Early Years Education (with Early Years Teacher Status) MA at University of Sussex

Do you want to work with children from birth to five years old (including Reception) in the public and private sectors? Achieve Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS) in just one year with this Masters-level course.

Early Years learning primarily focuses on the following ideas:

• what constitutes ‘quality’ in Early Years education?
• equity, inclusion and justice for the pre-school child and the wider family
• ideas of communication, imagination, language and literacy, and provision for the bi/trilingual child
• understandings of early mathematical and scientific development
• discourses of nurture, care and attachment.

On this MA, there are two routes available:

• an employment-based route for people already working in an Early Years setting
• a placement route for those not currently working in the sector.

This course is currently funded by the UK Government. There is currently no fee to pay for UK/EU students. There are also training bursaries if you’re on the employment based route. Find out more on the UK Government web pages.

Careers

This MA with Early Years Teachers Status (EYTS) offers the opportunity to combine Masters-level study with practical experience of teaching and researching in the Early Years Foundation Stage. You deepen your knowledge and understanding of educational theory and practice, and develop your skills in:

• research and analysis
• presentation and communication
• critical reflection.

With these skills you’ll have a wide range of educational careers open to you – nationally and internationally.

If you’re a professional in employment, this course gives you excellent opportunities for career development and progression into Early Years leadership in a range of private and state-maintained settings.

If you’re a new graduate, it provides a springboard into Early Years teaching in both the public and private sector. 

As a qualified Early Years Teacher with EYTS, you can teach within private nursery and day-care settings. Free Schools and Academies can employ you to teach Reception children as a full class teacher, while in state-maintained nurseries or Reception classes, you will be qualified to teach with the support of a member of staff with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

The terrain of Early Years educational provision is fast changing. This Masters course has been designed to equip you with all the necessary skills and dispositions to lead in this sector. 

Graduate destinations

Recent Early Years Education (with Early Years Teacher Status) MA graduates have gone on to jobs including:

• reception teacher, Seaside School, Lancing
• deputy manager, Blueberry Nursery, Hove
• room leader, Wise Owls Nursery, Brighton.