If your ambition is to enter an Early Years profession, and you have a Foundation Degree, get an Honours degree in just one year with this top up course. Develop your understanding of early education and child development in the family and society, choosing a research dissertation topic and much of the course content to suit your interests and circumstances.
The Applied Early Years Studies BA (Hons) is a top up (progression) course which builds on knowledge and skills gained from a previous, relevant Foundation Degree eg the University of Bedfordshire FD Early Years or a similar 240 credit course.
At degree level the assessment strategy for the course is less formative in nature than on a foundation degree and more summative. The first Research Methods unit that you take will introduce you to assessment the standards expected and will act as preparation for the major piece of work that you undertake in the research project.
The assessments will include formal essays, presentations, discussion board based work, and a dissertation report. The research based dissertation will enable you to carry out your own research project, guided throughout by a supervisor and will be the culmination of your work on the degree through the academic year.
This course is for applicants with a related Foundation Degree or Higher Education qualification wishing to top up to the full BA/BSc degree.
Employability is central to the course both within the curriculum and in the extra-curricular activities promoted by the course team. Significant use is made of real life case studies drawn from Early Years practice which will allow you to make the links between your academic work and professional practice This will help you develop your professional skills in readiness for the workplace.
Visiting speakers from a range of disciplines within the Early Years field support your awareness of professional practice in context. The course team works closely with the Careers and Recruitment Service to promote relevant paid and voluntary work.
The degree will prepare students for a wide range of graduate careers across the Early Years field, such as children’s centre managers, day care managers, specialist leading two year olds provision in schools, as well as teacher training or Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS) courses. You should aspire to leadership and management positions in the sector.
The progression award for Applied Early Years Studies is rooted in your work-based practice. Course content, assignments and research are linked to your setting and your professional development as an early years practitioner. This is an exciting course for early years specialists in which Early Years Teacher status can be built into your studies. We have specialist facilities including a purpose built Forest school on campus and a wealth of specialist resources to support your studies.
We value real-world experience to prepare you for life beyond university, which is why we’ve forged connections with thousands of companies locally, nationally and internationally. Through our placements, you can gain that all-important practical experience whilst you complete your course.
From volunteering, internships and placements, through to a fee free year in industry, we offer a whole host of opportunities to enhance your employability. Discover more
Whether you want to learn a new language, build networks, simply have the travel bug, or want to develop new skills and life experiences, our Go Global programme offers the opportunity to broaden your horizons, enhance your CV, and gain a truly international experience, all at the same time as studying towards your undergraduate degree. The Go Global programme is open to students from the UK and EU.
Travel to exciting destinations, including:
At the University of Bedfordshire we ensure that your experience here is cultural, as well as academic. That’s why a whole host of opportunities are opened up to you, providing you with that all important experience to make you stand out from the crowd when it comes to getting graduates jobs.
Our International students meanwhile, can make the most of trips to a series of exciting European destinations. From France and Belgium, to Holland and Germany, there are plenty of places to visit, network and broaden your knowledge of the global market place, by seeing and experiencing it for yourself, first-hand.
At the University of Bedfordshire we ensure that your experience here is cultural, as well as academic. That’s why a whole host of opportunities are opened up to you, providing you with that all important experience to make you stand out from the crowd when it comes to getting graduates jobs.
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the Academic Year 2018/19 is £9,250 per year. You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for your tuition fees. You can also apply for a maintenance loan from the Government to help cover your living costs.
See www.gov.uk/student-finance
The University of Bedfordshire offers a number of scholarships and bursaries to help you finance your studies.
See www.beds.ac.uk/scholarships
The University reserves the right to increase tuition fees by no more than inflation.
Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding, please email admission@beds.ac.uk
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the Academic Year 2018/19 is £9,250 per year. You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for your tuition fees.
See www.gov.uk/student-finance
The University of Bedfordshire offers a number of scholarships and bursaries to help you finance your studies.
See www.beds.ac.uk/scholarships
The University reserves the right to increase tuition fees by no more than inflation.
Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding, please email admission@beds.ac.uk
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the academic year 2018/19 is £11,500 per year. A prompt payment discount is available if you pay the full Year 1 fee before or at registration. There are also special scholarships available.
The University reserves the right to increase tuition fees by no more than inflation.
Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding, please email admission@beds.ac.uk
The sports hall is an integral space in the School of Sport Science and Physical Activity, complementing discipline leading Sport and Exercise Science and modern biological analysis laboratories, all co-located on the Bedford campus.
The sports hall is a major teaching facility for the University's Sport and Physical Education degree courses which have trained physical educators in the UK for over a century.
Together with its associated facilities it provides our trainee teachers and coaches with a superb environment in which to coach and teach pupils from local primary schools who are also benefiting from this new facility.
The sports hall is proud to host all Bedfordshire Bulls students' sports matches as well as national standard sporting events including British University College Sports championships – one of the few indoor sporting venues in the county to host prestigious tournaments all year round.
The facility also plays host to a number of University promoted Get into Sport activities which are open to all University students and staff.
Our specialist labs give students a fantastic environment to develop their research skills and expertise, where a student can explore the biology of an elite athlete who could be performing simultaneously within the sports hall.
Few Sport Science courses in the country offer students such unique discipline leading research experience and skills, alongside intimate access to world leading researchers within their field. Students are regularly offered the opportunity to be involved within discipline defining Sport, Health and Exercise Science research
Our state-of-the-art laboratories are purpose built for research and teaching in the fields of exercise and nutrition science. This includes specialised equipment and facilities for assessing human health risk and delivering exercise and diet interventions for health promotion.
This includes:
Our £8m Physical Education and Sport Science Centre was used to train athletes in the 2012 Olympics.
Opened in January 2015 the Gateway is an impressive building featuring high-quality teaching spaces, informal learning spaces, and lecture theatres (including a Harvard style lecture theatre); as well as a new student services centre.
Campus Centre featuring a 280-seat professional theatre, dance studios, a fairtrade café and social space for students.
For on-campus student accommodation choose from luxury living at Liberty Park's modern en-suite study bedrooms or the Student Village which offers standard rooms with shared bathroom facilities, and en-suite rooms with a private shower. All have fully-equipped kitchens. Our rooms are on-campus and have easy access to the town centre and train station.
The Bedford campus is a 20-minute walk from the town centre. The University offers a free bus service for staff and students that runs between Bedford town centre and the campus.
Bedford offers excellent transport links to the rest of the UK as it sits between the M1 and the A1. The town connects by train to Luton (20 minutes) and London (40 minutes).
Application for most full-time undergraduate and foundation courses is via the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).
We expect to receive UCAS applications between 1 September and 15 January for courses starting in the following academic year, but may consider applications received after this date should places be available.
Please contact admission@beds.ac.uk for further details.
All UK schools and colleges are registered with UCAS to manage their students' applications. Advice on how to submit your UCAS application is available from your school or college.
If you are not at school or college (including mature students) you should apply independently via UCAS
EU students applying for a full-time undergraduate degree at the University of Bedfordshire should apply via UCAS or direct using our admissions form
International students applying for a full-time undergraduate degree at the University of Bedfordshire should apply direct using our admissions form or via our representatives in your home country
You can also apply online
Find out more about how to apply as an International student