Option for Placement Year
Option for Study Abroad
Option for Extended Degree
Level of Study
Postgraduate
Mode of Study
2 years Part Time
School
Communities and Education
Location
City Campus, Northumbria University
City
Newcastle
Fees
Fee Information
Modules
Module Information
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Dr Charmaine Agius Ferrante
Programme Leader
Dr Lucy Grimshaw
Assistant Professor
Dr Tom Disney
Associate Professor
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Visit an Open Day to find out about life in Newcastle, tour our facilities and chat to staff and students.
Visit an Open Day to find out about life in Newcastle, tour our facilities and chat to staff and students.
Visit an Open Day to find out about life in Newcastle, tour our facilities and chat to staff and students.
Applicants should normally have:
A minimum of a 2:2 honours degree in any subject, or a postgraduate or professional qualification.
International qualifications:
If you have studied a non-UK qualification, you can see how your qualifications compare to the standard entry criteria, by selecting the country that you received the qualification in, from our country pages. Visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/yourcountry
English language requirements:
International applicants are required to have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5 with 6 in each component (or approved equivalent*).
Full UK Fee: TBC
Fees are set in line with the UK Government's tuition fee cap. The University may increase fees in subsequent years in line with any changes to the tuition fee cap. Increases will be linked to inflation. For example, increases may be linked to RPIX (Retail Price Index excluding mortgage interest payments) Students will be notified of any increase ahead of it taking effect. Student fee loans rise in line with the tuition fees cap.
*if your course is longer than one year
Full International Fee: TBC
This is the tuition fee for your first year of study. You should expect to pay tuition fees for every year of study. The University may increase fees in the second and subsequent years of your course at our discretion in line with any inflationary or other uplift. Students will be notified of any increase ahead of it taking effect.
Scholarships and Discounts
ADDITIONAL COSTS
There are no Additional Costs
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Module information is indicative and is reviewed annually therefore may be subject to change. Applicants will be informed if there are any changes.
PP7005 -
Critical Childhoods (Core,30 Credits)
Critical Childhoods will look at the conceptual, political, and social contexts children and young people experience. You will be encouraged to take a critical and reflective approach to analyse the ways in which these broader contexts shape childhoods. The module is interdisciplinary drawing from Social Sciences, Humanities and Law. Specifically, by the end of the module you will be able to:
1. Critically analyse and demonstrate an understanding of childhood and young people in a range of contexts.
2. Demonstrate a theoretical understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of childhood in different social, cultural educational contexts around the world.
3. Apply the relevant theory to current policy and practice within organisations working with children and young people.
4. Demonstrate a critical understanding of childhood as a social construction and children and young people as social actors.
PP7007 -
Research Methods, Approaches and Skills (Core,30 Credits)
This module provides the underpinning skills and knowledge necessary to undertake independent research in Childhood and Early Years Studies at Level 7. It will give you the opportunity to develop practical and theoretical skills in the use and understanding of different research paradigms, methodological approaches and their associated research methods. You will also develop an in-depth understanding of related issues, including but not restricted to, research ethics, data management and analysis, the use conceptual frameworks and how to engage critically with the literature.
This will provide you with a framework to critique and question research, policy and practice and their impact on children and young people. Drawing on this, you will be able to develop a research proposal which addresses contemporary issues in Childhood and Early Years Studies, drawing on relevant research literature in order to analyse and justify your methodological approach. You will also be supported to explore subject based literature in order to support your identification and exploration of a research question.
PP7009 -
Learning and Playful Pedagogies (Optional,30 Credits)
Learning and Playful Pedagogies will introduce you to and develop your understanding and application of a range of pedagogical theories and practice. You will critically examine the five major pedagogical approaches: (i) Constructivist; (ii) Collaborative; (iii) Integrative; (iv) Reflective; (v) Inquiry Based Learning. Building on these you will explore and reflect upon social and critical pedagogies within the context of professional practice and organisations where we find children including education (primary, secondary, further and higher education), social care, community development and health. The module aim is to explore how to actively engage children and young people in their learning to promote values of participation, autonomy, interdependency and inclusion.
