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BA ( With Children’s Studies) (GY110 AWC)

This is the only degree in Europe that enables students to combine an Arts degree with a specialism in Children’s Studies!  An ideal programme if you want to study two arts subjects to degree level and have the opportunity to enhance your knowledge and expertise in a wide range of topics that are relevant to understanding and working with children.

Students love this course because it allows them interweave studying topical issues that affect children with their in-depth study of Arts subjects that they are passionate about. See the section “What will I study” for Arts subject choices. 

The BA Arts with Children’s Studies is an ideal basis for students that are considering careers as post-prmary teachers, as it allows two teachable Arts subjects to be studied to degree level, and students can do their Year 3 placement gaining hands-on experience in a school or other setting working with children

(in Ireland or abroad!)  

If you want to develop the critical thinking and communication skills that are needed in today’s workplace, and become an expert in helping all children reach their full potential, the BA Arts with Children’s Studies may be the programme for you!

In Year One, you will study modules from the discipline of Children’s Studies, and you will also select three Arts subjects. 

The Arts subjects are chosen from a range of 21 subjects, grouped into 6 subject areas (the same subject groupings as the BA Arts Joint-Honors, but BA Arts with Children’s Studies students cannot pick subjects from Group 4).

When considering what Arts subjects to pick, start with what interests you. Perhaps you might choose a subject you love studying at school, a subject that aligns with your future career goals or maybe one you’ve never tried before. Take some time to explore your options by clicking on the subject links below. While you can only select one subject per subject group, the structure of the course offers a multitude of different subject combinations.

In Year Two, you will continue taking Children’s Studies modules, and will continue with two of the three Arts subjects. There are a small number of subjects that have specific progression requirements from Year 1 to Year 2. These are:

Psychology Progression: Students who complete Psychology in First Year may progress to either the BSc (Psychology) programme (15 places available) or continue with Psychological Studies (100 places). Selection is based on academic merit from first-year results, requiring a minimum average of 40% in each subject.

Law Progression: Entry to Second Year Law is limited to 130 students and is also based on academic performance in First Year, with students needing to pass the First Arts exam outright (average of 40% or higher in each subject).

Mathematics Progression: To continue Mathematical Studies, students must achieve 45% in Mathematics in First Year. For Mathematics (honours), students need at least 60% and a pass in module MA186, ideally having studied higher-level Leaving Cert Mathematics.

If you are studying a European language you will study abroad or do your Year 3 work placement abroad, in a country that speaks the language you are studying.  If you are studying Gaeilge you can do your Year 3 work placement in an Irish language school or other Irish language organization. You will return in Year 4 to study your two subjects and gain your degree.

A breakdown of the ECTS division per year is as follows:

YEAR ONE:

Arts Subject 1: 15 ECTS
Arts Subject 2: 15 ECTS
Arts Subject 3: 15 ECTS
Specialism (Children’s Studies): 15 ECTS

YEAR TWO:

Arts Subject 1: 25 ECTS
Arts Subject 2: 25 ECTS
Specialism (Children’s Studies): 10 ECTS

YEAR THREE:

Specialism (Children’s Studies): 60 ECTS (*semester 2 is work placement or study abroad)

YEAR FOUR:

Arts Subject 1: 30 ECTS
Arts Subject 2: 30 ECTS

Students interested in primary school teaching in Ireland are recommended to take Gaeilge as one of their subjects. Students interested in secondary teaching in Ireland are recommended to take two post-primary curricular subjects, see here. 

 

Group 1	Group  2	Group 3	Group 4
Archaeology French  Mathematics and Mathematical Studies	Law  Psychology  Celtic Civilisation  Performance and Screen Studies	Ancient Classics  Geography  German  Léann na Cumarsáide  Modern Irish Culture (Music and Literature)  Global Media	English  Economics

Group 5	Group 6	Group 7
Sociological and Political Studies  Information Technology  Léann an Aistriúchán	History  Spanish	Gaeilge Italian Philosophy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Curriculum Information

Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).
Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.

• Flexibility to shape your own degree, and also pursue a specialism in Children’s Studies.
• An unmatchable undergraduate preparation for those interested in secondary school teaching (teaching also requires completion of the postgraduate Professional Master in Education)
• The option to complete a work placement in Ireland or abroad, or to study abroad (half year or full year options)

 

Due to flexibility of subject choices, the BA Children’s Studies opens doors to many different career paths and postgraduate opportunities. 

