Master of Teaching (Early Childhood Education)

On completion of the degree students will be able to:

1. demonstrate cultural responsiveness and respectful engagement with local First Peoples and a diversity of cultures
2. demonstrate a capacity for leadership through critical thinking and reflective and innovative practices based on local, national and international research and engagement in ongoing professional learning
3. apply relevant theory and research to enhance the learning experiences and outcomes of learners from a diversity of backgrounds and of aspirations
4. apply high-level discipline knowledges and understandings to demonstrate pedagogical capabilities, including planning and delivering effective teaching and learning experiences in the technologically enhanced learning environment, with demonstrated impact for all learners
5. apply high-level discipline and well-developed pedagogical knowledges to generate and critically analyse diverse sources to support situated professional judgements when assessing and reporting on learning
6. demonstrate effective and creative literacy and numeracy competencies across a range of professional contexts
7. apply principles of social justice to create and manage positive, safe and ethical learning environments that support a diversity of learners to engage in meaningful learning
8. communicate professionally with educational stakeholders, including colleagues, parents and carers, and engage collaboratively to build sustainable communities

This degree is designed for people seeking to attain an Initial Teacher Education qualification in order to register as a teacher in Australia and any other countries that recognise an Australian teaching qualification. Students will develop advanced critical skills, knowledge and understanding concerning best practice in education and in meeting the needs of 21st century learners. Graduates from this degree will be well-placed to enter leadership pathways in their teaching careers. Most subjects in this degree will be offered fully online, in order to provide more flexible access. Students will have four opportunities to engage in professional practice in schools, culminating in a final professional placement of 5 continuous weeks.

The Master of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) will be chosen by those who wish to teach in schools in K - 2, or who are seeking educator roles in Early Childhood Education and Care settings. This major encompasses children from birth - 8 years of age, and subjects studied will include management and leadership of Early Childhood Education and Care centres, as well as school curriculum and general pedagogical approaches. Professional experience placements will be completed by all students in this major across the full age range of birth-8 years.

Please note that this course is only available to applicants who are residing in Australia for the duration of their degree. As this course doesn’t hold CRICOS registration international students on a Student VISA are not permitted to undertake this course.

Recommended study pattern

Students should check for prerequisites before enrolling in any subjects. Each of the Professional Experience subjects must be completed in order and there are pre-requisites for these subjects. For example, Professional Experience 1 is the pre-requisite for Professional Experience 2.

The standard full-time study load is two subjects per study period.

You can download an enrolment planner via the link below that will allow you to determine the recommended sequence of enrolment based on your study period of commencement in the Master of Teaching.

Please note that if you wish to complete your degree in two years, you will need to maintain a full-time enrolment of two subjects per study period throughout your degree. You will also need to enrol according to the recommended sequence (based on your study period of commencement).

Subjects will not generally be offered in every study period and may not be available at the time that you wish to study them. Your progression in the degree may be impacted if you do not follow the recommended sequence of enrolment. If you wish to enrol in a part-time load then please select one subject from the two listed for each study period.

Master of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) enrolment planner (XLS)

Award requirements

To qualify for the Master of Teaching (Early Childhood Education), students must successfully complete all core subjects. There are 16 subjects comprised of:

• coursework subjects
• subjects requiring professional experience block placements in school settings, including a final placement of 25 consecutive days

LANTITE Completion Requirement

Students are also required to provide evidence of successful completion of the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education students (LANTITE) prior to completing their degree. The test is managed by ACER and details of the test (for example, sample questions, the Test Window dates, and registration) can be found at: ACER Teacher Education Test. Students are responsible for meeting the costs associated with taking these tests, which are a national requirement applicable to all teaching graduates.

Students are expected to have successfully completed the LANTITE between the first and third professional experience subjects in their degree.

Degrees are usually made up of core subjects and electives. Some degrees include a choice of majors, so you can focus your studies on a specialisation.

This list is a general overview. Download the full Degree Guide for more information.

• Early Childhood Education Major

2022 Changes:

The Master of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) has undergone a major change.

