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Bachelor of Education (Honours) in Early Childhood Education
幼兒教育學教育學士(榮譽)學位課程

Bachelor of Education (Honours) in Early Childhood Education
4 years full-time
programme time icon
Commencement : 1 September 2025
Application Deadline : 7 August 2025

Programme Features

The four-year full-time Bachelor of Education (Honours) in Early Childhood Education programme aims to develop the professional knowledge and skills of secondary leavers who are interested to develop their careers in early childhood education and childcare services.

 

To align with the government’s initiative in upgrading the academic qualifications of early childhood educare practitioners, graduates of the Programmes will be trained to become self-reliant early childhood professionals equipped with in-depth knowledge, lifelong learning skills, and commitment to their profession, with the ability to facilitate learning in a constantly changing world and to promote high quality and innovative education and care for young children in the local early childhood education settings.

Students who have successfully completed the four-year Programme and fulfilled all graduation requirements will be awarded the Bachelor of Education (Honours) in Early Childhood Education by the Hong Kong Baptist University.

Graduates of the Programme are recognised by the Education Bureau (EDB) for the Certificate in Early Childhood Education [C(ECE)] qualification, and as meeting one of the requirements for registration as kindergarten principals. In addition, they are recognised by the Social Welfare Department (SWD) for registration as Child Care Workers (CCW) and Child Care Supervisors (CCS). Graduates who have successfully completed the stipulated specialised courses will be recognised by the Social Welfare Department as having covered the training areas of the One Year In-service Course in Special Child Care Work (SCCW) for special child care workers.

The School of Continuing Education (SCE) has a vision for the development of professional training courses for local practitioners in basic education. The Early Childhood and Elementary Education Division (ECEED) is the academic arm of the School to foster the continuing professional development of quality teacher education programmes. The School is the first higher education institute to offer early childhood education programme at the degree level and was commissioned by the government to offer the Bachelor of Education (Honours) Programme to practicing primary teachers in 1994. In view of the expanding need for quality training services in early childhood education, the ECEED made a firm commitment to uplift the professionalism of early childhood educare practitioners.

 

The ECEED offers a range of academic programmes on a full-time or part-time basis to provide pre-service and in-service training in basic education studies with qualifications awarded from certificate to postgraduate levels. All programmes are offered with a core emphasis on the advancement of academic qualifications as well as teaching skills for local early childhood and elementary education practitioners. With the continuous development of basic education programmes and the increasing number of government-commissioned courses operated in recent years, the ECEED has further affirmed its leading role and expertise in the provision and enhancement of early childhood and elementary education training in the community.

The programme is structured according to the Hong Kong Baptist University overall structure of the four-year curriculum. It consists of 128 units.

 

Courses Units
Major Required Courses  
Professional Studies 18 units
Curriculum Studies 21 units
Practicum 14 units
Honours Project 5 units
Electives Courses 33 units
Specialised Courses 6 units
University Core 13 units
General Education Programme 18 units
  Total : 128 units

 

Remarks: The School reserves the right to make changes as required.

Major Required Courses (58 units)
(Students are required to take all the following courses.)

 

Professional Studies Courses
HECE1010 Child Development: An Overview
HECE1020 Health, Nutrition & Safety for Young Children
HECE2030 Observation & Assessment of Young Children
HECE3015 Administration & Management for Early Childhood Services
HECE3025 Parent Education
BECE4010 Research Methods
Curriculum Studies Courses
HECE2110 Mathematics for Young Children
HECE2120 Music & Physical Fitness for Young Children
HECE2130 Creative Drama & Visual Arts for Young Children
HECE2140 Language & Literacy Development in Early Childhood
HECE2150 Learning & Teaching in Early Childhood Education : Play
HECE2160 Science & Technology for Young Children
HECE3110 Curriculum Development in Early Childhood Education: Design, Evaluation & Innovation
Practicum Courses
HECE1511 Field Practice I
HECE2511 Field Practice II
BECE3511 Field Practice III
BECE4511 Field Practice IV
Honours Project
BECE4451 Honours Project

 

Elective Courses (33 units)
(Students are required to take 11 courses from the following courses.)

 

EECE2820 Developing Leadership and Management Skills
EECE2880 Understanding Civic and National Education
EECE2890 Appreciation of Music
BECE3510 Appreciation & Writing of Children's Literature
EECE3520 Child Development: Self & Society
BECE3530 Early Childhood Education Practices: A Sociological Perspective
BECE3540 Introduction to Art Therapy
BECE3550 Introduction to Play Therapy
BECE3560 Issues in Early Childhood Education
BECE3570 Learning & Teaching in Early Childhood Education: Learning & Motivation
EECE3590 Young Children's Literature & Literacy Development
EECE3600 Elementary Putonghua
EECE4510 Advanced Putonghua for Early Childhood Educators
EECE4525 Early Intervention for Children with Diverse Needs I
EECE4530 English Linguistics for Early Childhood Educators
EECE4540 Expressive Arts: Music & Movement
EECE4550 Introduction to Counselling Theory & Skills

 

Specialised Courses (6 units)
(Students are required to take two courses of ONE of the following streams.)

