Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Early Childhood Studies

at University of Wolverhampton - Walsall Campus United Kingdom

This exciting Sports Coaching programme has been developed alongside industry partners and endorsed by the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA).

The course has been mapped against the Professional Standards of a Coach, meaning that you will be equipped with the competencies and skills needed to meet the requirements of potential employers.

You will have the opportunity to transfer to a sandwich placement year in a physical education and school sport context. Our sandwich placement option allows you to take a full-year work placement, which can be undertaken abroad. A number of students in our department have been successful in securing places on these schemes in countries such as Spain, France, Canada and the US.

This innovative, hands-on sport and exercise therapy course is accredited by the Society of Sports Therapists.

The course involves the prevention of injury and rehabilitation back to optimum levels of functional, occupational and sports specific fitness for a wide range of patients. The course uses the principles of sport and exercise sciences, and the study of health, injury, and disease, to prepare patients for training, competition, or work.

The course is endorsed by the Charted Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMPSA), ensuring that you meet the requirements of potential employers. Course content aligns with the employer-set proffesional standards of a gym instructor, and will equip you with all the skills and comptencies you'll need to stand out from the crowd.

Throughout the course, you will develop the skills required to provide the immediate care of injuries and basic life support in recreational, training and competitive environments. You will learn how to assess and treat musculoskeletal injuries, and, where appropriate, refer on for specialist advice and intervention. Working as part of a professional team in a real-world environment, you will gain applied practical skills in sport and remedial massage, and plan and implement appropriate rehabilitation programmes.

You will have opportunities to work with some of our key partners such as British Judo, Wolverhampton Wanderers FC and Walsall FC, to develop industry skills relevant to a career in sport and exercise therapy.

Placement and employability modules allow you to gain hands-on experience in an applied context, including a clinical placement at Level 6. Employability modules enable you to explore sport and exercise therapy career pathways and engage in career development planning that prepares you for graduate-level employment in a competitive industry.

The BA (Hons) Drama is a versatile and exciting degree that offers an opportunity for you to gain experience in multiple areas of contemporary drama, theatre and performance. You will take a practical approach to these disciplines, developing physical and vocal performance skills alongside creative thinking and your work will be underpinned by critical performance theory.

The course also provides students with an opportunity to look beyond the role of the performer and consider the importance of designing, devising, directing, writing and teaching in performing arts.

Can't decide on which course you love the most? Why not try looking at our joint options... BA (Hons) Drama and Musical Theatre and BA (Hons) Dance and Drama.

During the degree you will:

• Acquire a portfolio of key skills and develop an understanding of why and how drama, theatre and performance practices work in different contexts.
• Engage in a substantial final year project that will enhance your future employability.
• Develop industry links through work with influential regional theatre companies such as Stan’s Café, Geese Theatre Company and Gazebo Theatre in Education. 
• Have the opportunity to perform in venues such as the Birmingham REP, the Arena Theatre and the Black Country Living Museum.

Our three year Undergraduate course in Primary Education provides a high standard of training for those preparing to take up a teaching post in the primary school sector.  The course complies with the statutory guidance from the Department for Education for Initial Teacher Training courses.

The BA (Hons) in Primary Education is specifically designed to ensure that those who are successful will be recommended for the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) - the professional award required by all those who wish to teach in a maintained school.

You will focus on the teaching of the National Curriculum for primary schools and specialise in teaching Key Stages 1 and 2 whilst also having valuable opportunities to experience alternative educational settings such as Early Years, Secondary, SEND and transition.

This exciting Sport Business Management programme has been developed alongside industry partners and endorsed by the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA). The course has been mapped against the Professional Standards of a General Manager, meaning that you will be equipped with the competencies and skills needed to meet the requirements of potential employers.

The programme will provide opportunities to explore different strands of sport business management including marketing, strategy, policy, finance, economics, and sport event management. Studying these key areas will prepare you to enter a range of careers including sport development management, governing body management, insight and data management, facility management and business management.

This innovative course is designed to provide you with rich learning experiences to equip you with the tools to teach and coach. These experiences will provide you with planning, leading and reflection skills that form the basis of fulfilling the role of a teacher and coach.

Placement modules are a leading feature of the course allowing you to gain hands-on experience and mentoring. You will develop your ability to work within professional settings to facilitate a future career within Physical Education and School Sport.

If you have an interest in young people, families and communities then this course will develop your skills and knowledge required for a range of careers working with young people, families and the communities where they live.

Whether you are new to this area or you have experience and you are looking for career development then this course will suit you. There is an increasing need for graduates to work in the field of family support and community work as well as increasing opportunities to work directly with young people and this course is designed to prepare you for these roles.

