Do you want to work with young children? Do you want to make a difference to the lives of children, families and communities? If the answer is yes, a career as an early years professional could be for you. You may also have the opportunity to take the Early Years Initial Teacher Training (EYITT) pathway in Year Two and Year Three of the course and become an Early Years Teacher.This three-year course will equip you with the necessary expertise to become a successful early years professional, focusing on young children aged 0 to 5 years. It also explores the educational continuum up to eight years. You will become a research informed and reflective practitioner, as well as an expert in the policy and practice in the early years and the care and education of young children. You will also study leadership and multi-agency working in the early years phase and undertake a piece of practitioner research. Placement experiences in each year of the course will enable you to link theory and policy to practice.**EYITT (Early Years Initial Teacher Training)**The BA (Hons) Early Years degree course has been designed to meet Early Years Educator criteria. You will also have the opportunity to achieve Early Years Initial Teacher Training Status alongside the degree. This is an optional pathway in Year Two and Year Three of the course for those who want to become an Early Years Teacher and meet the entry criteria. Successful completion of this pathway will equip you as early years teaching professional with the breadth of knowledge, skills and understanding to work with young children up to five years. Those students not taking the pathway will undertake placements to meet the requirements of the Early Years Educator. Students graduating with this degree will be considered as being an Early Years Educator (Level 3) for the purpose of registration and regulation. **Masters credits**A unique key feature of the BA (Hons) Early Years degree is that it has been designed to develop and challenge academic skills for those students who are considering pursuing postgraduate study. There is an opportunity to achieve 40 Masters credits, by opting to submit the final year assignment ‘Leading Early Years Pedagogy and Practice’ at Masters level.