Fees and key information

Course type
Undergraduate
UCAS code
X1X1
Entry requirements
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Why study this course?

Our Early Childhood Studies (including foundation year) BA (Hons) will open doors for you to enter a career in early childhood care, educational or advisory settings. 

This degree comes with a built-in foundation year that will prepare you for undergraduate study and is the ideal choice if you don’t meet the necessary requirements to enter the standard three-year course.

This newly designed foundation year will prepare you for confident study in Early Childhood Studies and beyond. You’ll develop essential academic skills such as writing, research and critical thinking, while also exploring big themes around identity, social justice and inequality. Teaching takes place in small, interactive groups alongside students from other subject areas, giving you the chance to learn from different perspectives and build a strong sense of community.

Assessment is portfolio-based, allowing you to demonstrate your progress in a variety of ways, including reflections, presentations, research tasks and essays. The year concludes with a final exhibition where you can showcase your achievements. You’ll also take part in dedicated sessions with your Early Childhood Studies tutors, so you’ll feel fully prepared for the next stage of your degree.

Your foundation year will be shared with students from other degree programmes, giving you the opportunity to widen your perspectives and connect your learning across disciplines. You’ll receive dedicated academic and pastoral support from tutors, and the flexible assessment style ensures you can demonstrate your progress in ways that feel meaningful to you. In the three years following foundation, you’ll study the same modules as those on the standard degree path.

To learn more about the modules and content on the Early Childhood Studies BA (Hons), visit our course page. At the end of your foundation year there will be flexibility to change your specialism.

First in London for student satisfaction

Our childhood and youth studies courses are ranked first in London for overall student satisfaction in the Complete University Guide 2025

Prepare yourself for a varied and exciting career working with families

This degree will equip you with the skills needed to work with children and families in a range of situations and to act as an advocate for their rights and wellbeing

Learn the skills you need to reach your full potential

This four-year degree course includes an intensive foundation year (Year 0) which will provide you with the skills required for your subsequent three years of study

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Course details

In addition to the University's standard entry requirements, you should have:

  • at least one A level (or a minimum of 32 UCAS points from an equivalent Level 3 qualification, eg BTEC Subsidiary/ National/ BTEC Extended Diploma)
  • English Language GCSE at grade C (grade 4) or above (or equivalent)

Accreditation of Prior Learning

Any university-level qualifications or relevant experience you gain prior to starting university could count towards your course at London Met. Find out more about applying for Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL).

English language requirements

To study a degree at London Met, you must be able to demonstrate proficiency in the English language. If you require a Student visa (previously Tier 4) you may need to provide the results of a Secure English Language Test (SELT) such as Academic IELTS. This course requires you to meet our standard requirements.

If you need (or wish) to improve your English before starting your degree, the University offers a Pre-sessional Academic English course to help you build your confidence and reach the level of English you require.

Qualification requirements for students applying from outside the UK

For international entry requirements, please visit your country-specific page for detailed information on accepted qualifications and grade requirements.

Methods of assessment in your foundation year are varied and designed to help you flourish and gain confidence in your studies.

Assessments after the foundation year will be based on coursework with no formal examinations.

Our health, social care and early childhood studies graduates have gone onto to work as early years practioners, nursery teachers and managers, mental health officers, support workers and nurses at various employers including Kings College Hospital, the NHS and various schools and nurseries.

Continuing your studies with us

The School of Social Professions has a wide range of exciting industry-linked postgraduate courses available on a full-time and part-time basis in education, health, social and community work. We offer the following degrees that would be ideal for postgraduate progression:

If you study your undergraduate degree with us, as a graduate of London Met, you'll be entitled to a 20% discount on a postgraduate course if you continue your studies with us.
* exclusions apply

This is a four-year degree course with a built-in foundation year (Year 0). It's the perfect route into university if you don't meet the necessary entry requirements for the standard undergraduate degree. You'll graduate with a full undergraduate degree with the same title and award as those who studied the three-year course.

Please note, in addition to the tuition fee there may be additional costs for things like equipment, materials, printing, textbooks, trips or professional body fees.

Additionally, there may be other activities that are not formally part of your course and not required to complete your course, but which you may find helpful (for example, optional field trips). The costs of these are additional to your tuition fee and the fees set out above and will be notified when the activity is being arranged.

Discover Uni – key statistics about this course

Discover Uni is an official source of information about university and college courses across the UK. The widget below draws data from the corresponding course on the Discover Uni website, which is compiled from national surveys and data collected from universities and colleges. If a course is taught both full-time and part-time, information for each mode of study will be displayed here.

How to apply

If you're a UK applicant wanting to study full-time starting in September, you must apply via UCAS unless otherwise specified. If you're an international applicant wanting to study full-time, you can choose to apply via UCAS or directly to the University.

If you're applying for part-time study, you should apply directly to the University. If you require a Student visa, please be aware that you will not be able to study as a part-time student at undergraduate level.

If you're applying for a degree starting in January/February, you can apply directly to the University.

When to apply

The University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) accepts applications for full-time courses starting in September from one year before the start of the course. Our UCAS institution code is L68.

If you will be applying direct to the University you are advised to apply as early as possible as we will only be able to consider your application if there are places available on the course.

To find out when teaching for this degree will begin, as well as welcome week and any induction activities, view our academic term dates.

Are you from outside the UK? Find out how to apply from your home country

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