Teaching (Secondary) - 8926
Program Summary
Faculty: Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Contact: education@unsw.edu.au
Campus: Sydney
Career: Postgraduate
Typical UOC Per Semester: 24
Min UOC Per Semester: 6
Max UOC Per Semester: 30
Min UOC For Award: 96
Award(s):
Master of Teaching (Secondary) (Specialisation)
View program information for previous years
Program Description
The program is two years equivalent in duration, but is normally undertaken full-time over three semesters of one calendar year, and the remaining courses undertaken part-time in the following year, or the part-time equivalent. Mid-year entry into the program is normally not available. During the program students will complete a range of core courses, method courses and two electives drawn from any area in the Master of Education program. Additionally, students will complete 65 days of supervised teaching practice in at least two different secondary schools.
Teaching specialisations offered:
Double Method Courses
(**See below for the list of double method course requirements)
- English
- History
- Mathematics
- Science
- Music
- Visual Arts
(***See below for the list of single method course requirements)
Prospective Mathematics, Music, Visual Arts, English or History (Ancient or Modern) teachers may select a double or single method. Prospective Science teachers may select only one double method. Others may select two single method courses.
- Aboriginal Studies
- Business Studies
- Dance
- Drama (Theatre and Performance Studies)
- English
- English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D)*
- Economics
- Geography
- Graphics and Multimedia Technology
- History
- Languages: French, German, Spanish, Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean #
- Legal Studies
- Mathematics
- Music
- Society and Culture
- Visual Arts
# Note that a high level of competence in spoken and written language is required. A minor without prior studies or background in the language is usually insufficient to qualify as a teacher of the language.
Admission Requirements
Participation and Enrolment Requirements
Assessment of Suitability for Teaching
It is a NESA requirement that before entry all UNSW Master of Teaching students complete a motivational statement as to why they want to be a teacher, which is scored on a 2-point scale, No– incoherent, irrelevant or inappropriate reasons, Yes - coherent and valid reason. If students score No, they are counselled out of the program.
In addition, before their first supervised professional experience placement, all teacher education students must successfully complete:
- The National Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education.
- The Classroom Readiness Questionnaire. The Classroom Readiness Questionnaire is a pre-professional experience self-assessment tool that requires students to provide evidence of success across six areas (subject content, inherent requirements, professional language/literacy/numeracy, oral communication, classroom management, and commitment to the profession). Their self-assessments are then endorsed (or not) by at least two staff members who teach them.
- A situational judgement test. This test is a scenario-based measurement tool designed to assess individuals’ judgement in a contextualised workplace setting. This test evaluates a number of key non-academic capabilities deemed necessary for teaching (e.g., adaptability, empathy).
English Language Proficiency
It is a NESA requirement that all teacher education students have very high levels of English language proficiency, thus in addition to satisfying UNSW entry requirements, see www.unsw.edu.au/english-requirements-policy, oral and written communication skills are assessed regularly as part of all coursework and professional experience. By graduation it is expected that all teacher education students will be able to demonstrate English language proficiency equivalent to a Band 5 NSW HSC- level or an IELTS 7.5, with 8.0 for speaking and listening.
The National Literacy and Numeracy Test
The National Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education Students is designed to assess initial teacher education students’ personal literacy and numeracy skills to ensure teachers are well equipped to meet the demands of teaching and assist higher education providers, teacher employers and the general public to have increased confidence in the skills of graduating teachers.
The test has been introduced to assess those aspects of initial teacher education students’ personal literacy and numeracy skills that can be measured through an online assessment tool. At UNSW, you must successfully complete both components of the LANTITE test prior to enrolling in your first Professional Experience course. You are supplied with information for the tests though Moodle and the link is provided at https://teacheredtest.acer.edu.au. Successful completion of the LANTITE test will be recorded as two zero credit courses, EDST6600 LANTITE (Literacy) and EDST6601 LANTITE (Numeracy) on a student’s academic record.
Proficiency in Languages Other than English
Teacher education students undertaking a major or extended minor stream in a language other than English as a first or second teaching specialisation may be asked to take an additional assessment of their language other than English skills before being permitted to enrol in the relevant language teaching specialisation (i.e., method). This is to ensure that they have the necessary language competence, including both spoken and written language, to teach the target language at HSC level in NSW schools.
Working With Children Check
Before their first professional experience placement all teacher education students must obtain a current Volunteer Working With Children Check and attend a UNSW-based 2 hour child protection lecture delivered by the Department of Education – Employee Performance and Conduct Directorate. They must provide a copy of their WWC clearance number to the Professional Experience Office (PEO) via the Online Placement System (OPS). The PEO verifies all WWC numbers in the Office of the Children’s Guardian verification page for employers (https://wwccheck.ccyp.nsw.gov.au/Employers/Login) and classifies students as ‘eligible’ for placement. All EDST 6765 Professional Experience 2 students must then obtain a valid paid WWC clearance.
