Early Childhood Care & Education
The BA in Early Childhood Care and Education is a full-time, four-year, honours degree (Level 8) designed to provide an exciting and challenging programme for those interested in working with young children (aged from birth to six years) in a range of educational settings.
| Award Name | Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) |
|---|---|
| NFQ Classification | Major |
| Awarding Body | University of Limerick |
| NFQ Level | Level 8 NFQ |
| Award Name | NFQ Classification | Awarding Body | NFQ Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) | Major | University of Limerick | Level 8 NFQ |
Duration
4 years full-time.
Specific Subjects or course requirements
Applicants are required to hold the established Leaving Certificate (or an approved equivalent) with a minimum of six subjects which must include at least two H5 (Higher Level) and four O6 (Ordinary Level) or four H7 (Higher Level) grades.
Subjects must include Mathematics, Gaeilge or another language, and English.
Minimum Grade F6 in Foundation Mathematics satisfies the minimum entry requirements. Foundation Mathematics is not reckonable for scoring purposes.
GARDA VETTING/CRIMINAL RECORDS BUREAU CHECK
Registration will be conditional upon successful completion of the Garda Vetting/CRB checking process.
Leaving Certificate General Entry Requirements
Please contact the Access/Disability Officer on T: +353 61 204927 or E: AccessOffice@mic.ul.ie for information on Language Exemptions granted on disability grounds. Deadlines apply.
Leaving Certificate Vocational Progamme LCVP
QQI FET Applicants General Information
Places are available for eligible QQI applicants who wish to apply for entry to Year 1 or Year 2 of the BA in Early Childhood Care and Education. For further information about eligibility and entry requirements please contact the MIC Admissions Office at E: Admissions@mic.ul.ie T: +353 61 204348
QQI FET General Information Link
Careers / Further progression
Career Opportunities
There is a growing awareness in Ireland of the need for high calibre professionals to provide young children with the best possible care and education. Graduates may pursue leadership roles in both the private and public sector where high quality early learning and care (ELC) provision is required. As specialists in Early Childhood Care and Education, graduates of this programme may find employment as managers, directors, coordinators or facilitators in a wide range of early years settings. The first cohort of BA ECCE students graduated in October 2007 and they have since taken up employment in such areas as managerial roles in playschools, day care settings, Early Start units, family centres, as well as policy development roles and research roles within various Government bodies. Following the Irish Government’s introduction of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme, which provides all children with two years of free preschool education, job opportunities for graduates of this programme are expected to continue to increase.
Further information
If you are at least 23 years old on the 1 January of the year of entry to college, you are considered as a mature applicant. All mature applicants who make an application to the College through the CAO for MI007 will be invited to attend for an interview. Mature students who do not meet the normal minimum entry requirements will be considered for admission if, having attended for interview, they satisfy the College as to their ability to benefit from and sustain participation in the BA programme(s) applied for. Mature applicants who have completed an interview will be contacted by the College to indicate whether or not they are being considered for a place and all places will then be offered by the CAO.
GARDA VETTING/CRIMINAL RECORDS BUREAU CHECK
Registration will be conditional upon successful completion of the Garda Vetting/CRB checking process.
GCE/GCSE/BTEC APPLICANTS
For further information about minimum grades and entry requirements please contact the MIC Admissions Office at E: Admissions@mic.ul.ie
Entry 2024
Early online application (discounted): Fee €30 Closing Date: 20 January 2024 at 5pm
Normal online application: Fee €45 Closing Date: 1 February 2024 at 5pm
Late online application - restrictions apply (see page 3 2024 CAO Handbook): Fee: €60 Closing Date: 1 May 2024 at 5pm
Change of Mind - restrictions apply (see page 3 2024 CAO Handbook): Fee: Nil Closing Date: 1 July 2024 at 5pm
Exceptional online late application (see page 34 of the 2024 CAO Handbook): Fee €60 Closing Date: 22 July 2024 at 5pm
Be sure to complete any action well in advance of closing dates. You should avoid making an application close to a closing date. No extensions to closing dates will be allowed and all application fees are non-refundable.
LATE APPLICATIONS
Late Applications are those which are received after 5pm on 1 February 2024. The closing date for late applications is 5pm on 1 May 2024, subject to the restrictions listed on page 3 of the 2024 CAO Handbook. The online facility for late applications opens on the 5 March 2024 at 12:00 noon - a fee of €60 applies.
Exceptional Late Applications (Exception to the timetable)
The exceptional closing date of 22 July at 5pm applies only to applicants who are registered as an undergraduate student on 1 May 2024 in any year in any one of the participating HEIs (subject to the exclusions listed below). In order to avail of the Exceptional Late Application facility you must have entered the HEI through the CAO system. This is an exceptional late closing date and all steps must be completed by 5pm on 22 July. No changes may be made after this date.
If you did not enter your current course through the CAO system, you must first contact the Admissions Office of the HEI to which you wish to apply and they will inform you if you may submit an application direct to the institution.
Exclusions:
You may submit a late application only for entry to courses other than your existing course. If you wish to repeat the year in the same course you must arrange this within your HEI.
Mary Immaculate College Limerick, Marino Institute of Education, Trinity College Dublin, University of Limerick and Maynooth University have special procedures in place in the case of current or previous students who wish to apply for entry to another course in the same HEI. Such applicants must contact their Admissions Office to determine the application procedure. However, if you are a student in another HEI and you wish to apply to any of these five HEIs, you should apply through CAO.
