All students take required early childhood education and care modules and spend approximately 1,000 hours on professional placement related experiences. In Year One, you will cover the core information needed to understand young children and how they develop. Year Two focuses on the ECEC environment. Students learn how to create settings that support and challenge young children. Diversity, equality and inclusion are key themes in Year Three. You’ll discover how to support and engage with the rich culture, languages, traditions and needs of a diverse range of children and their families through respectful relationships. The final year focuses on leadership, ethics and research—you’ll complete a dissertation in an area of professional interest to you. Students can also select from a range of relevant specialisms in final year. Throughout the course, theory is put into practice through placement in a range of different early education settings such as community-based crèches and privately run preschools. You’ll work with children from a variety of linguistic, social, ethnic and cultural backgrounds. You’ll also work with children who have special educational needs.

A minimum of six Leaving Certificate subjects at Grade 06/H7, to include the subjects English OR Irish AND the subject Mathematics. In addition, applicants must present at least two subjects at grade H5. Exception: Bachelor of Education (Primary Teaching) (DC002, DC003 and DC004) A minimum of six Leaving Certificate subjects at Grade 06/H7, to include a H4 in Irish, 04/H7 in English and 04/H7 in Mathematics. Applicanst must present at least three subjects at grade H5.