Many of our music education degree graduates progress to careers in teaching or community music. Our music education degree offers a unique balance of scholarly research and practical musicianship to produce an all-round teacher, musician or practitioner. Our aim is to facilitate and stimulate your personal musical growth and to help you to develop confidence in your ability through both practical and theoretical elements of the course.

We are partners with the Associated Board of the Royal School of Music (ABRSM) who help to inform our curriculum. As part of this music education degree, you will also be awarded the ABRSM’s prestigious Certificate for Music Educators.

You will study practical performance modules where you will develop your skills as both a soloist and an ensemble performer, as well as conducting, composition and arranging. You will also have the opportunity to study music in education and the community by exploring pedagogical processes and undertaking a series of placements in schools, colleges or community venues. You will use the latest technology and software for scoring, recording and engineering live music.

The course incorporates a variety of learning and teaching experiences including seminars, discussion groups, lectures, presentations, guest speakers and performers, visits to sites of musical importance and concert attendances. Placement opportunities are available within modules in the second and third year of this degree.

Members of staff are all actively involved in research, music education, performance and composition at a regional, national and international level and their expertise and enthusiasm will assist you in becoming a professional musician.

What happens on the course?
You will experience a wide variety of learning activities in our music education degree and they will contribute to the development of your graduate attributes.

Teaching and learning will normally take place in a variety of continually evolving contexts, including an appropriate balance of the following kinds of activity:

• Workshops, rehearsals, productions, practical classes, laboratory or studio-based practice, screenings, lectures, discussions (both online and in class), seminars, and tutorials. You will be encouraged to apply your knowledge and understanding of critical theory to case studies within regional, national and international contexts;
• Group and individual learning;
• Professional placements of varying types (which will be of especial relevance in enhancing your employability and ability to be enterprising);
• Tutor-led, (peer-group) student-led, and self-directed study;
• Use of subject-specific and generic technologies (these will be particularly helpful in the development of your digital literacy);
• Resource-based learning, including library work and attendance at performances.

National Student Survey 91% Student Satisfaction for BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies (2016)

If you have an interest in childhood this course will develop your skills and knowledge required for a range of careers working with children, their families and the services that support them. The course will draw on a range of disciplines such as history, psychology, education, sociology, welfare and social policy.

Whether you are new to this area or you have experience and you are looking for career development then this course will suit you. The course takes account of the ecology of children’s lives in studying the complexities of family life and of children’s development from conception onwards and the significance of childhood across cultures and societies.

The University of Wolverhampton is to be one of 3 universities to pilot the new Early Childhood Studies Degree network’s Graduate Practitioner Competencies. The new Graduate Practitioner Competencies are a proactive approach to shape the identity of the early childhood workforce and strengthen the professional practice aspect of the Early Childhood Studies degree. Graduate level practice creates a paradigm shift, making the distinction between level 3 and 6 practice explicit for students, practitioners and employers. The competencies have been developed by the ECSDN members in conjunction with students and employers. The competences are far reaching and reflect the wider national and internationally early childhood sector.  The graduate practitioner competencies are underpinned by the QAA Benchmarks. For students joining the Early Childhood Studies degree at the University of Wolverhampton there will be a choice of pathways:

• Early Childhood Studies with Placement (not assessed)
• Early Childhood studies with Assessed Practice (Level 3 full and relevant equivalent)
• Early Childhood Studies with Assessed Practice (Graduate Practitioner Competencies)

The BSc (Hons) Early Childhood Studies (with Foundation Year) is designed to help you to develop the skills, knowledge and confidence to succeed in your studies with the University of Wolverhampton at degree level and beyond. During your Foundation Year you will develop skills appropriate to University study such as finding and using information, working collaboratively with others, challenging and debating ideas and expressing yourself with greater confidence.

The Early Childhood Studies degree will develop your skills and knowledge required for a range of careers working with children, their families and the services that support them.  The course will draw on a range of disciplines such as history, psychology, education, sociology, welfare and social policy.

The course is suitable for people new to this area or experienced staff searching for career development.  The course takes account of the ecology of children’s lives in studying the complexities of family life and of children’s development from conception onwards and the significance of childhood across cultures and societies. 

Work experience placements are an integral part of the course and can be negotiated in a variety of settings such as schools, nurseries, community care centres, hospitals, social services, libraries, children’s centres, and other relevant settings. The course will consider theory in relation to the implications for practice and enable you to evaluate and develop appropriate pedagogical approaches to work with children and their families and to consider ethical principles and high quality practice.