One of the most popular paths that students pursue is a Master’s in post-primary school teaching, as they will have studied two subjects to degree level.  Undergraduate study requirements for teaching post-primary subjects are set by the Teaching Council and available here.

The BA Arts with Children’s Studies will equip you with the key skills that today’s employers need, including:

• Critical thinking —the ability to consider complex problems from multiple angles, identify and question assumptions, examine evidence, and make informed and ethical decisions.
• Interdisciplinary Awareness – the ability to look at the most important issues facing children and society through many viewpoints, with a holistic understanding

Intercultural awareness—understanding the different backgrounds and cultures that children are growing up within, and how to successfully work with a diverse range of children and families.

• Communication – learn to effectively take in information through research and listening to other’s perspectives, and to communicate you own viewpoints effectively through writing, public speaking, respectful debate, and creative and artistic methods
• Digital literacy — develop a critical understanding of the role that emerging technologies such as smart phones and AI have on our own lives, and the lives of children
• Teamwork—learn to collaborate with a group to plan and execute detailed projects.

Your Semester Abroad—Learn international perspectives on Childhood by living them!

In the third year, students have the option to spend a half year studying abroad at one of our international University partners, York University, Toronto, Canada or the University of Bologna, Italy* (*if you are studying Italian). 

Students who take a modern language with Children’s Studies can also avail of the Study Abroad opportunities offered by the School of Languages, subject to approval. 

Living and studying abroad is an amazing opportunity that will allow you to learn about a new culture in a hands-on way, develop your confidence and interpersonal skills, and broaden your understanding of diverse ways of thinking about and working with children.

Students who complete the study abroad semester say they have:

• Discovered so much about themselves, and the future career paths that really speak to them.
• Developed the confidence to chase their dreams by facing real-world challenges head-on and succeeding.
• Gained a deeper understanding of different cultures and perspectives — understanding diversity not just in theory, but through lived experience.
• Gained life skills—from navigating a new city to making international friends.
• Made professional connections and friends internationally that they will have for the rest of their lives.

The flexibility and variety of the Children’s Studies placement is a highlight of this degree.  We encourage and support students to craft placement opportunities that suit their own career ambitions, allowing them to gain valuable experience and create essential professional connections.

The Children’s Studies Placement in third year can be:

• One semester, or two semesters
• In Ireland, abroad, or a combination of both if you take the full-year option

Internationally, we have strong partnerships with SEK schools, Meraki projects, and Kaliede International School in Tenerife.  Students have also undertaken placements in many other European countries, South America, and Africa.  Between 17% to 25% of third year students complete a semester abroad, which is significantly above the university average in undergraduate programmes.

For students who chose work placement in Ireland, popular choices include placements at Primary Schools, Secondary Schools, and Special Schools around the country, Barretstown, Galway Autism Partnership, Foróige, Democratic Schools, disability service providers such as Brother’s of Charity and Ability West, TUSLA, with private speech and language and occupational therapists, and the Hospital Playrooms at UCHG and Crumlin.

All placements are a minimum of 12 weeks, and students are supported by a dedicated Career Placement Officer, starting in semester 2 of second year, to identify, source, and succeed at a placement that is individually tailored to their own goals.

Students who choose placements abroad in a European country are almost always supported by Erasmus funding, which most students find is sufficient to cover their room and board for the duration of the experience.  Most placements for Children’s Studies students are unpaid, but some students do receive small stipends from their placement providers and this is not prohibited. 

Prof. Michal Molcho
Dr. Kate Harvey
Dr. Devon Goodwin
Dr. Anna Gasperini
Dr. Cassie Smith-Christmas
Dr. Amy Hannah
Dr. Julie Spray
Dr. Lorraine Burke
Dr. Siobhan Morrissey
Dr. Natasha Daniels
Dr. Sheila Garrity
Dr. Mary Kelly
Dr. Lindsay Myers

The Discipline of Children’s Studies prides itself on using progressive and innovative teaching strategies that allow room for all learners to succeed, and for all students to demonstrate their unique strengths.  We know that how you learn will influence how you teach and work with children one day, so we keep things interesting!

How Will I Learn?