More informationPP7010 -
Spaces and Places of Childhood (Optional,30 Credits)
The socio-cultural, economic and political contexts in which we live shape who we are. It is often argued that childhood is a social construction, but the role of space and place in shaping children’s everyday lives is not always understood. Paying attention to how social constructions of childhood are simultaneously spatial constructions is central to critically understanding how certain processes and phenomena contribute to children and young people’s marginalisation and exclusion or facilitate their inclusion and wellbeing in society. In this module you will explore diverse socio-spatial processes across a range of environments and contexts. Through your enhanced understanding of children and young people’s relationship to place, this module will enable you to analyse how they experience social differences and inequalities or develop a sense of belonging. Alongside this there is an aspect of the module that enables you to acquire and become proficient in creative methodologies to critically analyse the diverse socio-spatial contexts of children and young’s people everyday lives, presenting their voices in unique and important ways to key policy actors and practitioners. There are a number of key socio-spatial issues of childhood that will be examined throughout the module, such as health inequalities, therapeutic landscapes, place and wellbeing, gentrification and social exclusion. On completion of the module, you will have the capacity to articulate creative enquiry around the role of space and place in the everyday lives of children and young people.
More informationPP7006 -
Diverse Childhoods: Identities and Inequalities (Core,30 Credits)
Diverse Childhoods: Identities and Inequalities will explore the lives of children and their experiences in relation to disability, sexuality, gender, race, ethnicity, socio economic status. Diversity matters as it may have an impact upon how groups and individual children are understood by society, contributing to dominant and emergent discourses about youth and childhood. Further, the module will look at the ways in which children are marginalised and discriminated against in society. The module will also look at institutions where some of these issues are encountered. The module, for instance, will draw open theories of feminism, critical disability studies, critical race theory and critical childhood studies theory. Equally, it will focus on oppressive and anti-oppressive practice. This module aims to introduce and critically reflect on theories of inequalities in the wider context of childhood studies. You will critical policy and practice focused on enabling the inclusion of all children and young people. You will also consider the lived experiences of children drawn from empirical work and the way the gap between rhetoric and experience is negotiated.
PP7011 -
Childhood and Early Years Studies Dissertation Project (Core,60 Credits)
Building on the Research Methods Approaches and Skills Module this module will increase your understanding and skills. This module will build on your knowledge, understanding and application of key ideas, perspectives and activities in social research relevant to Childhood and Early Years. You will develop further knowledge and understanding about what and how things can be ‘known’ (epistemology), ways of seeing the world (paradigms), approaches and traditions in research (methodology), collecting or generating data (methods) and analysing or interpreting findings (analysis). You will develop a critical understanding of how to relate each of these elements to enable you to carry out independent research and write your dissertation project. You will also learn about research ethics and protocols.
Indeed, the focus of this module is a small-scale independent research project which students undertake with the support of an experienced academic research supervisor. You will be supported to develop an appropriate project which may be based on empirical data (quantitative or qualitative or mixed methods), work-based reflections, evaluations, case study or literature based. Peer support is also encouraged through student led seminars.
Our Applicant Services team will be happy to help. They can be contacted on 0191 406 0901 or by using our Contact Form.
All information is accurate at the time of sharing.
Full time Courses are primarily delivered via on-campus face to face learning but could include elements of online learning.
Most courses run as described on our website and in our marketing materials. Occasionally we may need to make changes, for example due to a change in the law or regulatory requirements, requirements of a Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Body, or our quality assurance processes. Where a change is significant (in line with the Competition and Markets Authority's guidance on "substantial changes"), we will consult with affected students in advance where the change is being decided, and will explain the reason for the change and inform you at the earliest opportunity.
If we make a significant variation to your programme, you are entitled to: request a transfer to an alternative, appropriate programme; withdraw and have your tuition fees adjusted; or raise a complaint through the Student Complaints Procedure.
Optional modules listed on course pages may be subject to change depending on uptake numbers each year. Where a module you selected is withdrawn, the options above apply.
Contact time is subject to increase or decrease in line with possible restrictions imposed by the government or the University in the interest of maintaining the health and safety and wellbeing of students, staff, and visitors if this is deemed necessary in future.
The photography and video on this page are used for illustration. They may have been taken at different times and in different parts of the University, and may show facilities, equipment, staff, students or activities that are not part of this course. They are not a guarantee of the specific facilities or equipment you will use.
The course content, entry requirements and fees sections of this page, together with the Programme Specification, set out what this course includes. Our facilities are updated over time and may change during your studies.
Northumbria University is committed to developing an inclusive, diverse and accessible campus and wider University community and are determined to ensure that opportunities we provide are open to all.
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We are dedicated to helping students who may require additional support during their student journey and offer 1-1 advice and guidance appropriate to individual requirements. If you feel you may need additional support you can find out more about what we offer here where you can also contact us with any questions you may have:
Page last reviewed: 29 September 2026
