What will I learn?

This course will prepare you for a highly rewarding career, educating and supporting young children during a vital time in their development. The BECE prepares you for work as a professional in a variety of educational and care childhood settings, from preschools and cr猫ches, to special needs schools and family resource projects.

Theory and Practice

The BECE degree combines theory with practical learning. You鈥檒l learn applied skills through workshops, seminars and independent group study. This could involve working in the Lego room programming 鈥楤eebots鈥�, or designing play environments for young children, or developing literacy sacks to support them as readers. You鈥檒l also put your knowledge into practice during yearly work placements.

BECE graduates are in high demand at home and abroad. In Year 3, you can consider studying abroad on an Erasmus programme, in Norway, Belgium or Hungary.

Careers

The BECE degree is a gateway to a number of careers.

Career Areas

City and County Childcare Committees
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Development Agencies
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National Voluntary Organisations
Pre School
Statutory Bodies

Career Prospects

Early childhood educator
Manager in a preschool, community playgroup, Na铆onra or cr猫che
Early years inspector
Early years specialist
Training coordinator
Director
Entrepreneur in the ECE field

Which department am I in?

DCU Institute of Education

Study options

Full Time (4 years)

Tuition fees

鈧�15,000.00 (13,56,361) per year

Student Contribution: 鈧�3,043 per annum; Material Charge: 鈧�175 Year 1 only

*Price shown is for indicative purposes, please

Application deadline

Expected July 2025

More details

Start date

January 2025

Venue

DCU Glasnevin Campus

Dublin 9, D09 V209,

GLASNEVIN,

Dublin,

D09 V209, Republic of Ireland

Entry requirements

For international students

GCE A LEVELS

General Certificate in Education qualifications must meet one of the following requirements, in addition to any specific programme requirements.

2 GCE A Levels at Grade C plus 4 GCE O levels at Grade C, which must include the subjects Mathematics and English.
2 GCE A Levels at Grade C, plus 2 GCE AS Level at Grade C, plus 2 GCE O Levels at Grade C, which must include the subjects Mathematics and English.
2 GCE A Levels at Grade C, plus 1 GCE AS Level at Grade C, plus 3 GCE O Levels at Grade C, which must include the subjects Mathematics and English.

International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma or have an equivalent qualification.

English language Requirements

Irish Leaving Certificate English - O6/H7
GCE A-Level English Language - Grade D
IELTS ACADEMIC - Composite score of 6.5 or above, with no less than 6.0 in any one component
TOEFL - 237 (computer-based), 580 (paper-based test)
TOEFL iBT - Total Score of 92
Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CAP) - Overall score of 180 with a minimum of 169 in all components.
Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English (CAE) - Overall score of 180 with a minimum of 169 in all components.
English Test for Academic and Professional Purposes (ETAPP) - C1
Pearson Test of English (PTE Academic) - 63 (with a minimum of 59 in all components)
Duolingo - Duolingo will be accepted with a minimum score of 120 and a score of at least 110 in each subscore.