Early Years Education, MA

​​Welcome Week is an important part of your introduction to the course and provides the foundation for a successful start to your studies.

During this time, you will receive an overview of the programme, including its structure, key modules, academic expectations, and the approaches to learning, teaching, and assessment that will shape your postgraduate experience.

It is also an opportunity to become familiar with the support available across the University, ask questions, and begin to engage with the academic community, so attendance is strongly encouraged.

​During Welcome Week, you will also be introduced to your Personal Academic Tutor (PAT).

Your PAT plays an important role in supporting you throughout your studies, offering academic guidance, helping you to reflect on your progress, and signposting you to wider University services where needed.

This early introduction is intended to help you feel supported from the outset and to ensure that you begin the course with a clear sense of direction and confidence.

Your Course

​​The academic year is divided into three trimesters.

In Trimester 1, you will study the core modules:

• Learning in the Early Years, led by Dr Mariana Papadopoulou
• Gender and Intersecting Inequalities, led by Dr Marios Kostas. 

In Trimester 2, you will study the core module:

• Research Methods and Methodologies, led by Dr Marios Kostas, 
• One optional module selected from those offered on the course. 

In Trimester 3, you will study the core modules:

• Global Perspectives of Early Childhood, led by Dr Mariana Papadopoulou,
• Dissertation module, led by Dr Marios Kostas.

​The course adopts a blended learning approach, combining face-to-face teaching with online delivery to support a flexible and engaging learning experience.

Teaching across the course is delivered primarily through seminars, which are designed to encourage discussion, critical reflection, and engagement with research, policy, and practice in early childhood education.

This seminar-based approach will enable you to develop your confidence in academic discussion and deepen your understanding of key issues within the field.

Blackboard

​As part of your learning, you will use Blackboard, the University’s online learning platform. Blackboard is where you will access important course information, including module materials, teaching resources, assessment details, announcements, reading lists, and other key guidance to support your studies.

We will introduce you to Blackboard during Welcome Week, so that you can become familiar with the system and feel confident using it as a central part of your learning throughout the course.

To help you prepare

​Before the course begins, you may find it helpful to complete relevant resources from the Learning Skills Hub, particularly those focused on academic writing, referencing, critical reading, and postgraduate study skills.

You may also wish to ensure that you can access your university systems, including Blackboard and your student email account, and begin familiarising yourself with the library and available student support services.​

​​To help you prepare for the MA Early Years Education, we recommend that you engage with the following introductory reading before the start of the course. You are not expected to read every text in full; instead, we suggest reading the introduction and at least one chapter from each core text to begin familiarising yourself with key themes in early childhood studies, gender and intersecting inequalities, children’s rights, and postgraduate academic study.

​Main Text

• ​Brown, J. and Clark, T. (eds.) (2025) Debating childhoods: Critical perspectives on early childhood. London: Sage Publications Ltd.

​Additional reading:

• ​Kent, J. and Richardson, T. (eds.) (2025) Communication and language in early childhood today. London: Learning Matters/Sage Publications Ltd.

• ​Kurowski, A. and Lyndon, S. (eds.) (2024) Contemporary issues and the 21st century child: New perspectives on childhood. London: Sage Publications Ltd.

• ​Palaiologou, I. (ed.) (2024) The early years foundation stage: Theory and practice. 5th edn. London: Sage Publications Ltd.

• ​Wyness, M. (2018) Childhood, Culture and Society: In a Global Context. London: Sage.

​Useful pre-arrival study preparation at CCCU

• ​Learning Skills Hub: “Introduction to Postgraduate Writing”

• ​Learning Skills Hub: “Developing a Search Strategy”

• ​Learning Skills Hub: “Introduction to Referencing”​