Refer to page 34 of the 2024 CAO Handbook on how to make an Exceptional Late Application.
Restrictions
As a CAO applicant you may experience one or more of the following restrictions based on your course choices, your category of application, or restrictions imposed by the HEIs that you wish to apply to. Please read the section on 'Restrictions' on page 3 of the 2024 CAO Handbook carefully. This section includes information on:
General Restrictions
1. Making a late application
2. Making changes to your course choices
Restricted Courses
3. Applying for a restricted course
Mature Applicants
4. Mature applicants
Supplementary Admissions Routes
5. Applying for DARE and/or HEAR
Why study the BA in Early Childhood Care and Education at MIC?
Mary Immaculate College offers a four-year honours degree programme in Early Childhood Care and Education (BA ECCE) for those interested in gaining a highly-regarded qualification in this rewarding and challenging area. The BA ECCE degree has been approved by the Qualifications Advisory Board (QAB) for meeting the requirements of the Professional Award Criteria and Guidelines for Initial Professional Education (Level 7 and Level 8) Degree Programmes for the Early Learning and Care (ELC) Sector in Ireland (Department of Education and Skills, 2019).
The BA ECCE is a full-time programme designed to provide exciting and challenging educational opportunities for those interested in working with young children, from birth to six years of age, in a range of educational settings. MIC, with its long tradition of excellence in teaching and learning, has designed this honours degree programme in Early Childhood Care and Education in response to contemporary developments in the field of early years education, both in Ireland and internationally.
The College recognises that quality care and educational experiences in the early years is crucial in facilitating each child reaching their potential. According to Síolta, the National Quality Framework for Early Years’ Education: “The competencies, qualifications, dispositions and experience of adults, in addition to their capacity to reflect upon their role, are essential in supporting and ensuring quality experiences for each child. This demanding and central role in the life of the young child needs to be appropriately resourced, supported and valued” (Centre for Early Childhood Development and Education, 2006). The benefits accruing from quality early childhood care and education apply to all children, but as research shows, the benefits are particularly significant for children with additional needs and children from areas of socioeconomic disadvantage. This programme focuses on the holistic care and education of young children in a variety of settings.
What you will study
The programme is multi-disciplinary in design and offers students the opportunity to become specialists in the care and education of young children from birth to six years of age. Specialisation in the combined areas of care and education demands a deep knowledge of both theory and practice. Areas covered in the programme include:
• Child Health and Wellbeing
• Language Development in Early Childhood
• Child Development
• The Role of Play in Development
• Educational Psychology
• Child, Family and Community
• Creative Arts and Creative Music Making
• Language Acquisition and Early Literacy
• Cultural and Linguistic Diversity
• Curriculum and Pedagogy, including Children with Additional Needs in the Early Years
• Leadership and Management
• Professional Development
• Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
Throughout the programme, students will gain the knowledge, skills and competencies to support the inclusion of all children in the early years setting. Professional Practice Placement opportunities are provided for students in a variety of early years settings, enabling them to work with children under three years and with children of preschool age.
These placements allow students an opportunity to learn from experience and enhance their pedagogical practice through supervised work practice. Allied to experiential learning, professional practice placement provides a valuable opportunity for students to engage in reflective practice.
Additionally, in Semester 5, students have the opportunity to work in an international context or in a nonearly childhood care and education setting, including early intervention services, primary schools, and a range of organisations working with or for young children and families. BA ECCE students who opt to undertake an Erasmus+ work placement in Europe can apply for financial assistance from the Erasmus+ programme.
Year 1
Semester 1
• Child Development
• Foundation Studies in Early Childhood Care and Education
• Child, Family and Community 1
• Language Development in the Early Years
• Child Health and Wellbeing 1
Semester 2
• Professional Development 1
• The Role of Play in Development
• Creative Music Making in the Early Years Curricula
• Child, Family and Community 2
• Curriculum and Pedagogy: Birth to 3 Years
Year 2
Semester 3
• Professional Development 2
Semester 4
• Professional Development 3
• Educational Psychology
• Models of Curriculum, including Children with Special Needs in the Early Years
• Child Health and Wellbeing 2
Year 3
Semester 5
• Sociological and Global Perspectives
• The Early Years: Historical and Philosophical Perspectives and Analysis
• Creative Arts in the Early Years
• Leadership in Early Childhood Education and Care
• STEM in the Early Years
Semester 6
• Language and Literacy in the Early Years
• Curriculum and Pedagogy: 3 to 6 years
• Research Methods
• Professional Development 4
Year 4
Semester 7
• Professional Development 5
Semester 8
• Cultural and Linguistic Diversity: Implications for Professional Practice
• Governance and Management in Early Childhood Education and Care Contexts
• Advanced Studies in Play and Child Development
• Dissertation
STUDY ABROAD
In Semester 5 of the BA ECCE programme, students have the opportunity to expand their knowledge and skills through studying abroad at one of Mary Immaculate College’s partner universities, which is a safe and well supported means of gaining valuable international experience. Through the Erasmus+ programme, BA ECCE students are provided with an opportunity to study in Denmark, Norway or Spain. Financial assistance from the Erasmus+ programme is currently available to such students. Study abroad opportunities at North American and Australian universities are also a popular option. MIC has exchange partnerships with universities across the USA.
Education Faculty Office
T: +353 61 204906
E: EducationOffice@mic.ul.ie
W: www.mic.ie