 

Stream A - Early English Learning
BECE4310 Early English Learning I
BECE4320 Early English Learning II
Stream B - Early Intervention for Children with Diverse Needs
BECE4330 Early Intervention for Children with Diverse Needs II
BECE4340 Early Intervention for Children with Diverse Needs III
Stream C - Expressive Arts
BECE4350 Expressive Arts: Creative Drama
BECE4360 Expressive Arts: Visual Arts
Stream D - Counselling and Guidance
BECE4370 Management & Intervention of Young Children's Behavioural Difficulties
BECE4380 Counselling & Guidance in Early Childhood Education
Stream E - Putonghua Teaching
BECE4390 Pedagogy of Putonghua Teaching in Early Childhood Education I
BECE4400 Pedagogy of Putonghua Teaching in Early Childhood Education II

 

University Core (13 units)
(Students are required to take all the following courses.)

 

HECE1610 Chinese for University Studies
HECE1630 English for University Studies I
HECE2630 English for University Studies II
EECE2710 Planning & Practising a Healthy Life
EECE2720 Speaking to Influence & Inspire

 

General Education Programme (18 units)

Level 1 Foundational Courses

(Students are required to take all the following courses.)

 

EECE1750 Chinese Culture & its Relations to Contemporary World
EECE1760 Ethics and Professional Development
EECE1770 Quantitative Analysis in Daily Life

 

Level 2 Interdisciplinary Thematic Courses

(Students are required to take two courses from the following courses.)

 

EECE2730 Environment, Human Health & Wellbeing
EECE2740 Ecological Environment & Conservation
EECE2750 Visual Arts in Context

 

Level 3 GE Capstone

(Students are required to take the following course.)

 

GCAP3710 Service-learning through Play for Underprivileged Children

 

 

Remarks: The School reserves the right to make changes as required.

 

Face-to-face mode will mainly be adopted to cater for the needs of the students and to encourage interaction between lecturers and students. The process of re-thinking teaching beliefs and behaviour will further be facilitated through peer interaction as well as stimuli afforded by the classroom environment, including pedagogical materials and teaching strategies such as scaffolding and guided questions that provoke critical thinking and intellectual discussions in various kindergarten classroom contexts.

 

In addition, practical sessions will be provided for students to apply the theoretical concepts acquired.

The medium of instruction for formal classroom teaching is English, except for those courses that are granted exemption.

 

All practicum courses will be conducted in Cantonese in order to prepare students to work in local early childhood education settings.

  • Libraries
  • Recreation facilities
  • Online course management system (Moodle)
  • Medical and dental services
  • Counselling support
Application Fee: HK$450 for local applicants and non-local applicants
Tuition Fee:

HK$31,775* per semester (total eight semesters)

* Subject to revision

Scholarships to recognise students' outstanding achievements are bestowed on the selected recipients on the basis of academic merits or other criteria as set out by the School or donors.

 

Students can apply for Financial Assistance Scheme for Post-secondary Students (FASP) and Non-means-tested Loan Scheme for Post-secondary Students (NLSPS) from the Student Finance Office (SFO) of the Working Family and Student Financial Assistance Agency.

  1. Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE):
    (i) Level 3 in both Chinese Language and English Language; 
    (ii) Level 2 in Mathematics Compulsory Part; 
    (iii) “Attained” in Citizenship and Social Development; and

    (iv) Level 3 in two elective subjects*

    * One of the elective subjects must be a Category A subject excluding Extended Part of Mathematics (Module 1 or Module 2). Extended Part of Mathematics (Module 1 or Module 2) and Category C subjects at Grade C or above can be recognised for fulfilment of the second elective requirement. Category B subjects with “Attained with Distinction (I)” or above can be recognised for fulfilment of the second elective requirement (excluding the subjects under the study area of “Applied Learning Chinese” which are recognised as an alternative Chinese Language qualification for non-Chinese speaking students).

    OR

  2. Other equivalent qualifications to be assessed by the School#
    # Applicants with a recognised Higher Diploma in Early Childhood Education may apply for admission to Year 3 of the Programme.

Method 1:

2025 HKDSE candidates can apply for admission through E-APP

 

Method 2:

Online application 

 

Method 3

In-person application with on-site interviews will be arranged in July 2025.

