Early Years Courses
Do you work with or have an interest in the field of children and young people? Are you looking to learn more about young children’s lives and experiences? An Open University early years course could be for you. Find out more about our early years qualifications below.
Early Years
Degrees
- Also known as an undergraduate or bachelors degree.
- Internationally respected, universally understood.
- An essential requirement for many high-level jobs.
- Gain a thorough understanding of your subject – and the tools to investigate, think critically, form reasoned arguments, solve problems and communicate effectively in new contexts.
- Progress to higher level study, such as a postgraduate diploma or masters degree.
- Credits measure the student workload required for the successful completion of a module or qualification.
- One credit represents about 10 hours of study over the duration of the course.
- You are awarded credits after you have successfully completed a module.
- For example, if you study a 60-credit module and successfully pass it, you will be awarded 60 credits.
How long will it take?
Early Years
Diplomas
- Widely recognised qualification.
- Equivalent to the first two thirds of an honours degree.
- Enhance your professional and technical skills or extend your knowledge and understanding of a subject.
- Study for interest or career development.
- Top up to a full honours degree in just two years.
- Credits measure the student workload required for the successful completion of a module or qualification.
- One credit represents about 10 hours of study over the duration of the course.
- You are awarded credits after you have successfully completed a module.
- For example, if you study a 60-credit module and successfully pass it, you will be awarded 60 credits.
How long will it take?
Early Years
Certificates
- Widely recognised qualification.
- Equivalent to the first third of an honours degree.
- Study for interest or career development.
- Shows that you can study successfully at university level.
- Count it towards further qualifications such as a DipHE or honours degree.
- Credits measure the student workload required for the successful completion of a module or qualification.
- One credit represents about 10 hours of study over the duration of the course.
- You are awarded credits after you have successfully completed a module.
- For example, if you study a 60-credit module and successfully pass it, you will be awarded 60 credits.
How long will it take?
Why study Early Years with The Open University?
You’ll be studying courses designed and created by our School of Education, Childhood, Youth and Sport. The School offers a ground-breaking curriculum, inspiring and engaging teaching methods, and supports research that looks to influence practices, policies and debate – both nationally and internationally.
The benefits of studying an early years qualification with us are:
- Your study will be professionally and vocationally relevant across many contexts.
- You’ll become equipped with the knowledge and experience to make a real difference in this field.
- You’ll be studying with a university that has 50 years’ experience as pioneers of social justice and social change.
- You can fit our flexible study around your work and other commitments.
Careers in Early Years
An early years qualification – for example, in childhood and youth studies or early childhood – can open up a range of careers, including: childcare, counselling, early years work, youth and community work, and local, national and international policy development.
Our courses in early years can help you start or progress your career as a:
- Teacher
- Counsellor
- Education Welfare Officer
- Family Support Worker
Looking for something other than a qualification?
The majority of our modules can be studied by themselves, on a stand-alone basis. If you later choose to work towards a qualification, you may be able to count your study towards it.
All Early Years courses
Browse all the Early Years courses we offer – certificates, diplomas and degrees.
See our full list of Early Years courses
Email us
From exploring the right course for you to helping you register, our advisers can help.
Call us
As part of the OU’s response to Coronavirus, we have temporarily removed this option.
Please use the ‘Email us’ option to contact us.
Write to us at:
Student Recruitment
The Open University
PO Box 197
Milton Keynes
MK7 6BJ