1. Creative Lectures—Students engage with lectures from leaders in their fields, who are experts at bringing fascinating research and topics to our students
2. Workshops and hands-on Tutorials – from outdoor sessions in forest schooling, to yoga tutorials, to drama workshops, to comic books for children – across the discipline your lecturers build in hands-on learning to help you learn material in holistic ways
3. Service Learning—a unique feature of the BA Children’s Studies is the opportunity to work in the community as part of your learning in some modules, allowing you to tie your classroom learning to real-world experience
4. Work Placement or Study Abroad—A semester or year, in Ireland or abroad, allows students to gain on the ground experience and meaningful professional connections in an area of their choice

 

How Will I Be Assessed?

Wide Variety of Assessment Methods – our students are assessed using creative and unique assessment methods to allow all learners to succeed; projects, creative presentations, reflective journals, in-class writing assignments, group work, interactive oral assessments, and self-assessment opportunities are just some of the ways we make sure that students have more ways than just exams to evidence their learning. 

There are exams in many of the classes, but this is not the only way students show what they know and what they can do.  As a discipline we are committed to the principles of Universal Design for Learning, which allow multiple ways for learners to demonstrate their ability. 

 

Major Current Research Projects in the Discipline of Children’s Studies Include:

Project Title: GAELFAM ('Gaeltacht Families and Multilingualism')

Researchers: Dr Cassie Smith-Christmas (PI); Dr Verena Platzgummer (Post-doctoral researcher); Paul Finn (PhD Researcher)

Funder: Taighde Éireann/Research Ireland (SFI-IRC Pathways Programme, Grant no: 22/PATH-A/10739

Centred in the sociolinguistic subfield ‘Family Language Policy’ (‘FLP’), GAELFAM  focuses on families living in Gaeltacht areas where at least one of the primary caregivers speaks a language other than/in addition to Irish or English in the home. Employing multiple methods—semi-structured interviews; case studies; and ethnographies of select communities and schools—GAELFAM provides  insight into the linguistic decisions that family members make, and how these decisions are mediated by these family members’ wider sociocultural experiences.

Project title: MILC - MedIcal Literature and Communication about Child health (1850-1914)

Researchers: Dr Anna Gasperini (PI), Dr Maelle Leroux (Postdoctoral Researcher), Dr Marco Omes (Postdoctoral Researcher)

Funder: Irish Research Council (IRC) Starting Laureate Award 

MILC is the first international comparative study of nineteenth-century childcare handbooks (1850-1914). Mostly penned by medical professionals, these texts explained modern scientific knowledge about child health and childcare techniques in plain language to a general audience, and especially to pregnant women and mothers. MILC examines a corpus of these texts produced in three European languages – English, Italian, and French combining distant reading, performed using a coding software, and close reading of a selection of case studies. The project analyses, and compare across different linguistic corpora, the discourses, themes, and strategies authors used to convey their scientific knowledge about child health to a non-specialist audience. These textual elements are analysed against the background of local national culture, society, conceptions of childhood and management of child health, and then compared across linguistic corpora. In so doing, the analysis also maps the international circulation of these discourses, themes, and strategies.

Project Title: Across the Borderlands: Scholars’ Experiences of Epistemic Recognition and Misrecognition in Interdisciplinary Spaces

https://juliespray.com/borderlands/ 

Researchers: Julie Spray (University of Galway), Laura McLauchlan (Macquarie University), Sreeparna Chattopadhyay (Munipal university)

Funder: The Wenner-Gren Foundation

Interdisciplinary collaborations are often encouraged by institutions and funding bodies, however, the presence of diverse scholars alone does not mean that all disciplinary perspectives are equally recognised and synthesised into knowledge production. This project seeks to understand how people’s disciplinary knowledge can be heard and understood, or conversely, misrecognised or silenced in interdisciplinary spaces (e.g. departments, committees, teams, 

projects). By interviewing scholars globally and drawing from perspectives across disciplines, we ask, what happens to disciplinary knowledge—how is it activated, translated, or marginalised—through various social, structural and epistemic processes? We see these processes as variably enabling or preventing “epistemic recognition”: a deep understanding, valuing, and meaningful integration of disciplinary knowledge. From this framework, we aim to develop “epistemic recognition” as a practice approach for interdisciplinary contexts as well as for knowledge exchange across cultural and social difference more generally. As an outcome of this project we hope to produce an “Interdisciplinarian’s Guidebook” to help scholars understand and navigate the challenges of cultural encounters across disciplinary borders.

