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programmes-Bachelor-of-Education-(Hons)-(Early-Childhood-Education)
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Bachelor of Education (Honours) (Early Childhood Education)
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Programme Aims

This programme aims to nurture outstanding early childhood educators who:

  • are caring, competent and creative professionals;
  • demonstrate the disciplinary as well as interdisciplinary knowledge, understanding and disposition required to design, implement and assess quality programmes for children from 0 to 8 years of age;
  • can work collaboratively with children, parents, colleagues, school administrators and other professionals to address the needs of children and contribute to sustainable development of society;
  • are committed to lifelong learning; and
  • have a passion for excellence and are committed to the creative improvement of early childhood care and education in Hong Kong.
Study Mode Normal Period of Study JUPAS Code EdUHK Programme Code
Full-time 5 Years JS8404 A5B061
Enquiry (Admissions) Programme Leader Enquiry (Programme) Programme Booklet Programme Webpage
(852) 2948 6886
Submit Your Enquiry
Dr Lam Pui Ching, Jessie
(852) 2948 7576
puiching@eduhk.hk
(852) 2948 6792
ochan@eduhk.hk 
Programme Booklet Programme Webpage

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Programme Features

  • The Programme emphasises integration of subject knowledge, professional knowledge and practical abilities.
  • The Programme works in partnership with early childhood education institutions to strengthen theory-practice connections through field experience.
  • Graduates of this Programme will be eligible to apply for registration with the Education Bureau and Social Welfare Department as kindergarten teachers, child care workers, and child care supervisors in Hong Kong, and meet the academic qualification required by the Education Bureau for kindergarten principals.
  • Graduates of this Programme who have successfully completed:
    • the specified courses in the Minor “Diversity in Early Years” will be considered as having acquired training on the One-year In-service Course in Special Child Care Work, recognised by the Social Welfare Department;
    • the Minor “Teaching and Learning in International Schools” will be able to earn the International Baccalaureate Certificate in Teaching and Learning.

Programme Structure

Domain Credit Points (cps)
Major* (including Cross-Faculty Core Course and Major Interdisciplinary Course) 39
Education Studies 36
Final Year Project
  • Research Methods
  • Honours Project / Capstone Project
6
Field Experience 20
Electives (including Free Electives/Minor/Second Major) 24
General Education 22
Language Enhancement 9
Total: 156

*Mandatory Greater Bay Area activities in course(s) are required.

Notes: 
(1) Classes will be held in Tai Po Campus and Tseung Kwan O Study Centre / North Point Study Centre / Sports Centre / Kowloon Tong Satellite Study Centre as decided by the University.
(2) Students admitted into this programme are required to visit the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and/or other parts of Mainland China. Programme may also require students to participate in other non-local learning experience for completion of the programme. While the visits are heavily subsidised, students are still required to contribute part of the estimated cost of the visits ("student contribution"), whereas personal entertainment, meals expenses, travel document fee and personal insurance costs will not be supported. The estimated cost of the visits for students admitted to the 2024/25 cohort is not available yet as it is subject to a variety of factors such as changes to the cost of the visits as a result of inflation, trip duration, traveling expenses, the exchange rate, etc. The exact amount of student contribution is thus not available. 
(3) Starting from the 2024/25 cohort, students admitted to the full-time Bachelor of Education and Double Degree programmes are required to fulfil the “Exit Requirements for Teachers’ Professional Conduct and Ethics”, which consists of three components: 1) Fulfilment of assessment requirements of Field Experience; 2) Satisfactory completion of two required courses related to Teachers’ Professional Conduct and Ethics; 3) Fulfilment of relevant co-curricular requirement.

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In this domain, students focus on early childhood studies, which encompass the foundations of child and family studies and knowledge of the care, nurturing, and education of children from birth to eight years of age.

 

Cross-Faculty Core Course (CFCC)

The course will comprise 3 individual components with 1 credit point each and separately assessed with the aim to widen students’ horizon and look beyond Hong Kong. In Component I, lectures with topics related to Basic Law/National Security will be arranged; in Component II, students will have the opportunities to undertake visits in Greater Bay Area; in Component III, a variety of themes which are linked to the University’s development niche areas will be offered by Faculties.

