Undergraduate Courses
Welcome to the School of Education and Lifelong Learning and to our Childhood Studies degree programme. We are an established department, which has been offering stimulating and innovative study programmes for over a hundred years. Aberystwyth was the first university in England and Wales to offer an honours degree in Education. Education is still studied at Aberystwyth in honours degrees which combine with another subject. Continuing this tradition of exciting learning, we have expanded our teaching remit to include a wide range of childhood related issues, and we are now delighted to offer our single honours programme in Childhood Studies.
You will already have plenty of experience of being educated but are less likely to have had opportunities to study the subject of education. The quality of education is of vital importance to our society, to the economy and to each of us as individuals. Education is also an academic subject, the study of which is mainly undertaken in universities rather than in schools or colleges. A course of study in Education will introduce you to a range of academic disciplines and will also draw on your personal experiences of schooling, peer group and family. If you want to be a teacher at some time in the future, an undergraduate Education course is an excellent starting point. You do not, however, have to be aiming at a career in teaching to benefit from such a course.
The BA Childhood Studies provides you with the opportunity to explore the factors which influence childhood and the vital effect these can have on later development. The degree programme draws on a variety of disciplines, including sociology, psychology and educational studies, to provide a deeper understanding of the childhood years. If your interests lie in children’s growth, development and learning from birth to the teenage years, then this course will allow you to acquire an in-depth knowledge of this intriguing stage of development.
On both schemes you will be given the opportunity to combine both theoretical topics and hands-on practical experience and to develop the academic and professional expertise that is needed to work with children. Through disciplined study in a variety of ways, we offer you opportunities to develop the ability to think cogently and the capacity to express ideas clearly both orally and in writing, qualities which are appreciated by a variety of prospective employers.
Combining original methods of teaching and assessment with a supportive study atmosphere, and an outstanding location in one of the most beautiful areas of the UK, a degree undertaken with us will be an educational experience second to none.