Education, Culture and Childhood

This degree is one of only a few in the country to combine the fields of education and childhood studies, designed to prepare you for a career in almost any area of education or children's services.

Gain a 360 degree view of education and open up a range of career opportunities working with children and young people.

Our course is one of only a few in the country to combine education and childhood studies.

You'll investigate different perspectives - psychological, sociological, historical and philosophical - to get a comprehensive view on educational theory, policy, practice and culture and discover some of the key issues surrounding childhood development and child psychology.

In year two you will develop your knowledge and skills in the professional environment through a work placement or work-based project. Thanks to our partnerships with regional educators we offer quality work placements.

Providers include:
- nurseries, and school and specialist education provision

- forest schools, farms and activity centres

- Sheffield's Botanical Gardens.

Play and cultural provision includes:
- Sheffield Children's Hospital

- theatre groups

- charities working with children and young people.

You’ll have plenty of opportunities to gain valuable work experience, enhancing your skills and influencing your career path.

During your second and third years, you get to shape the degree to match your interests with topics covering areas such as educational psychology, the sociology of education, children and digital cultures, philosophies of education and education policy. We'll also train you in educational research methods.

There's a small-scale research project in the second year and an extended dissertation in the third year.

Our academic team are internationally recognised in their specialist areas and experts in their fields of research, so you will graduate with the knowledge and insight that employers are seeking in the areas of education, social care and youth studies.

Why study this course?
- Dedicated placement support: We will support you to secure a work placement, bring in alumni to share their experiences, work with you to ensure you develop the most in-demand skills, and support you with career planning and CV workshops.

- Your learning environment: Your course director knows every student personally, and you will get a lot of individual support across all of your modules, receiving swift feedback that is personalised and part of an ongoing dialogue to support your future development. You will be assessed by written coursework and presentations - there are no final year exams.

- You are the focus: Student reps, our staff/student committee and our ambassadors all shape how our department runs. Within this relatively small student cohort, you will have a strong sense of group identity that allows you to flourish.

- 1st in the Russell Group for student voice - childhood and youth studies: National Student Survey (NSS) 2024