apply your knowledge and understanding to contemporary problems in the industry. By enhancing your transferable skills, such as critical analysis, problem-solving, project management, decision making, leadership and communication, we aim to help you maximise your employability ready for successful career as a professional biomedical engineer.

Additionally, the course is designed to address all the competencies set out by the Engineering Council and UK-SPEC, and to support you to achieve Chartered Engineer (CEng) status. So, if you’re an ambitious engineering or physical science graduate, this master’s degree should prove an excellent investment in your future.

Highlights

• This master’s course is designed to meet professional institution standards in the UK, and support your achievement of Chartered Engineer (CEng) status.
• Our dedicated staff team, who possess a wide range of professional experience, industry knowledge, technical expertise and academic credentials, offers face-to-face sessions and one-to-one support.
• Our approach to teaching and learning is ‘student-centred’, so we’ll work with you on an individual basis, providing tailored help and support throughout your studies.

Key Features

• Course materials are available online, allowing you to prepare work at home and make the most of the highly interactive in-class tuition.
• By studying alongside students and professionals from other engineering specialisms or alternative industrial sectors, you can benefit from a wider range of knowledge and experience that supports cross-disciplinary thinking.
• This course is based at the University of Bolton’s campus in the North West of England.
• This programme is part of a well-established suite of master’s programmes offered by the School of Engineering at the University of Bolton.

Professional recognition

• The University of Bolton’s MSc Biomedical Engineering uses UK-SPEC learning outcomes and is designed to meet the academic requirements leading to Chartered Engineer (CEng) status. Please see the Engineering Council UK website for further details of UK-SPEC.
• We’ll be seeking accreditation of the MSc Biomedical Engineering for Chartered Engineer (CEng) status from the Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).

The competitive nature of the motorsport industry drives engineers to innovate and develop novel ideas that power progress in the automotive industry. This exciting course aims to give you the theoretical, practical and hands-on knowledge and experience needed to overtake your competition in the field of motorsports engineering.

This multi-disciplinary course brings together engineering principles and theories with design know-how, manufacturing skill and real-life racing experience with our partner teams. Our aim is to equip you with automotive performance engineering and motorsport-specific knowledge. We offer understanding in areas such as data analysis, performance optimisation, aerodynamics, safety considerations, whole vehicle and part design, and manufacturing. We also want to help you develop industry-focused commercial awareness and parallel business and management skills.

Seminars delivered by motorsport and automotive performance engineering professionals, and the chance to work alongside them on live projects, help get your career on the starting grid. Examples of practical activities include using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to simulate the aerodynamics of sports cars, testing parts using our impact and tensile test equipment, and working on actual motorsport projects.

If you don't have the appropriate qualifications to start this course, a four-year version that includes a foundation year is available.

Highlights

• This degree is fully accredited by the Institute of Mechanical Engineering (IMechE) as meeting the academic requirements leading to Chartered Engineer (CEng) status.
• We want to help you learn what it takes to run a race and championship-winning team on every level, from engineering cars to dealing with the challenges of a race meeting.
• Our workshops and laboratories are designed so that you can develop your ideas from initial thought through to production and testing, mimicking the research and development process used in industry.
• We offer exciting opportunities for you to work with motorsport and automotive industry experts so you can gain impressive experience that is highly valued by employers.
• Based in the brand new, purpose built National Centre for Motorsport Engineering (NCME).

Key Features

• The University of Bolton has a distinguished history in engineering.
• The course focuses on helping you develop in-demand motorsport-specific and transferable skills that are designed to meet the needs of the motorsport and other high performance engineering-related industries.
• We offer individual tutor support and a favourable staff:student ratio.
• Our course aims to help you learn from top industry professionals, such as international racing teams and supercar manufacturers.
• Hypothesis and experiment are key elements in your learning, and our laboratory facilities are designed and equipped so that you can gain experience in applying and testing engineering and scientific principles.

Professional recognition

Our BEng (Hons) Automotive Performance Engineering (Motorsport) degree is fully accredited by the Institute of Mechanical Engineering (IMechE) as meeting the academic requirements leading to Chartered Engineer (CEng) status. Please see the Engineering Council UK website for further details.

Civil engineering underpins the fabric of society, from roads, railways and airports, to glittering steel and glass skyscrapers and hotels, and life-saving water-management systems such as dams, flood defences and even sewers. If your goal is to innovate and improve infrastructure and amenities for communities, this course is designed to be excellent preparation for a range of civil engineering careers.

The BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering offers the opportunity to study and acquire the technological, vocational and personal skills you’ll need for a civil engineering career, while also serving as a comprehensive professional development programme for those already working in the profession. As well as having access to the necessary theoretical understanding and practical knowledge needed for a civil engineering role, you’ll also be able to learn and apply the principles of analysis and evaluation to civil engineering and construction-related problems.

To support this, we’ll give you ample opportunity to us our well-equipped materials, hydraulics, geotechnical and structures laboratories, plus access to an extensive range of the latest surveying equipment. We also have unique design studio facilities for you to use, featuring the latest CAD software and hardware.

Highlights

• This is a vocational programme that can significantly boost your employment opportunities in civil engineering.
• You can learn from guest speakers and lecturers from diverse construction project management backgrounds.
• The course is designed to fully satisfy the educational basis for an Incorporated Engineer (IEng) and to partially satisfy the educational basis for Chartered Engineer (CEng) status.
• You can benefit from our strong links with industry, including many of the key structural engineering, consultancy and contracting companies in the North West.

Key Features

• Our friendly department of construction experts ensures your needs are in encouraging and supportive hands.
• You’ll have access to the university’s unique design studio, which has the latest CAD software and hardware, and an impressive range of other specialist facilities.
• This is a flexible and hands-on education, designed to provide valuable context to your studies and prime you for career progression.

Professional recognition

• This degree is accredited as: 1) fully satisfying the educational base for an Incorporated Engineer (IEng), and 2) partially satisfying the educational base for a Chartered Engineer (CEng). A programme of accredited further learning will be required to complete the educational base for CEng. See www.jbm.org.uk for further information and details of further learning programmes for CEng.
• BEng (Hons) graduates can apply for Incorporated Engineer (IEng) professional status after the necessary practice in industry.
• You’ll be encouraged to become a student member of the relevant Institution(s) and take part in local and regional activities, enabling you to network with potential employers.

Games are serious business. The industry needs professionals with in-depth technical games knowledge and creative vision combined with business know-how and marketing expertise. The University of Bolton’s MA in Games Development offers you the chance to grow your skills and confidence in all these areas, gaining experience as a developer, and graduating with at least one credit on a published game to your name.

Designed around team-based development projects, the course involves you working with other students to form and run ‘indie’ style teams. Our highly-experienced games team will support and encourage you as you learn to plan, design, develop and publish games.

We will work to further extend your already substantial understanding of game development concepts and production methods, helping you master an arsenal of advanced tools and techniques to create compelling and inventive experiences.

Alongside these games-specific skills, we offer commercial and business knowledge for the creative sector; for instance, business planning, client negotiation, pitching for projects, responding to project briefs, intellectual property licencing and marketing campaign planning. Our academic team will provide critical support while helping you hone your project management and other transferable skills, ready to progress your career in the industry.

Highlights

• You will have opportunities to create and publish games for a variety of platforms including mobile, desktop, VR and console, building an impressive portfolio as you gain experience creating and running an indie studio.
• All the games staff at Bolton have worked on published games and most have experience working at or with publishers and developers – collectively, we have over seventy game credits on published titles.
• We offer focused teaching based on the latest research and industry trends and you will be encouraged to apply your new knowledge immediately in your projects.
• Our projects are flexible and designed to offer appropriate challenges based on you and your development team mates’ skills, competencies and interests.
• Industry experts from the leading games studios in the UK, along with Bolton graduates now successful in the sector, are regularly invited to give guest lectures on aspects of games development.

Key Features

• University of Bolton games graduates have been enjoying careers in the games industry for longer than most – we were one of the first UK universities to offer games courses and we now offer specialisms in Games Design, Games Art and Games Programming.
• We share your passion for games. Our dedicated games tutors offer a vast range of industry experience, a wide network of contacts in the games industry, and knowledge of the latest games research and developments.
• This course offers intensive practical experience in an environment designed to emulate conditions in the industry – you will be expected to spend approximately 30 hours per week in our development studio.
• Our well-equipped, dedicated games studios feature high-specification hardware and industry-standard software, along with modern and vintage consoles.

Photographs are the most exciting and important visual form of global communication, forming a significant part of everyday life. It’s estimated that 4.2 billion people now use the internet and that around 1.2 trillion photos were taken last year*. The image has become the most widely used international language, and the ability to communicate concise visual statements that engage audiences is at the heart of our course and teaching.

