Master of Teaching (Early Childhood and Primary)
Course information for - 2025 entry
Domestic
- Domestic
- International
- Domestic
- International
Offered at 2 locations
- Melbourne
- Strathfield
- Melbourne
- Strathfield
- Duration
- 2 years full-time or equivalent part-time
- Fees (first year)*
- Start dates
-
Semester 1 intake: Beginning February 2025Applications open August 2024Midyear (Semester 2) intake: Beginning July 2025Applications open April 2025
Overview
The Master of Teaching (Early Childhood and Primary) is a graduate entry, pre-service teacher education course for those who want to qualify as both an early childhood and primary school teacher. This course cultivates graduates who are passionate about, and committed to, the generation and dissemination of knowledge, skills and attitudes that facilitate high-quality learning in childhood from birth to twelve years.
This course will enable you to engage with the breadth of curriculum and pedagogical knowledge required by a primary classroom teacher. You will graduate with specialist knowledge and understanding of not only literacy and numeracy but of all learning areas of the primary school curriculum. Building on your undergraduate studies, you will develop a teaching specialisation in an area of the primary curriculum from these options:
- English and Literacy
- Mathematics and Numeracy
- Science
- Humanities and Social Sciences
- The Arts
- Technologies
- Health and Physical Education
Achieve your goals with a scholarship.
A generous Commonwealth Teaching Scholarship is available to support new undergraduate and postgraduate students enrolling in an initial teacher education (ITE) program to help meet the costs of their study. Learn more about eligibility and how to apply here.
Professional experience
You must complete 70 days professional experience during which you will be required to be available full time.
Work placement
Pre-service educators must complete a Professional Experience Program in a relevant prior-to-school and formal primary school settings in line with the requirements of national teacher accreditation authorities.
Supervised professional experience is at the heart of all our pre-service teacher education courses and the Faculty will find appropriate placements to suit the needs of your course. Placements will usually be arranged for the scheduled placement period in the professional experience calendar though this may not always be possible.
Professional recognition
Graduates are eligible for registration as an early childhood or primary school teacher in government, independent, Catholic schools or other faith-based schools.
If you wish to teach in a Catholic primary school you will be required to have a Graduate Certificate in Religious Education qualification or equivalent (this may vary by diocese). You can study this concurrently with your master's degree at ACU.
Accreditation
This program has been accredited by the Victorian Institute of Teaching and listed on the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) and Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) accredited programs list.
Careers
Our graduates have pursued careers in:
- early childhood education
- primary school education
- religious education
- education research
- play education specialist
- curriculum development
- education consulting
- policy making
Course details
Course structure
To complete the Master of Teaching (Early Childhood and Primary), a student must complete 160 credit points (cp).
Course map
Graduate statement
AQF framework
Exit Points
A student who has successfully completed the following requirements may exit from the course with that qualification. Note that none of these qualifications qualify a student to teach in Australia.
- Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies: 40 cp from the Schedule of Unit Offerings
- Graduate Diploma in Educational Studies: 80 cp from the Schedule of Unit Offerings
A student who does not meet the LANTITE requirements may exit with the Graduate Diploma in Educational Studies or Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies if they meet the requirements of those awards.
Additional course information
Non-academic assessment - suitability for teaching
Applicants who apply for entry into this initial teacher education course will be required to complete a non-academic assessment. The assessment is to demonstrate suitability for teaching and will be part of your application when applying for admission into this course. Please visit our Suitability for teaching page for more information.
Literacy and Numeracy Test in Initial Teacher Education (LANTITE)
Students will be required to demonstrate they have achieved approved benchmarks in literacy and numeracy as demonstrated through the Literacy and Numeracy Test in Initial Teacher Education (LANTITE). Successful completion of LANTITE is a requirement for course completion.
If you have started your ITE course at another institution and wish to transfer to ACU to complete your studies, please be sure that you have read and understand the requirements for receiving credit for previous studies and those on completing LANTITE.
All students enrolled must have the appropriate approvals before they may enter a classroom.
These are: Blue Card (Qld), Working with Vulnerable People (ACT) or Working with Children Check (NSW and Vic).
International students must provide a police check from their home country. All students who have lived in another country for twelve months or more must provide a police check from that country for that period.
Entry requirements
An applicant must also comply with the Admission to Coursework Programs Policy.
To be eligible for admission to the course, an applicant must:
a.have successfully completed a Bachelor degree or equivalent qualification, with:
- subject content studies equivalent to one year of full-time study in one or more learning areas of the primary school curriculum; including
- subject content studies equivalent to one quarter of a year in a selected subject specialisation.
b. demonstrate suitability for teaching as evidenced by completion of the relevant State assessment which will be provided in the application process.
Applicants who completed Bachelor degrees outside Australia should review Admission to Coursework Programs Policy to determine if they are required to meet additional English Language Proficiency requirements for entry into the course.
International applicants need to meet the English Language Proficiency requirements as defined in the Admission to Coursework Programs Policy.