Education Studies gives students the chance to study teaching and learning from an interdisciplinary perspective. Students will study early childhood/school education from psychological, sociological, philosophical, pedagogical and other perspectives. Students will develop a range of skills necessary for professional practice, such as problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, communication, social interaction, ethical decision making and global perspectives. Education Studies helps students appreciate the importance of professional excellence, ethical responsibility and innovation to the role of a teacher. We aim for our graduates to become beginning teachers who are caring and competent, intellectually enthusiastic, socially committed, and globally aware.

The Final Year Project comprises two 3-credit point courses:

  • Honours Project I / Capstone Project I: Introduction of research methods and proposal in Year 4 Semester 2.
  • Honours Project II / Capstone Project II: A one-year project to be conducted in the final year. Students can choose their topic from either their First Major or Education Studies, and will complete an individual project under the supervision by an academic staff.

1. Honours Project I / Capstone Project I: Research Methods and Proposal (3 cps)

The course “Honours Project I / Capstone Project I” consists of two parts:

Part A “Generic Research Methods” (1.5 cps) introduces basic research knowledge and principles of research methods for students to use and/ or conduct research in education and related disciplines, and ethical issues in the research process.

Part B “Methods for Specific Area in Preparation of Honours Project / Capstone Project” (1.5 cps) prepares students to develop a proposal for conducting a research-based/ project-based study in their chosen areas.

2. Honours Project II: Research Report / Capstone Project II: Project Output (3 cps)

Honours Project

The course “Honours Project II” is a continuation of the course Honours Project I. It provides opportunities for students to conduct research independently under the guidance of their supervisors.

Capstone Project

The course “Capstone Project II” is a continuation of the course Capstone Project I. It provides opportunities for students to complete an individual project under the guidance of their supervisors.

Students will be placed in schools which are important sites for learning to teach, and where they will interpret, generate, interact and experiment with theory:

1 Year 2 Semesters 1 & 2 Attend an introduction (FE Foundation Course with 3 cps) to the teaching profession. Students will be guided and supported by a Professional FE Tutor to understand the roles and expectations of a teacher and build their own professional identity and mission, whilst adapting to the changing role from a student to a professional teacher.
2 Year 3 Semester 2 Conduct Block Practice I in schools (5 cps) for 8 weeks, accompanied by the taught course of FE and Professional Learning Portfolio I (2 cps) in small-group tutorials that support students’ active engagement in the Field Experience, and help them connect theory and practice. Through group and individual guidance, students will produce an e-portfolio which is a collection of evidence of their learning, to support reflection and professional growth.
3 Year 5 Semester 1 Conduct Block Practice II in schools (7 cps) for 8 weeks, accompanied by the taught course of FE and Professional Learning Portfolio II (3 cps) in small-group tutorials and individual guidance that enhance students’ understanding of the schools and the role of a teacher as a caring cultivator, an inspirational co-constructor and a committed role model for students. They will further develop their e-portfolio for more in-depth reflection and records of their professional development.

Block Practice will be conducted in local schools where the medium of instruction may vary depending on the policy of the schools. Students should be able to demonstrate a proficient level of Cantonese / English / Putonghua to conduct Block Practice.

Important Note: The University will ask students of our full-time teacher education programmes to declare whether they have been convicted of or are being prosecuted for any sex-related offence in Hong Kong or elsewhere, and to provide relevant details prior to undertaking teaching practice. Such information may be released to their placement schools. The University reserves the right not to allow these students to attend the block teaching practice. If so, they won't be able to meet the graduation requirements of the programmes.

Depending on the learning interest and career aspirations of students as well as the cp distribution of individual programmes, students would be able to study free elective courses from a wide range of disciplines, normally outside their Majors. Students who wish to concentrate their studies on a specific discipline in a more in-depth and robust manner may also opt to study 30 cps to claim a Second Major (or two Minors) or 15 cps for one Minor.