The new degree structure to be implemented from 2022 includes new subjects and updated subjects which have changed titles.

Students admitted to the Master of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) prior to 2022 who need to undertake new subjects will not be disadvantaged by these changes. Those who have been following the recommended study pattern will not have their degree lengthened as a result of these changes.

Transitional arrangements for existing students will depend upon the subjects already successfully completed (or for which credit has been granted) prior to 2022.

The Transition Tables below show all subjects in the Master of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) that have been removed from the structure or undergone a title change, and they show details of the recommended replacement subjects.

Master of Teaching (Early Childhood) Transition Tables 2022 (PDF)

It is important to note:

• Replacement subjects are not necessarily equivalent to the old subject
• Replacement subjects may be offered in different study periods to the old subject

For further information or advice regarding this change, please contact Curtin University at Curtin Connect.

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Indicative total fee $8,880

The amount shown here is indicative for an Australian citizen studying full-time, which is typically 8 subjects per year.

Fees may vary depending on:

• the subjects you choose
• credit from previous work experience
• your eligibility for government funding loans or subsidies such as HECS-HELP or a Commonwealth supported place.

To learn more, go to Fees or contact a student advisor.

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Academic Entry Requirements

To be eligible for entry into the Master of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) applicants need to have completed a Bachelor Degree or its equivalent from a recognised tertiary institution with at least one year of full-time study in areas relating to early years learning, development and care. 

Non-academic Entry Requirements for Teacher Entry

For entry to initial teacher education (ITE) degrees, you will need to meet both the academic and non-academic entry requirements.

To meet the non-academic entry requirements, applicants must demonstrate they have the key characteristics outlined by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) as the attributes and motivations common to effective teachers.

To demonstrate this, you will need to complete an online questionnaire as part of your application. The questionnaire must be completed no more than 1 year prior to application.

Completing the online questionnaire

To complete the questionnaire you will require your TISC/OUA/Curtin ID and then follow the link to: Qualtrics Questionnaire

In the online questionnaire, you will be asked several questions to rate your motivation for teaching as well as your involvement in personal learning and/or leadership activities. You will also need to complete two written statements addressing the following categories:

• Category 1: Your Motivation and Suitability for Teaching
• Category 2: Your involvement in Personal Learning and Leadership Activities

Once submitted, you will not be able to log back in and change your responses, so please review your responses carefully before submitting.

Complete the questionnaire, review and then submit. Your responses will appear on the screen. Please download the PDF of these responses to your computer for use in your degree.

You will also receive an email confirming completion. Please attach this email to your application.

Assessment

Your responses in this questionnaire indicate the extent to which you meet the desired personal attributes for educators. Your profile in terms of these personal attributes will be considered along with the academic requirements for entry, when determining whether an offer of degree admission will be made. You will not receive individual results from this questionnaire, as there is no “pass or fail” mark: your results are considered holistically, in the same way as an interview for a job might be managed.

It is possible that your responses may show that the teaching profession may not be best suited to you right now. If this is the case, you should not consider this to be a personal failure in any way, and you are welcome to contact us to discuss your options.

Entry to this degree will not be possible through work experience only. This is consistent with current practice for Initial Teacher Education degrees taught by the School of Education.

Applicants need to meet Curtin’s English Language requirement as all degrees are taught in English. If your education degrees were not solely in English, as per the International Handbook of Universities or the World Higher Education Database, please attach a scanned original copy of English Proficiency Test results.

This degree has a higher level of English required for admission. In order to meet the English entry requirements for this degree, you will need to provide evidence of one of the following:

• Successful completion of at least one year full-time or equivalent of an undergraduate or postgraduate coursework degree level study at a recognised University in Australia.
• Successful completion of an undergraduate or postgraduate coursework degree level study at a recognised University in New Zealand, Republic of Ireland, United Kingdom, Canada, Singapore, South Africa or United States of America. The duration of this degree must be at least one year full-time or equivalent study.
• Achieve the required result from one of the following English language proficiency tests, the test must have been undertaken within two years of application, however, they may be used for entry until the next immediate semester intake:

1. IELTS Academic;
2. PTE Academic;
3. TOEFL iBT;
4. OET;
5. Cambridge C1 Advanced.

*Please note these tests are only valid for two years.