 

Applicants will be required to submit/upload the following documents:

  • Result Notice/Certificate of HKDSE (if applicable);
  • School reports (Senior Secondary 1 to 3 (F.4 to F.6))
  • Other academic certificates, e.g. transcript and graduation diploma of your highest academic qualification, etc. (if any)

Remarks: Applicants should present originals of the above documents for verification during the admission interview/registration.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend an interview between March and July 2025.

 

Application Deadline 7 August 2025 (Thu)
Student Orientation Late August 2025
Course Commencement 1 September 2025 (Mon)
Date To be confirmed
Time To be confirmed
Venue To be confirmed

 

Remarks:
If Typhoon Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8 or above is hoisted or Black Rainstorm Signal is in force at or after 11:00 am on the day of information seminar, the scheduled seminar will be cancelled.
The School reserves the right to make changes as required.

  1. How long will I need to complete the programme?
    It will take 4 years to complete the Bachelor of Education (Honours) in Early Childhood Education programme.
  2. What is the study mode?
    Full-time face-to-face mode is adopted for the programme. Students will also have attachment and block placement in local kindergartens to acquire necessary pedagogical skills as a competent teacher. Classes are normally held from Monday to Saturday between 8:30 am and 6:30 pm.
  3. When will classes start?
    Classes start in early September.
  4. How can I apply for the programme?
    Students can apply through E-APP. We also accept online application. 
  5. Will the University acknowledge receipt of my application?
    • For online application through E-APP, applicants will receive an e-mail acknowledgement from E-APP and the School;
    • For online application at the School's programme webpages, applicants will receive an e-mail acknowledgement from the School.
  6. How can I send application fee to the University if I apply through E-APP?

    E-APP applicants will receive an email inviting them to pay the application fee by means of online payment.

  7. Can the subject 'English Language' be replaced by other examinations such as GCE, GCSE, IGCSE and TOEFL?
    Yes. The following public examination results are recognized by the University as equivalent to Level 3 of HKDSE English:

    • Minimum score of 60 (Paper-delivered Test) or 79 (Internet-based Test/iBT Home Edition/iBT Paper Edition) in TOEFL (TOEFL MyBestTM Score is not accepted); or
    • Minimum score of 6.0 in International English Language Testing System (IELTS), Academic Level; or
    • Grade C/ Grade 4 or above in GCE O-Level/GCSE English/ English Language or English Literature;  or
    • Grade C/ Grade 4 or above in IGCSE First Language English; or
    • Grade B/ Grade 5 or above in IGCSE English as a Second Language; or
    • Grade E or above in GCE AS Level or AL Level English; or
    • Grade C or above in Cambridge English C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency; or
    • Grade E or above in HKALE Use of English (AS Use of English).
  8. Am I eligible to apply for admission to HKBU if I do not have HKDSE Chinese Language qualification?
    • For Non-Chinese Speaking (NCS) students fulfilling one of the specified conditions in Note 1, HKBU will accept the following alternative Chinese language qualifications as equivalent to Level 3 of HKDSE Chinese Language:
      1. Grade E or above in GCE A/AS Level Chinese; or
      2. Grade C/ Grade 4 or above in GCSE/IGCSE/GCE O-Level Chinese/ Chinese Language; or
      3. "Attained" in Applied Learning Chinese (ApL(C)).
    • HKDSE Category C subjects (Other Languages) normally cannot be used for meeting the entrance requirement on Chinese Language. 

      Note 1:
      The specified conditions are:

      1. The student has learned Chinese Language for less than six years while receiving primary and secondary education. This caters specifically to students who have a late start in the learning of Chinese Language (e.g. due to their settlement in Hong Kong well past the entry level) or who have been educated in Hong Kong sporadically; or
      2. The student has learned Chinese Language for six years or more in schools, but has been taught an adapted and simpler Chinese Language curriculum not normally applicable to the majority of students in our local schools.
  9. Do I need to attend any interviews?
    Yes. Interviews will be arranged between March and July.
  10. How will I be notified if I am selected for interview?
    Applicants will be invited to attend an interview through e-mail/phone.
  11. When will the University make the admission offer?
    Admission offers are normally made in July.
  12. Once I start studying in the programme, can I quit and switch to study in Bachelor of Education (Honours) in Early Childhood Education (Part-time)?
    Since the two programmes have different entrance requirements, switching from the full-time to the part-time programme may not be successful in normal cases.


The above information is for reference only. The School reserves the right to make alterations or to cancel any class/programme without prior notice.


Programmes offered by the School of Continuing Education (leading to HKBU awards or SCE awards, or collaborative programmes) are conducted at various teaching venues, including Kowloon Tong and Shek Mun (Shatin) Campuses and Learning Centres in Tsimshatsui, Kowloon East, and Wan Chai. These venues are well-equipped to support students’ studies. While most of the classes are held at either the Kowloon Tong Campus or the Shek Mun Campus, depending on the School’s development, students may be assigned to take classes at other venues during their study period.