Education and Learning in Childhood
All career fields involving work with children have seen their day-to-day challenges become more demanding in recent years, a situation which calls for increased professionalisation on the basis of academic study. This Bachelor’s degree course in Education and Learning in Childhood seeks to meet this need.
It qualifies graduates to provide early enrichment and support to children and young people up to the age of 14. The course brings together theory, practice and research and encourages students to reflect on their journeys, the influence of their own lives and histories on their work, and their actions in professional settings.
Significant blocks of time during the course are devoted to professional practice placements, with continuous supervision and mentoring, in establishments providing care, support and enrichment to children and young people and in research or administrative organisations.
Your future career
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Specialists in education and learning in childhood take on roles in establishments that provide daycare to children who have yet to reach school age or after-school care to schoolchildren, or that support children and families in various ways. They might work in day nurseries, preschools, primary schools or family support and education centres, or they could deliver parenting courses or early help and intervention. They advise and support front-line staff, draw up educational concepts or quality guidelines, assist associations and organisations that fund childcare and support services to develop and improve their work processes, and conduct research on and evaluation of these services.
Course content and structure
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The first three semesters revolve around foundational classes in education science, psychology, social sciences, law, and empirical methodologies, with an emphasis on observing children’s development and evaluation and self-evaluation in professional practice.
In semester four, students are introduced to the course’s three focal areas:
- Developing competencies in childhood
- Providing advisory services to families
- Institutional development and management
The fifth and sixth semesters encompass further theoretical and practical (via a project) exploration of two of the three focal areas, as chosen by the student. The project centres on the researching, development and translation of theoretical insights into practice in relation to a specific topic. The course ends with the Bachelor thesis, which is completed in semester seven.
From semesters one to six, students spend a total of 180 hours each semester on practical placements in establishments providing care, support and enrichment to children, along with a thematically related Theory and Practice Seminar in each semester. Students receive supervision and support from us while doing their placements.
Your interests and skills
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Professional practice requires the ability to develop high-quality educational offers, to foster children's individual talents and capabilities and to correctly identify and respond to warning signs pointing to any of the manifold potential threats to their safety and well-being. Taking into account the context where education and learning takes place plays a central role in this respect: in addition to the family situation, this includes the profile, conception and quality of the institutional environment on the one hand and the political, legal and social conditions on the other.
You should also be able and willing to reflect upon your actions in the professional context and to keep up to date with academic developments in the field and integrate them into your professional practice.
It is essential that you are able to read English-language academic literature and participate in discussions in English (in international seminars, on field trips, and at guest lectures).
Interested – but not quite sure yet whether this is the right course for you? Our self-assessment test can help you make up your mind. Take it here: HAW Navigator.
Admission requirements
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Higher education entrance qualification
You can apply directly for this course if you hold one of the following qualifications:
- Fachhochschulreife
- Allgemeine Hochschulreife
- Fachgebundene Hochschulreife (subject-specific HE entrance qualification)
- Meister*in (vocational qualification – master tradesperson)
- Fachwirt*in (certified specialist)
Applicants who do not hold a higher education entrance qualification but have completed vocational training (Berufsausbildung) and at least three years of subsequent work experience can apply under Section 38 of the Hamburg Higher Education Act, which sets out special provisions for these applicants (Besonderer Hochschulzugang für Berufstätige).
Find out more atAdmission requirements for a Bachelor's degree.
Pre-course experience
We do not require you to have completed pre-course experience for this course.
International applicants
If you completed your schooling outside Germany and want to study here for a Bachelor’s degree, you need to hold an academic school-leaving qualification which entitles you to admission to higher education; that is, it needs to be comparable to a German Abitur or Fachhochschulreife. The organisation uni assist will check your certificates from school and any degree-level studies to establish comparability. Please note that you are also required to have proof of German at level C1 – for example, in the form of a TestDaF certificate – in order to apply for all Bachelor's degree courses (except Information Engineering and International Business).
You can find more information about HAW Hamburg’s application criteria at International applicants.
Application process
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We only accept online applications. Before applying, applicants must register with www.hochschulstart.de. During the application period (for the winter semester: 1 June–15 July) you can find the online application and detailed information about the application process on the Applying for a Bachelor's degree course page.
You can find information about the selection process and the numerus clausus (NC) from the previous semester here: Applying for a Bachelor's degree course/Selection criteria.
International applicants are also required to apply during the application period.
To make the process easier for you, we have compiled a step-by-step checklist: International applicants
Questions about selecting a course, applications, admissions and degree courses
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Applications and admissions
Student Admissions and Registration Office (Studierendensekretariat)
Stiftstraße 69, 20099 Hamburg (ground floor)
T +49.40.428 75-9898
studierendensekretariat (at) haw-hamburg (dot) de
Contact us with your questions about applications and admissions
The Information Point is open at the following times:
Monday–Thursday: 10:00 am–1:00 pm
Friday: closed
In-person office hours:
Thursday: 2:00 pm–4:00 pm
Telephone office hours:
Monday and Tuesday: 9:00 am–10:00 am
For general queries about HAW Hamburg degree courses and course choice
Student Counselling Team (Zentrale Studienberatung)
Stiftstraße 69, 1st floor, room 122
20099 Hamburg
T +49 40 42875 9110
Contact form
Office hours
Contact person for applicants with disabilities or chronic health conditions
Meike Butenob/Dieter Röh
Stiftstraße 69, Haus 3, room 37
Tel. +49.40.428 75-7220
inklusion (at) haw-hamburg (dot) de
Contact the department
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Specifically subject-related queries:
Prof. Dr. Daniela Ulber
Alexanderstraße 1
20099 Hamburg
Tel.: + 49.40.428 75 7114
daniela.ulber(@)haw-hamburg.de
Prof. Dr. habil. Dagmar Bergs-Winkels
Alexanderstraße 1, room 4.23
20099 Hamburg
Tel.: +49.40.428 75-7065
dagmar.bergs-winkels(@)haw-hamburg.de