Program Overview

Master of Education (Early Childhood)

Overview

The Master of Education (Early Childhood) is a one-year postgraduate degree designed for career-focused educators with practical experience and an interest in early childhood education. The program expands career choices and allows students to cultivate in-depth knowledge of teaching children from 0 – 8 in the early years.

Program Summary

• One Theology or Ethics course
• Two specialisation elective (to be chosen from Religious Education, Leadership and Management, Early Childhood Education, Special Learning Needs, Curriculum)
• Applied Research Methods in Education
• Four specialisation courses in Early Childhood

Specialisation Courses

• Understanding Holistic Development in Context
• Early Childhood Curriculum Development
• Trends in Early Childhood Development and Teaching
• Integration in Early Years Settings

Entry Requirements

• A Bachelor or postgraduate degree in teaching/education or a cognate discipline
• At least two years of full-time professional experience in either primary or early childhood teaching

English Language Test Scores

Education students who have English as an additional language and are admitted on the basis of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) assessment, or an equivalent English language proficiency assessment, are only admitted if they have attained an overall IELTS (or equivalent) score of 8.0 (with no score below 7 in any of the four skills areas and a score of no less than 8 in speaking and listening).

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the Master of Education (Early Childhood) graduates will be able to:

1. Critically apply and reflect on advanced knowledge and understandings of specialised educational theory and practices within the domain of early childhood education and care
2. Demonstrate highly developed cognitive, technical and creative skills with initiative, a high level of personal autonomy and accountability to generate understanding of complex issues in early childhood education and care
3. Evaluate and apply knowledge of research principles and methods to early childhood education contexts
4. Demonstrate highly developed communication and technical skills to implement, justify and interpret critical issues in early childhood education and care
5. Plan, execute and reflect critically on a substantial research-based project and/or piece of scholarship on critical issues in early childhood education and care

Practical Component

Integration in Early Years’ Settings Practicum Experience is embedded within the coursework (two weeks with babies and toddlers aged 0 - 2 years within a childcare context and 10 weeks with children aged 3-5 years within a school or childcare context).

Career Opportunities

With a Master of Education (Early Childhood), career options include working in Australia as a primary school/early childhood teacher in Catholic, independent and government schools, or in community and government organisations as a carer, including long day care, family day care, pre-schools, and after-hours care. Other career opportunities within the education system include lead teacher, faculty or year group coordinator, principal and assistant principal. With an early childhood specialisation, you could work as a childcare leader in long day care, family day care, pre-schools, and after-hours care.

Real-World Experience

You will learn from academics who are industry leaders and, through our practicum placements and internship programs, you will gain real professional experience and make valuable contacts with potential employers.

Professional Accreditation

External accreditation requirements apply for students requiring an initial early childhood qualification accredited by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA). To obtain the Accreditation students must complete all of the professional experience requirements within the Award.

Scholarships

Scholarships provide financial support to students while they are completing their studies. There are various scholarships available to prospective and current students, across all study levels and campuses.

Fees and Costs

This Program has the following loan scheme(s) available for eligible students:

• Domestic Fee-Paying: A domestic fee-paying place is a place at university where the student is responsible for the full cost the program.

Eligible domestic fee-paying students may apply for the FEE-HELP loan scheme which assists eligible fee-paying students with the payment of all, or part, of their tuition fees, not including additional study costs such as accommodation or textbooks. Your FEE-HELP debt will be indexed each year in line with the Consumer Price Index.

For indicative fees and information on how to pay, including Government loan schemes and our online calculator, visit our Fees, costs and scholarships page.