Please refer to Curtin’s list of courses with a higher level of English required for further information: Courses with Higher English Language Requirements.

Please note: The English language requirements for registration as a teacher on completion of this course may differ from those required for admission to the course.

*** Please Note: If any academic or legal document is not in English, you must provide a colour scan of the non-English documents, including a colour scan of the official English translations of these documents. This is for comparison purposes. ***

Please note: Credit is rarely given on the basis of professional experience only in Initial Teacher Education degrees as graduates must meet registration requirements set by the accrediting bodies in each state/territory.

Credit for Recognised Learning (CRL) is assessed on individual merit and is awarded for different types of learning, for example, studies you have previously completed or for relevant work experience.

Students must be admitted in an award degree of study before lodging their completed CRL application, along with all required supporting documentation for a formal assessment.

Curtin School of Education courses embed both theory and professional experience within a subject. Credit for Curtin Professional Experience subjects requires a complex assessment that includes evaluation of how the subject learning outcomes have been met through both theoretical assessments and school-based application. The school-based application must meet Curtin requirements, which are informed by the Teacher Registration Board of Western Australia.

To apply for CRL, please visit the Curtin University website: Credit for Recognised Learning (Advanced Standing)

It is important to note accepted documentation includes scans of the original Transcripts and/or Award Certificate; front and back; in colour; and original size. For further information see the scanned documents and certification requirements and guidelines.

More information about the policies and procedures related to CRL assessment and appealing a CRL assessment outcome can be found in the Credit for Recognised Learning Policy (PDF).

Professional Experience Placements

All students are required to successfully complete four compulsory professional experience placements in schools as part of designated subjects throughout the degree. These placements must be undertaken in registered schools and early learning centres where the language of instruction is English.

Placements must be undertaken on a full-time basis for the number of days shown in a continuous block and students need to plan carefully to ensure they are able to meet this commitment. The total number of days of professional experience in the degree will satisfy all States' requirements for teacher registration.

No more than 50% of professional experience days may be undertaken in schools outside Australia. Therefore, students will only be able to complete one 3-week placement outside Australia, all other placements must be completed within Australia.

None of the four professional experience placements can be broken or split into shorter periods.

The first professional experience subject requires placement in an Early Learning Centre comprising of a 1-day visit, per week for 5 weeks, immediately followed by a block of 10 consecutive days. The second professional experience subject contains a block placement of 15 consecutive days and the third, a block placement of 20 consecutive days. These two placements must be undertaken in two different school contexts. The fourth professional experience has 25 consecutive days in a third school. The final placement of 25 consecutive days is part of a subject completed in the final study period of the degree. Clearance will be given to commence the final professional experience placement pending successful completion of all prior subjects.

Students require access to one accredited Early Learning Centre with infants and young children (Birth-2 years of age) and three schools in which to undertake their professional experience placements. Students are expected to be able to travel a reasonable distance to these educational settings in order to undertake their placements. Students cannot complete their professional experience placement in an educational setting where there exists a conflict of interest. For example any setting in which the student or their close family members are employed or attend. Students are not permitted to be paid for a professional experience placement.

Further information about the professional experience placement requirements will be provided to students who have been admitted to the degree. Students who may seek to vary any of the stated conditions and requirements in the various professional experience subject handbooks must contact Professional.Experience@curtin.edu.au prior to enrolling in the subject.

In circumstances where the student is having difficulty securing a placement, the student will need to contact Curtin University as soon as possible prior to the commencement of their practicum pre-visits and placement dates for advice.

To view the Professional Experience Calendar, please see below:

2024 Master of Teaching Prof Exp Calendar (PDF)

Working with Children Clearances and Certifications

Students will be required to have a current and valid Working with Children clearance as required in the state or country in which the placement provider is located. They will also need to meet any other relevant State requirements before engaging in any work with children or professional experience.

If students have any doubt about their eligibility to acquire these clearances they should contact the local Teacher Registration Authority.