Studying Early Childhood Education: Opportunities and Career Prospects

What is the Early Childhood Education degree program all about? What are the differences compared to training as an early childhood educator? And what career prospects does the degree open up?

Alanus University offers a bachelor’s degree program in Early Childhood Education, which can be studied in two variants: the full-time study program is aimed at high school graduates and career starters, while the part-time study program is intended for qualified early childhood educators. But what is the Early Childhood Education degree program all about? What are the differences compared to training as an early childhood educator? And what career prospects does the degree open up? In conversation with Stefanie Greubel, Professor of Early Childhood Education.

What are the differences between studying Early Childhood Education and traditional training as an early childhood educator?

The Early Childhood Education degree program prepares students in a multidimensional way for the challenges of educational fields of practice. It is important to us that, alongside the traditional educational fields of practice, our students also gain a deep understanding of academic theories and are able to act in accordance with them. To do this, it is necessary to examine not only pedagogy but also the related disciplines of sociology, psychology, and anthropology in depth. Academic engagement, for example through students’ own empirical research and analysis of educational situations, sharpens a professional perspective and broadens the outlook and scope of action of future early childhood educators. Alongside academic analysis, however, it is also important to us to prepare students for practical work in educational institutions. Through intensive support during internships, students gain realistic insights and practical skills for work in the field.
Those who have already qualified as early childhood educators create new career paths for themselves through the subject-specific specialization offered by the degree program, while also gaining valuable impulses for their current educational work—both in personnel management and in working with minors. The holistic and multidisciplinary perspective practiced during the degree program gives them an important role in increasingly multiprofessional teams.
And not to be forgotten: the degree can usually be completed within the standard period of study of 3 years, which is faster than traditional training as an early childhood educator, which often takes 4 years!

What is special about the degree program? Isn’t it very theory-heavy?

What fascinates me most about Early Childhood Education is the differentiated perspective on the child and their development. In addition to the diversity of theories already mentioned, at Alanus University we place special emphasis on the personal and professional development of our students. We reflect on our own experiences and our view of childhood, we teach ethical reflection, and we encourage continuous critical self-examination.
It is particularly important to us that our students develop into reflective early childhood educators who recognize social science contexts and can act accordingly, always putting the well-being of the child first. In addition to our regular seminar content, we also explore these questions in artistic and experiential education units, present reform pedagogy approaches—especially Waldorf education—and also offer the so-called Studium Generale, which students from all disciplines can attend and through which they can, among other things, immerse themselves in the world of philosophy. Other special highlights include participation in summer and winter universities with an experiential education focus, carrying out students’ own creative/artistic projects in theater or dance, and—returning here to the interweaving of theory and practice—planning, developing, conducting, and evaluating their own academic surveys.
We also place special emphasis in the internships on experiencing diversity. In our numerous practical units, students get to know institutions with different educational focuses. Many also go abroad for these practical units and can thus complete recognized academic credits in a straightforward way. We lecturers also benefit from the experiences our students bring back from places such as Hawaii, Costa Rica, Tenerife, or Switzerland, allowing us to enter into a fruitful dialogue.

Which professional fields does the degree program qualify me for?

The Early Childhood Education degree program is still relatively new and contributes to a multiprofessional mix within educational teams through its graduates. Depending on previous experience, our early childhood educators often begin by working in a daycare center or continue their previous work there with greater responsibility, for example in a management role. However, thanks to its academic design, the Early Childhood Education degree program prepares students for many individual career paths in the educational context and therefore offers possibilities different from traditional training as an early childhood educator. Early childhood educators also work, for example, in child and youth welfare institutions, family centers, or professional associations; they carry out advisory work or develop concepts and can therefore explore various professional contexts suited to their own life situation and continue to specialize.

Thank you very much for the interview!