Student Recruitment Office

If a student wants to become primary teaching alternatively to not having the required points they should undertake a level 8 degree in an area of interest or choose subjects that they have an interest in and use this degree to apply for the PME along with holding the Irish, English & Maths requirements from the leaving certificate.

Many students who want to teach but are undecided as to primary or secondary teaching undertake the BA (DC009) so that during the 3 years of study they can decide with route of Post Graduate study to take afterwards.

To qualify as a Gaeltacht applicant, the person must be resident in an officially-designated Gaeltacht area and it must be confirmed that the normal language of the home is Irish. 

Garda vetting is required for all students who have unsupervised access to children and vulnerable adults as part of their studies at DCU.  Applicants must successfully pass the Garda vetting process in order to complete the registration process. 

No, you must be resident in an officially designated Gaeltacht area. 

No, students can only transfer in the BEd if they have started a BEd in another college. 

The academic year starts with Semester l from September – December. Semester 2 starts from January – May. With roughly 25 hours per week contact time. BEd students attend the Gaeltacht over the Easter period in year 1 and year 3.

First year BEd students undertake 1 day a week school placement in Semester 2 plus a full week in June.

Second year BEd students undertake 4 weeks of a school placement

Third year BEd students undertake 10 weeks of a school placement  

Fourth year BEd students undertake 10 weeks of a school placement    

Students with FETAC Level 5 qualifications in 5M2009 or DCHSC Childcare may be admitted on a competitive basis to first year of the programme. A full FETAC Level 5 major award certificate must be achieved with distinctions in five modules, 4 of which must be in the modules below:
5N1765 or D20159 Child health and wellbeing / 5N1764 or D20005 Child Development / 5N1773 or D20007 Early Childhood Education/ 5N1770 D20153 Working in childcare/ 5N1356 Work experience/ 5N0690 Communications

As a graduate of the BECE, you will be able to pursue a variety of careers in a range of contexts. For example, you might decide to become an educator or manager in a preschool, Naíonra or crèche. You may decide to set up your own business, to become an early years inspector or a training coordinator. Opportunities are also available with national voluntary organisations, city and county childcare committees, statutory bodies and development agencies. 

There are approximately 1,000 hours of placement during the 4 year course where you will be working with age groups from 0 – 6 years of age in a wide range of early childhood settings.

The course involves knowledge and skills of how best to care for children and to support development and learning from birth to 6 years of age.

Babies - birth to 18 months, Toddles – 1 to 3 years and Young children – 3 to 6 years of age.

The academic year starts with Semester l from September – December.  Semester 2 starts from January – May with week one of semester 2 spent on placement followed by 2 days per week thereafter until May.

There are 65 places available each year on this course.