Preamble

Regulations for the Master of Education degree in Early Childhood Development shall apply subject to provisions for both the General Academic Regulations for Masters degree programmes and Faculty General Academic Regulations.

Aim

The M Ed degree in Early Childhood Development aims to equip students with specialised theoretical knowledge, practical skills and competencies necessary for effective Early Childhood learning.

Programme Objectives

The overall objectives of the programme are:

To enhance the students` ability to relate research on the growth, development and education of young children with practice in current Early Childhood Development programmes;

To foster students` understanding, sensitivity and appreciation of culture and environment as they relate to child rights, care, health and nutrition;

To deepen students` understanding of assessment and diagnosis, psychological testing, psychotherapy and research issues in clinical child psychology; and

To equip students with knowledge on child welfare theories and how to apply them in diverse contexts.

Entry Requirements

Subject to provisions of the General Academic Regulations for Masters degree programmes and Faculty General Academic Regulations for admission, the following entry requirements shall apply:

A Bachelor of Education degree in Early Childhood Development or any other relevant field from a recognised University with a minimum of lower second-degree classification or GPA of 5; and

At least a minimum of two years of experience in Early Childhood Development work.

Programme Structure

The Master of Education degree in Early Childhood Development shall take one year and six months to complete. The programme consists of eight courses which shall be taught in one year and the dissertation (which is equal to two courses) taken in six months. In order to proceed to register for the dissertation, a student must pass both advanced qualitative and quantitative research methods.

Scheme of Examinations

Examinations will normally be held at the end of each Semester. To be admitted to the examinations, a student must have registered for and satisfactorily completed the prescribed scheme of study which includes 80% lecture attendance, and submission of written assignments. Coursework shall count for 30% of the overall assessment of a course while end of course examinations shall count for 70%.  A student can only proceed to the next semester if he/she attains a minimum GPA of 2.0.

Career Opportunities 

• Graduates of   this programme can work in diverse ECD contexts as follows:
• Primary schools – teaching and administration.
• Teacher education
• Counselling
• Special needs education
• University lecturing