B.A. Early Childhood Education
The Study Programme
Our study programme is designed for state-approved educators (or candidates with an equivalent education) who would now like to continue their education at an academic level in the field of early childhood and social education. Our part-time study programme is ideal for working people who are unable to take up a full-time on-campus undergraduate programme because of family or other reasons, providing them with the opportunity to earn an academic degree in early childhood education without having to take several years off work.
The programme is offered in a part-time format as a job-integrated learning programme with on-campus periods. The on-campus periods at Koblenz University of Applied Sciences take place five times a semester, on Fridays and Saturdays. In addition, students receive study materials via the Internet-based learning platform OLAT.
Besides teaching and exploring topics relating to early childhood education, socio-educational and developmental psychology, the programme also focuses on legal issues in connection with child and youth care as well as the basics of quality and education management. Students acquire skills that enable them to reflect on and analyse their own professional activities and to use approaches and methods of early childhood education and social education in a targeted manner for further development in practice.
The program leads to a Bachelor of Arts degree.
Study Programme Objective
The qualification goal is the academic degree Bachelor of Arts. After the seventh semester, students have the opportunity to obtain the state approval as a social education worker in a supervised internship semester.
The programme is designed to qualify educational professionals for all fields of childhood sciences, including daycare centres and day nurseries as well as residential and non-residential care. For this reason, socio-educational modules and modules covering the legislation and regulations (e.g. basics of child and youth care law, methods of social work, etc.) are also integrated into the course of study.
The Early Childhood Education degree programme aims to qualify and professionalize educational specialists for the constantly growing and changing demands in this field.
The specific objectives are:
- Academic B.A. degree
- Theory-to-practice transfer by linking the two learning locations of the university and the place of work
- Ability to transfer knowledge
- Ability for self-directed learning
- In-depth knowledge of the organisational and legal framework
- Ability to apply scientific working and research methods
- In-depth knowledge of early childhood theories, models and educational areas
- Acquisition of knowledge of the basics and models of social sciences
- Acquisition of soft skills such as communication, moderation and presentation sills, intercultural competence and conflict resolution
Students acquire comprehensive, interrelated qualifications and interdisciplinary skills, including the competences that enable them to reflect on and analyse their own professional activities. They also learn about approaches and methods of early childhood education and social education and how to apply them in practice in a targeted manner for their own development. This also includes key qualifications such as establishing international contacts, networking with other institutions, organizations and specialists, presentation techniques to present one's own work and its goals, conflict resolution to deal with difficult situations among staff members or in relation to other stakeholders in a constructive and solution-oriented manner.
Labour Market Qualifications / Career Prospects
The “Early Childhood Education” Bachelor's degree programme provides educators with a scientific qualification for responsible activities in various fields of work in child and youth care, for example:
- at institutions in the elementary and primary sector
- in family-related education and care work
- in (semi-) residential or non-residential child and youth care services
- in specialist consulting and continuing education and training
- in sponsoring organisations and associations
Graduates who have successfully completed the study programme with 210 CP also qualify to continue this first academic qualification via a Master's and all the way up to a doctoral degree.
Qualified academics in the field of early childhood education are in high demand, which opens up additional professional prespects for graduates of the distance learning programme.
