Childhood

Childhood studies is an established academic discipline that takes children and their experiences as its central concern, examining what childhood is, how it is lived, and how social, cultural, and institutional forces shape children's lives. It is genuinely multidisciplinary, drawing on sociology, psychology, education, philosophy, social policy, health, and disability studies to explore the many dimensions of childhood, from development and learning to rights, wellbeing, and the structural inequalities that affect children's opportunities and experiences. This breadth of perspective is one of the discipline's defining features, enabling students to engage with childhood as a complex social phenomenon rather than reducing it to any single framework.

At the University of Suffolk, this full-time, three-year BA focuses on this multi-disciplinary nature, using social science perspectives to explore, contextualise, and interrogate the diverse and multifaceted experiences of children. You will develop knowledge across the range of disciplines that childhood studies draws on, building the analytical skills needed to examine children's lives critically and to engage with the research and policy debates that shape how childhood is understood and governed. The programme supports you to follow your particular interests within the field, which can range from early years education and special educational needs to child health, safeguarding, and international children's rights.

The typical entry tariff is 88 UCAS points.

Graduates from childhood studies programmes move into roles in early years education, social work (often with further professional training), youth work, family support, children's charities, health visiting, play and learning environments, and policy and research organisations concerned with children and families. Many graduates go on to postgraduate training in social work, early childhood education, teaching, or research, using the childhood studies foundation to develop specialist professional expertise. The discipline's multidisciplinary breadth means graduates are adaptable across the broad landscape of child and family services.