Master of Arts Fruehe Kindheit

The Master of Arts in Early Childhood prepares students to work as a specialist who thinks and works scientifically and can translate findings for practice. The degree covers early development topics such as parent-child interaction, attachment and exploration behavior, emotional, social, and cognitive development, cultural aspects of development, transitions and separations in early childhood, play development, and support and care approaches. It also includes early prevention topics, including risk and resilience, early prevention in families and institutions, and the effectiveness of early support and prevention.

The program includes consultation and development content such as communication theory, counseling skills, methods and processes in counseling, and management in educational and care institutions. Research methods are also part of the study, including academic work, social science research methods, and an introduction to diagnostic procedures in early childhood. Students complete an individual specialization through a self-chosen project work, two main seminars, and an empirical master thesis, plus an oral final examination. A required eight-week internship is part of the degree.

Modules

• Wissenschaftliches Arbeiten
• Sozialwissenschaftliche Forschungsmethoden
• Einführung in diagnostische Verfahren in der frühen Kindheit
• Kommunikationstheorie
• Beratungskompetenzen
• Methoden und Prozesse in der Beratung
• Management in Bildungs- und Betreuungseinrichtungen
• Qualitätsmanagement
• Eltern
• Entwicklung von Motorik und Kognition
• Sozio-emotionale Kompetenzen in der frühen Kindheit
• Säuglinge im Fokus

• Direct access to the regular admission procedure
• Directly admitted to the regular admission procedure for applicants who have a qualified bachelor’s degree from a university, a teacher education college, or a university of applied sciences in psychology, education (for example Pre-Primary Education), social or sports education, or another relevant field of study.
• Applicants must bring professional experience of at least three months in the field of early childhood or acquire it during an internship.

• Program and concept development
• Teaching in initial and continuing education
• Research
• Institution and policy consulting
• Leadership roles in the area of early childhood
• Promotion in Educational Sciences