MA Early Childhood Education and Care (Distanced Learning)

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

You should have one of the following:

• A bachelor’s honours degree or international equivalent at 2:2 or above in a relevant discipline plus at least five years of recent relevant experience.
• A teaching qualification (gained after at least the equivalent of two satisfactory years of higher education) plus at least five years of recent relevant experience.
• An advanced diploma in education plus at least five years of recent relevant experience.
• The Norland diploma and fully qualified Norland Nanny/Norlander status plus at least five years of recent relevant experience.

Non-standard entry to the postgraduate programme will be considered for applicants with more than five years of recent experience working with young children and their families or in a related early childhood role.

Recent experience must have been undertaken within 10 years of entry to the degree programme.

Additional requirements

Due to the applied nature of the postgraduate programme, recent experience of working with children would be beneficial, and you would ordinarily be expected to work with young children aged 0–3 years for the duration of the programme. This can be either in paid or voluntary employment.

Acceptance is subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) (formerly known as the Criminal Records Bureau) Enhanced Disclosure check, or equivalent overseas procedure. If you have lived in another country within the last five years, you must obtain a police certificate or certificate of good conduct from that country as well. You will also be required to join the Update Service (or overseas equivalent) and ensure your subscription is renewed throughout your studies. Further details will be sent to you after you have made your application. There are fees for these check and update services, in addition to the tuition fees.

As this is an online master’s degree, you will need regular access to a device (such as a laptop) with a microphone and camera, as well as a reliable internet connection. Norland will provide access an online virtual learning environment (VLE) and virtual library.

Months of entry

September

Course content

Advance your early years career with an online early childhood education and care master's degree from Norland.

Our MA in Early Childhood Education and Care with specialisms is a flexible, part-time, online master’s programme designed for educators, early childhood practitioners, leaders and policy makers.

Rooted in Norland’s internationally recognised expertise in early childhood, this postgraduate programme allows you to benefit from leading research, specialist teaching and over 130 years of pioneering early childhood insight to deepen your expertise and elevate your impact.

Whether you work directly with young children or in related fields such as childcare policy, the programme enables you to build specialist knowledge in four key and fast-developing areas of early childhood:

• supporting behaviour
• food and nutrition
• sleep hygiene
• home-based pedagogy and care

Although these topics receive significant attention, they remain contested, particularly within the home-learning environment for babies, toddlers and younger children. Therefore, throughout the course, you will have the opportunity to explore the latest policy and research and develop depth in your understanding of these specialist strands so that you are well positioned to shape practice with evidence‑informed insight.

With a dedicated focus on the earliest years of childhood (0–3 years), our MA in Early Childhood Education and Care also supports you to extend the breadth of your own professional philosophy and practice, using the latest policy and research and drawing on areas such as sustainability, inclusion and advocacy.

While this postgraduate programme does not lead to Norland Nanny status, it equips you with the advanced skills, specialist knowledge and leadership capability to excel in a wide range of entrepreneurial and leadership roles within the early childhood education and care sector. Its flexible nature allows you to undertake your study in bite‑sized chunks. You can choose to begin with a postgraduate certificate and then develop through the postgraduate diploma to a full master’s degree, with the option to stop and restart at each phase. This makes it ideal for those working alongside their studies.

Information for international students

If you do not have UK qualifications, we will need to check your equivalent international qualifications using the UK ENIC database to confirm that your qualifications meet our minimum requirements and there is a charge for this service.

As our master’s degree is delivered via distance learning, you will study outside the UK and therefore will not require a visa. If you wish to visit the UK for short periods to take part in study-related activities, such as attending graduation, you may enter as a Standard Visitor. You will be responsible for applying for the visa, ensuring you meet the eligibility requirements and only undertaking permitted activities. Further information on the Standard Visitor visa route is available on the UK government website

English language requirements

If you’re an international student, you may need to demonstrate that your English language skills are sufficient to study for a master’s degree at Norland. Unless you are a national of a majority English speaking country, you will need to submit an English language qualification that’s recognised by Norland. Your English language qualifications must have been achieved within two years of the course start date.

If your first language is not English, but within the last two years you completed your degree in the UK, you may be exempt from our English language requirements.

We accept the following English language tests:

• IELTS Academic: 6.5 overall score with no less than 6.0 in each component skill
• Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic): 62 overall score with no less than 59 in any element
• TOEFL iBT: 90 overall score with a minimum of 20 in all 4 components

We may accept other English language tests.

You will be responsible for paying for the English language test.

Please contact admissions if you are not sure if you meet our English language requirements.

Fees and funding