Title: The Pandemic Generation: Children’s inclusion and participation in Covid-19 health promotion in Aotearoa New Zealand and Ireland

Researcher: Julie Spray

Funder: Maurice and Phyllis Paykell Trust

Childhood studies scholars have observed an under-representation of children in Covid-19 media and public health policy and messaging, where focus on children has been generally limited to questions of their susceptibility to or ability to transmit virus, or the social, developmental, educational and economic impacts of disruption. The Pandemic Generation study is about seeing children as whole people with their own perspectives, experiences, challenges and needs, and as people who engage with government mandates and protocols, and contribute to the care and protection of their families, communities, and nation as well as their own self-care. The project involves analyses of policy and media documents and comic-making based interviews with children, first in New Zealand, and more recently in Ireland, a news media series, and development of a graphic ethnography about children’s experiences of the pandemic.

Course queries:

Programme Director(s):
Dr Kate Harvey
Head of Discipline (Children’s Studies)
Lecturer Above the Bar in Children’s Studies
School of Education
College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies
E: kate.harvey@universityofgalway.ie

Q: Should I apply for the BA (Children’s Studies) or the BA (Arts) with Children’s Studies? They both have the same CAO code, GY110
A: Students applying to GY110 have the flexibility to transfer from the BA (Children’s Studies) to the BA (Arts) with Children’s studies, and vice versa, during the first weeks of first year. 

• The BA (Children’s Studies) is recommended especially for students who wish to pursue primary teaching, social work, or therapy professions (these require postgraduate study) and those who want to specialize in children and childhood.
• The BA (Arts) with Children’s Studies is a better fit for those who may wish to pursue post-primary teaching, as it allows students to study two teachable arts subjects to degree level, or for those students who have a genuine passion for one of the other arts disciplines.  The BA (Arts) with Children’s Studies is also the best choice for students wishing to pursue careers requiring undergraduate degree level study in Psychology or Law. 

Q: Is this course what I need to work in a creche?
A: No, the BA Children’s Studies is a broad, interdisciplinary arts degree from which graduates pursue careers in many fields.  It is not a specific Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) qualification, and will not qualify you to work in a creche setting. 

 

Minimum Grade H5 in two subjects and passes in four other subjects at O6/H7 level in the Leaving Certificate including Irish, English, another language, and three other subjects recognised for entry purposes.

Additional Requirements
Students must satisfy the Garda/police vetting requirements.

Alternative Pathways
The Access Centre at University of Galway provides a number of alternative entry routes to undergraduate programmes. See below some useful links:

• QQI/FET/FETAC Places
• Mature Students
• Access and Foundation programmes
• HEAR Scheme
• DARE Scheme

Other Qualifications
If you are a school leaver presenting results other than Leaving Cert results, please review the entry requirements relevant to you:

• A Level students
• International Baccalaureate students
• EU students

For applicants whose first language is not English, it is important to check our English Language Requirements.

Admissions Office
Our Admissions Office provides additional detail relevant to CAO applicants including key dates, FAQs and instructions for non-school leavers.

Irish and European (EU/EFTA/UK) Applicants
Apply via the CAO. See the CAO Handbook for useful information on applying through the CAO.

Mature Applicants
Apply via the CAO by 1 February. To apply for a place as a mature student, you must be 23 years of age on or before 1 January of the year of entry. Further information available here.

QQI/FET/FETAC Applicants
Apply via the CAO. See our QQI/FET/FETAC Applicants page for information on places available and entry requirements.

Fees for Academic Year 2025/2026

Course Type	Year	EU Tuition	Student Contribution	Non-EU Tuition	Levy	Total Fee	Total EU Fee	Total Non-EU Fee
	All	€2,598	€3,000	€19,000	€140	€3,140	€5,738	€19,140

• Most EU students applying through the CAO will be eligible for the ‘Free Fees Initiative’. You can find out more here.
• If you are eligible for a means tested SUSI grant this may cover 100% of this Student Contribution Charge. If you are 100% eligible SUSI will pay the Student Contribution Charge of €3,000 on your behalf. 
• The Student Levy It is payable by all students and it is not covered by SUSI
• Where the course duration is greater than 1 year, there is an inflationary increase approved of 3.4% per annum for continuing year fees. This applies to non-EU fees.
• You can find additional detail on the Fees Office webpage including FAQs and how fee status is assessed.

Application Process
Students applying for full undergraduate degree programmes from outside of the European Union (EU), and who are liable for full non-EU tuition fees, should apply online via Apply to University of Galway. Our application portal opens on the 1^st October each year for each the following September.  

Further Information
Please visit the international application webpage for further information on closing dates, documentation requirements, application fees and the application process.