Further Information
1. The subject of the Department: The curriculum of the Department covers the cognitive subject of knowledge and methods regarding the education and care of pre-schoolers (0-6 years old). 2. The mission of the Department: The mission of the Department is to promote the development and dissemination of knowledge on the sciences of educating pre-schoolers with the teaching and applied research, while providing students with the necessary assets that will secure their proper training for their scientific and professional career and growth.
Within its mission, the Department:
A. Keeps track of the international developments in the scientific and educational sector.
B. Develops international collaborations with domestic and foreign higher education institutions.
C. Collaborates with Day-care centres and other bodies related to the subject of the Department.
D. Uses modern technologies in education.
E. Conducts research.
F. Facilitates students in the development of competences and skills that will render them competitive at a national and international environment.
G. Prepares to be open to change, as per the changing educational, financial, and social conditions at a regional, national, and international environment.
H. Prepares to ensure and improve quality for the Department.
3. Structure of studies: The duration of studies in the department of Early Childhood Education is eight (8) semesters. During the seven (7) first semesters, the studies include theoretical teaching, practical exercises, visits to areas where the knowledge and methods are applied with regard to the education of infants and pre-schoolers, up to 6 years of age, and the preparation of coursework (literature-based and of applied theory), related to the subject of studies.
The practical exercises, as the application of theory, are included in the theoretical part of the course and require, by their own nature, the active participation of students during the entire semester.
Special attention is paid to the development of the personal competences of the student, including the development of initiatives, critical thinking, research, and of the competence for resolving problems.
The curriculum is structured based on the workload of the student, while ECTS units are introduced in every semester.
The basic subjects of the Department include the following:
- Courses of general background from the sciences of Pedagogy, Psychology, and Medicine, such as Introduction to Pedagogical Sciences, Basic Principles of Psychology, Paediatrics II, Research Methodology for Educational Sciences, etc.
- Courses of special background, which include basic knowledge relevant to the subject of their specialty, and include various courses, such as: Musical-kinetic education, Developmental Psychology, Developmental Psychopathology, Paediatrics II, Role Playing, Preschool Education, and Computers.
- Specialty courses that offer the necessary knowledge for the practical application of the profession, which include various courses, such as: Infant Education, Child and Game, Principles for the Organisation of the Pedagogic Operation, Daily Education and Care, Modern Trends in Early Education.
- Courses on administration, management and law, and on humanitarian studies that are necessary for the organization and management of work areas related to the specialty; these include various courses, such as: Organisation and Management of Day-Care Centres, Elements of Ecology - Environmental Education, and Intercultural Education.
The eight semester of studies includes the practical training on the profession and the preparation of a dissertation which ensures the delving, by the final-year student of the Department, into a serious, current subject of applied research or on a subject that is directly related to the specialty of the studies.
The Practical Training in the profession lasts for six (6) calendar months. It is guided and evaluated, and it is conducted in Day-Care Centres collaborating with the Department.
Relation To Employment
The degree of Preschool Education is necessary to exercise the Profession of Preschool Educator in nurseries. The graduates, based on their specialized scientific and pedagogical knowledge, work either independently or in collaboration with other scientists:
a) for the design, organization and operation of nurseries and day-care centres,
b) for the education and care of preschool children from two months up to their registration in elementary school,
c) for teaching and implementing of Early Childhood Care..
These graduates have employment rights, either as managers in centres for Infants and Toddlers, as well as in kindergartens and nurseries in the private and public sector, apart from the educational centres that fall into the competence of the Ministry of Education (pre-elementary schools), or as self-employed with the following subjects and activities:
a) Education and care for the preschool children from two months up to their registration in elementary school.
b) Establishment and operation of day-care centres or kindergartens.
c) Exercise any other professional activity that falls within the subject of their specialization, from the development of Pedagogical science in general and the field of Early Childhood in particular, according to the provisions of the current legislation.
Transitions
Access to this type of qualification have those who have completed at least the secondary education (level 4).
Holders of such qualifications gain access to study programmes at the same level or at level 7 or 8.
Ways To Aquire
Qualifications of this type are acquired via formal education.