The General Education (GE) programme prepares students to be active agents of change, by broadening their intellectual horizons, helping them make connections among different areas of knowledge between their formal studies and life outside the classroom, and strengthening their capacity for sound thinking and good judgment.

GE is categorized into four main areas, which are General Education Foundation Course (GEFC), General Education Breadth Courses (GEBCs), Experiential Learning (EL), and University ePortfolio. Students take GEFC (4 cps) in the first year of study. They can take GEBCs concurrently with GEFC or after completion of GEFC.

GEBCs are composed of 3 components: General Education Breadth Learning Strands (1-3) (GELS), Positive and Values Education (PAVE) Courses, and General Education Interdisciplinary Courses (GEICs). Students have to take one course of each component for fulfilling the GEBCs (9 cps) requirement. Experiential Learning (EL) consists of Co-curricular Service Learning Course (CSLC) and Experiential Learning Course (ELC). Students are allowed to complete the CSLC and ELC before the final year. After completion of GELS, PAVE, and GEIC, students have to take the 3-cp University ePortfolio course in the designated study semester.

Language Enhancement aims to improve students’ language proficiency in Chinese (including Putonghua) and English.

Students take two mandatory credit-bearing English enhancement courses during the first two years of studies as part of the English enhancement programme. These two courses will equip students with the academic literacy skills essential to their study at tertiary level. They will also receive 60 hours of mandatory non-credit-bearing English enhancement courses in Year 1 and 4. Optional IELTS preparation workshops will be held periodically on demand.

Besides, students are also required to study three Chinese enhancement courses and up to two Putonghua enhancement courses depending on their level. The Chinese enhancement programme consists of one mandatory credit-bearing course in Year 1 and two mandatory non-credit-bearing courses in subsequent semesters, which provide students with the input on Chinese language skills as well as elements of literature and culture. The Putonghua enhancement programme consists of two mandatory non-credit-bearing courses in Year 1. In addition, students can take up to 120 hours of optional non-credit-bearing Putonghua course after Year 1.

Career Prospects/Professional Qualifications

Graduates of the programme:

  1. will be eligible to apply for registration with the Education Bureau and Social Welfare Department as kindergarten teachers, child care workers, and child care supervisors in Hong Kong;
  2. will meet the academic qualification required by the Education Bureau for kindergarten principals;
  3. will possess the degree-level professional qualification that is in great demand in the early childhood education sector;
  4. will have the ability to work competently in a broad range of positions that involve working with children and families; and
  5. may apply to teach in early childhood settings overseas, subject to the registration requirements of the relevant local authorities.
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Disclaimer
Every effort has been made to ensure that information contained in this website is correct. Changes to any aspects of the programmes may be made from time to time due to unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control and the University reserves the right to make amendments to any information contained in this website without prior notice. The University accepts no liability for any loss or damage arising from any use or misuse of or reliance on any information contained in this website.

Any aspect of the course and course offerings (including, without limitation, the content of the course and the manner in which the course is taught) may be subject to change at any time at the sole discretion of the University. Without limiting the right of the University to amend the course and its course offerings, it is envisaged that changes may be required due to factors such as staffing, enrolment levels, logistical arrangements, curriculum changes, and other factors caused by unforeseeable circumstances. Tuition fees, once paid, are non-refundable. 

EdUHK is one of the teacher education providers in Hong Kong. Graduates of the University’s teacher education programmes are eligible to apply to become fully qualified and registered teachers. As regards teacher registration, graduates should approach the Teacher Registration Team of the Education Bureau (EDB) to submit applications directly. All applications will be assessed by the EDB which will consider, among other things, whether an applicant has been convicted of any criminal offence (including sex-related offences) in Hong Kong or elsewhere, or is involved in any ongoing criminal proceedings or investigations. For details, please browse the EDB's website.

In the event of inconsistency between information in English and Chinese version or where an interpretation of the programme content is required, the decision of the University shall be final.