Applicants seeking teacher registration in Australia should check with state registration bodies to confirm English Language Proficiency requirements for teacher registration.
| State | Prerequisites |
|---|---|
NSW | Applicants intending to study this course in NSW must also: 1. possess at least a Band 4 result in a prior HSC mathematics course, or 2. have undertaken at least 0.125 EFTSL (1 unit) of mathematics/numeracy in the prior bachelor degree or equivalent qualification, or 3. pass a bridging unit (in addition to the program’s units) that is benchmarked to a NSW Education Standards Authority HSC Band 4 in Mathematics as an ITE Entry Requirement for Primary Teaching and addresses the discipline-specific knowledge requirements for primary mathematics/numeracy as described by NSW Subject Content Knowledge Requirements. |
Disclaimer: The course entry requirements above are for 2025 Admission.
Applicants with higher education study
You will need to meet the minimum entry requirements and subject prerequisites for your chosen course.
If you have completed at least two units of AQF-recognised study at bachelor level or above, we’ll assign you with a new selection rank that reflects your study level, duration, and grade point average.
If your prior study or relevant work experience has provided you with knowledge, skills or experience aligned with the learning outcomes of units in your new course, you may be eligible to gain credit for study or have your prior learning recognised. This means you may be able to complete your ACU course in a shorter timeframe.
You can use our credit search tool to see what you might be eligible for. For more information about credit and recognition of prior learning at ACU, follow the link below.
English language requirements
International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
- No score less than 7 in reading and writing. No score less than 8 in listening and speaking.
Pearson Test of English (PTE)
- A minimum of 65 in reading and writing and a minimum of 79 in listening and speaking
Test of English as a Foreign Language – Academic (TOEFL)
- No score less than 24 in reading, 27 in writing, 28 in listening and 26 in speaking
ACU English Language Test
- A++ (85 or above)
C1 Advanced
- A minimum of 185 in reading and writing and 200 in listening and speaking.
Inherent requirement
There are essential components of a course or unit that demonstrate the capabilities, knowledge and skills to achieve the core learning outcomes of that course or unit. You will need to be able to meet these inherent requirements to complete your course.
Learn more about inherent requirements for your course and how they affect you
Pathways
Pathways into course for applicants with previous study and/or life experience
The Master of Teaching (Early Childhood and Primary) has specific requirements of entry which are related to accreditation and teacher registration requirements. Credit and recognition of prior learning (RPL) are available. The completion of this course provides a pathway for further study in higher degree Masters programs at the postgraduate level.
Further study
Graduates may progress to masters by coursework.
Fees
Course costs
*This is an indicative first-year fee based on the tuition fee rates for a full-time student, using unit enrolment data from domestic students who studied the course in the previous year.
A student’s annual fee will vary depending on factors including:
- Number of units studied per year
- Choice of major or specialisation
- Elective units
The University reviews fees annually.
You can view current course costs and domestic tuition fee rates by unit.
Payment options
You should be able to concentrate on getting good marks instead of worrying about how you’ll pay your fees. We have a number of options that can help you ease the financial burden, including government assistance, scholarships and income support. Students enrolled in this course may be eligible to receive Youth Allowance (student), or Austudy and/or the Pensioner Education Supplement
Scholarships
You could be eligible for one of the hundreds of scholarships we award each year to help students from across the university with the cost of studying, accommodation or overseas study opportunities. Some of our scholarships are awarded on the basis of merit, but these aren’t just for the academically gifted; ACU also recognises excellence in community engagement and leadership. We also offer a range of scholarships for those who may be struggling financially or who have faced other barriers to accessing education.
How to apply
Domestic applicants
Deferment
No deferment available.
Staff Profile
Dr Kim Rowston
Campus Course Co-ordinator (Strathfield and Blacktown), School of Education
Dr Kim Rowston is a lecturer in the School of Education at Australian Catholic University (ACU), Strathfield Campus. Before joining ACU, Dr Rowston was a secondary teacher in the Technology and Applied Studies key learning area for twenty years, where she played a significant role in the design and implementation of integrated STEM cross-curriculum programs. Dr Rowston specialises in Design and Digital Technologies undergraduate and postgraduate curricula, as well as supervising postgraduate research students. Dr Rowston’s doctorial research applied a social cognitive lens to investigate the factors influencing pre-service teachers’ technology integration practice. She is particularly interested in understanding pre-service teacher efficacy as they transition into the profession, early career teacher well-being, including the role of school cultures during this process.
Dr Jason Wong
Campus Course Co-ordinator (Melbourne), School of Education
Dr Jason Wong is Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education and National Coordinator for Accreditation of Initial Teacher Education courses at the National School of Education at Australian Catholic University (ACU). Prior to academia, he was a PE specialist and taught in primary and secondary schools in Singapore and Australia. Dr Wong’s research revolves around behaviour change and physical activity and health. He is currently researching how implementing active teaching pedagogies through pre-service teachers can impact on students’ learning in schools.