Our broad-based degree offers you a unique pathway of visual self-discovery. You’ll benefit from the freedom to pursue your own interests while receiving expert support from our industry-experienced tutors, developed with help from a panel of industry professionals. We offer a supportive market-aware environment, in which you can explore a variety of photographic genres such as documentary, fashion, editorial, photojournalism, commercial advertising, portraiture, architectural, wildlife, landscape and fine art.

We’ll invite industry experts to share their knowledge during guest lectures, and offer you opportunities to work on placements, ‘live briefs’ and commissions. Our industry links will help to enrich your learning experience and provide you with invaluable ‘insider’ information and possible employment opportunities. You can be part of this fully integrated programme of practical and theoretical knowledge, building your confidence and skills ready for a career in this dynamic industry.

Highlights

• Our team of highly knowledgeable and enthusiastic photography lecturers offer face-to-face sessions and one-to-one support, ensuring you can access help and advice when you need it.
• Based on your interests and strengths, our experienced team will work to help you identify a potential career path and plan your future professional development based on your individual needs. We want to support you as you establish the foundation of your career in your chosen area of the photography industry.
• Exhibition and display are key themes in the final year, and we’ll offer you the opportunity to present your work in an external exhibition as well as during Bolton School of the Arts’ Creative Showcase.
• We offer opportunities for you to participate in foreign study trips, as well as visit collections and current exhibitions at galleries, museums and arts centres around the UK. In recent years, visits to major cities such as New York, Paris, London and Toronto have proved valuable learning opportunities for our students.
• You’ll also have the opportunity to progress seamlessly onto our Master of Arts Photography programme.

Key Features

• Our custom-designed photography department offers outstanding facilities including darkrooms, a dedicated computer suite with a high output printing facility and four studios with specialist lighting.
• Practical knowledge, such as studio lighting and location techniques, combined with research and critique help you learn to develop your ideas and produce innovative research-led work.
• You’ll have access to a rich visiting speaker programme, providing insight into industry experts’ professional practice and up-to-the-minute developments in the sector.
• The programme offers work placements, internships, masterclasses, awards, competitions and open calls, such as the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition.
• Our specialist tutors and technical support staff have professional experience and industry connections.
• As a graduate, you’ll have a wide range of independent, specialist photographic styles based on your own planning and development.

At the University of Bolton, we believe that making the link between your course content and real life situations is crucial to your understanding of early childhood studies. Our BA (Hons) Early Years and Childhood Studies degree is a great qualification if you are looking for a career working with pre-primary school children and need to develop the necessary work experience, or if you are already working in the early years’ sector and would like the chance to obtain a formal qualification to support your career development.

Using their wealth of experience from a wide range of settings, our highly-qualified professional tutors will guide you through the theories and research that underpin early years practice and legislation. The work-based element of the course will then help bring your learning to life and give you experience using your new knowledge and skills in the workplace.

In some modules, you may be taught alongside professionals who work in related services and professions. Such connections help promote the multi-agency team approach that is such an important part of the early years childhood agenda. Overall, our supportive team will guide and encourage you, helping you to develop into a confident, capable early years professional.

Highlights

• This is a time of expansion for the early years’ sector with more funding available and further settings needed. Patrick Hayes, Director of the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA), said in 2016: ‘It is therefore realistic to expect, that at least 500 new nurseries will open in England, to cope with the need for extra places’.
• Our staff members have a range of specialist areas, such as the teaching of English as an additional language in primary education and the improvement of children’s experience of schooling, particularly for those from migrant backgrounds.
• The course covers leadership and management in the early years, aimed at preparing you for additional responsibilities such as team leading or management roles in the sector.
• Our close links and regular engagement with early years’ providers, employers and practitioners ensures our course delivery and content are up-to-date and in line with government policy and guidance.

Key Features

• Combining theory with practical skills, the course is designed to prepare you for a career in early years, or give you a formal qualification with a possible option of progression into primary school education.
• Strong partnership links with local employers in the sector mean there are opportunities for you to undertake work placements, providing meaningful experience to put on your CV.
• Guest lectures from practitioners in the sector provide additional knowledge and alternative viewpoints. Specialist tutors in Health and Community Studies also provide another dimension to your learning. This ensures the course offers a true multi-agency approach.
• In the final year, you’ll have the chance to undertake a small-scale research project focusing on an area of early years and childhood that is particularly interesting to you.
• You’ll have opportunities to learn through role play, which is a great way to develop and practice your skills and understanding.