TU Dublin (formerly DIT) is the longest established provider of Early Childhood Education in Ireland. Our first programme commenced in 1977, when we offered a one year certificate programme to pre-school workers in the Eastern Health Board. The certificate programme was extended to two years in 1985 followed by the introduction of a two year part-time Diploma programme in 1993. The BA in ECCE was introduced in September 1999. In September 2005, First Year intake on a new 3- year BA (Hons.) took place.

Early Childhood Education (ECE) generally refers to education before the start of primary school attendance (0-6 years in Ireland). Services include pre-schools, Naíonraí, specific intervention centres such as community support preschools, Barnardo's childcare services, Focus Ireland support services, crèches, child-minding and after-school groups.

The early years are well recognised by legislators, policymakers, educationalists and researchers as a critical period in children’s learning and development.

The ECE professional needs to understand many facets of the child’s learning and development and the role of early education and care in promoting the best outcomes for children.

There is a work placement of 100 hours in Year 1, 300 hours in Year 2 and Year 3; and 100 hours in Year 4.

Modules include Psychology and Child Development, Principles of Pedagogy, Aistear and Early Years Curricula, Professional Practice in Early Childhood Education, Child Health & Nutrition, Introduction to Art in Early Education, Drama in Education, Supervised Practice Placement: Developing as an Early Childhood Educator, Understanding Social Policy, Skills Development, Child Development in Context, Language, Literacy and Numeracy, Cultural and Linguistic diversity, Outdoor Learning, Inclusion in Early Years practice, Inclusion in Early Years practice 2, Drama, Music and Movements, Art in Early Education 2, Supervised Practice Placement: The skilled Early Years Educator, Supervised Practice Placement: The competent Early Years Educator, Sociological Foundations, Research Methods, Option: Study Abroad option for students going on Erasmus exchange programme in Semester 2, Mental Health during the Early Years, Perspectives on Early Childhood Education: Issues in Policy, Practice & Research, Working with Families and Communities, Child Safeguarding, Leadership and Mentoring Skills, Supervised Practice Placement: The Reflective Educator, Pedagogical and Practice documentation, Sociology of Education and Inequality, Law, Research Methods: Documenting Young Children’s Meanings, Therapeutic Skills with Young Children and Families, Early Years and School-Age childcare – Pedagogy and Curriculum, Digital Childhoods, Children’s Rights and Advocacy in the Early Years sector, Business & Management Skills, Creativity in Early Childhood Education, Supervised Practice Placement 4, Research Methods, Dissertation.

Study Abroad Opportunities

You can apply to take part in an Erasmus exchange in the Year 2.

On graduation, you may proceed to postgraduate studies leading to the award of MSc, MPhil or PhD at research institutes and universities worldwide.

Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin) is Ireland’s first Technological University, offering a unique range of programmes and disciplines, with pathways to graduation from foundation and apprenticeship to undergraduate and doctoral levels. TU Dublin is the University where the arts, business, sciences, engineering and technology converge, and its 28,500 students and researchers come from all over Ireland and from all parts of the globe. TU Dublin has well-developed campuses in Dublin City and in the two largest areas of population growth in the Greater Dublin Region – Blanchardstown and Tallaght. Now, a new campus is being developed on a spectacular 73-acre site at Grangegorman in central Dublin. This is the largest higher education development project in Europe. The campus will provide an exceptional learning environment that supports research, innovation, and the advancement of knowledge and will welcome more than 10,000 students in September 2020. A further 5,000 students will relocate to the campus by 2022.

With an international outlook, TU Dublin welcome students and staff from around the world while TU’s strong international partnerships provide opportunities for student and staff exchange programmes, major cross-collaboration research projects, and employment opportunities. TU Dublin is immensely proud of its network of 100,000+ TU Dublin graduates who are making their careers here in Ireland and in 70 countries worldwide.

new campus at Grangegorman, which is the largest investment in Higher Education in Ireland, brings together many of our activities in one vibrant, cutting-edge campus, providing our students with an incomparable educational experience. Together with our campuses in Aungier Street, Bolton Street, Blanchardstown, and Tallaght, Grangegorman provides a welcoming working environment where our students and staff can explore their abilities and reach their full potential.

The current development phase at Grangegorman saw the East Quad open in late 2020 - you can see a video of the building here while the Central Quad began welcoming small numbers of students, public health guidelines permitting, from April 2021. The buildings are now fully operational and accommodate 10,000 students. Further to this, three existing buildings have been significantly upgraded and refurbished to offer a range of facilities and services to both students and staff - Lower House, Rathdown House, and Park House.