Master of Teaching (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
Entry to this course is governed by the Admission to Coursework Programs Policy. The selection of course entrants is based on academic merit and satisfaction of non-academic capabilities for entry to initial teacher education. In accordance with the mission of ACU, the Faculty of Education and Arts is committed to providing access to education for a diversity of students. ACU provides a range of access and equity schemes which consider additional or alternative factors in assessing applicants, including applicants of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent.
Overview
The Master of Teaching (Primary) is a graduate entry, pre-service teacher education course for those who want to qualify as a primary school teacher. Gain the critical knowledge and skills to become a reflective, independent, and flexible teacher, able to adapt in a complex contemporary classroom environment.
Building upon the knowledge you have already gained from your previous qualification; this course will engage you with the breadth of curriculum and pedagogical knowledge required to teach children from ages five to twelve.
You will graduate classroom-ready with specialist knowledge and understanding of not only literacy and numeracy but of all learning areas of the primary school curriculum. Forming the foundations for your specialist teaching areas, previous study and learning interests will inform your 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
Students must complete a minimum of 60 days professional experience during which time they are required to be available full-time.
Work placement
Professional experience units are planned as a specific sequence allowing for progressive development of both classroom-based proficiency and an understanding of the relevance of theory to practice and practice to theory. The practicum will be supported by other forms of in-school experiences, such as school-based tutorials and workshops.
Certain prerequisite or co-requisite units are required before students are placed in schools.
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 a primary school teacher in government, independent, and 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 listed on the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) accredited programs list.
Careers
Our graduates have pursued careers in:
- primary school education
- academia
- religious education
- education research
- play education specialist
- learning designer
- adult learning
- curriculum development
- education consulting
- government education policy making
Course details
Course structure
To complete the Master of Teaching (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.
1.Graduate Diploma in Educational Studies: 80 cp from the Schedule of Unit Offerings
2.Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies: 40 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.
Requirements for working with children: All students enrolled must have the appropriate approvals before they may enter a classroom.
These are Blue Card (Queensland), Working with Vulnerable People Registration (Australian Capital Territory), or Working with Children Check (New South Wales, Western Australia, and Victoria), Working with Children Clearance (Northern Territory), or Police Record Check (South Australia and Tasmania).
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.
International applicants need to meet the English Language Proficiency requirements as defined in the Admission to Coursework Programs Policy.
Any applicant who completed a Bachelor degree outside Australia should review the Admission to Coursework Programs Policy to determine if they are required to meet additional English Language Proficiency requirements for entry into the course.
Any applicant who completed a Bachelor degree outside Australia intending to seek 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.
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 (Primary) is a postgraduate course with specific requirements of entry related to accreditation and teacher registration requirements. Credit and recognition of prior learning (RPL) are available.
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
Senior Lecturer (Education), School of Education NSW/ACT - Strathfield
Dr Kim Rowston is a senior lecturer in the National School of Education based at ACU’s Strathfield Campus. She joined ACU in 2012 and specialises in technologies education curriculum with a focus on fostering pre-service teachers’ understanding and skills to create meaningful learning through the authentic integration of technology pedagogy. She is also particularly interested in social cognitive theory. Prior to working at ACU, Mrs Rowston initially trained as a technology and applied studies teacher and has 25 years teaching experience in both state and independent schools. During this time, she has held various leadership roles and played a significant part in the design and implementation of integrated STEM cross-curriculum programs. In 1996, Mrs Rowston completed her Master of Education (Computers in Education), and in 2020 she will complete her PhD focusing on technology integration beliefs and practice of career-change pre-service teachers. Mrs Rowston has published many academic papers; her most recent journal article being Reciprocal causation and the effect of environmental determinants upon the technology beliefs and practice of career-change pre-service teachers (2020). She is also a professional member of the Australian Technologies Teacher Educators Network, as well as the Australian Association of Research in Education (AARE).
Dr Jason Wong
Senior Lecturer (Education), School of Education VIC - Melbourne
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.