All students must also familiarise themselves with the NSW Department of Education Code of Conduct and the document Responding to Allegations against Employees in the Area of Child Protection. All students are provided access to the policy via the Professional Experience Handbook specific to their year of placement.
Anaphylaxis Training & Certification
The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) and the Department of Education (DoE) has mandated the completion of anaphylaxis e-training for all permanent, temporary and casual employees who work in schools, including teacher education students. All UNSW teacher education students must complete the anaphylaxis e-training module provided by the Australian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) in conjunction with practice using an adrenaline autoinjector training device prior to commencing their first placement in schools.
The e-training is a free, online module available at http://etraining.allergy.org.au/. On successful completion of the online module, participants will receive a certificate of completion which should be printed immediately. The Professional Experience Office will then arrange practice using the adrenaline auto-injector training device. Students are then required to upload their signed certificate to the OPS. NESA and the DoE require that students also present a copy of their certificate of completion to principals at the commencement of their professional experience placements. Students should also retain a copy of the certificate for future use within the two years of the certificate’s currency.
The NSW DoE advises that student teachers who do not successfully complete this training, as verified by the university and the principal of their placement school, will not be able to undertake professional experience activities in NSW public schools. The training is required to be successfully undertaken every two years. This is the only training that will be accepted by the DoE to meet the requirement of anaphylaxis training for initial Teacher Education Students.
Program Learning Outcomes
- Know students and how they learn in a range of different contexts.
- Know the curriculum content and how to teach it to diverse learners, and through team-work, build on key specialisations to create depth and breadth of knowledge and understanding.
- Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning, and transfer knowledge and skills to new and complex environments.
- Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments.
- Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning to drive improvement.
- Engage in independent and collaborative professional learning and critical inquiry.
- Engage professionally and ethically with colleagues, parents/carers and the community to communicate and lead change.
- Critically evaluate and respond to a range of issues in education nationally and internationally.
Program Structure
Note that the first year of study is normally undertaken over 3 semesters in one calendar year with students completing 30 UOC in Semester 1, 24 UOC in Semester 2 and 12 UOC in November/December (T2C). The second year of the study is normally undertaken part-time over 2 semesters while students are in their first year of teaching employment, although students can accelerate by undertaking up to 12 UOC of electives in the summer semester.
Year 1:
Semester 1
- EDST Method A1 (6 UOC)
- EDST Method B1 (6 UOC)
- EDST Method A2 (6 UOC)
- EDST Method B2 (6 UOC)
- EDST6765 Prof Exp 2/Internship (12 UOC)
As the program includes supervised teaching experience, including an internship, in at least two different secondary schools, all full-time students must be available for five days per week for the full school day (approximately 8.30am – 4.00pm) in late May-June and in October-December. Part-time students will need to do their final school placement on a full-time basis.
Applicants are required to undertake the ‘Working with Children Check’ prior to undertaking professional experience and a police record check is completed prior to employment in schools.
Year 2:
Part-time enrolment for domestic students only, international students are required to study full-time over one semester.
Semester 1:
- EDST5115 Soc & Pol Contexts of Ed (6 UOC)
- EDST5117 Professional Inquiry (6 UOC)
- EDST5116 Student Engagement (6 UOC)
- Any two elective courses (12 UOC) from those courses offered each year in the Master of Education program
- EDST6700 Chinese Method 1 (6 UOC)
- EDST6701 Drama Method 1 (6 UOC)
- EDST6702 English Method 1 (6 UOC)
- EDST6704 EAL/D Method 1 (6 UOC)
- EDST6705 French Method 1 (6 UOC)
- EDST6706 Geography Method 1 (6 UOC)
- EDST6707 German Method 1 (6 UOC)
- EDST6708 History Method 1 (6 UOC)
- EDST6710 Indonesian Method 1 (6 UOC)
- EDST6711 Japanese Method 1 (6 UOC)
- EDST6713 Science Double Method 1 (12 UOC)
- EDST6714 Spanish Method 1 (6 UOC)
- EDST6715 Business Studies Method 1 (6 UOC)
- EDST6716 Economics Method 1 (6 UOC)
- EDST6717 Aboriginal Studies Method 1 (6 UOC)
- EDST6718 Korean Method 1 (6 UOC)
- EDST6719 Legal Studies Method 1 (6 UOC)
- EDST6720 Dance Method 1 (6 UOC)
- EDST6722 Society and Culture Method 1 (6 UOC)
- EDST6723 Extension English Method 1 (6 UOC)
- EDST6724 Extension History Method 1 (6 UOC)
- EDST6725 Mathematics Method 1 (6 UOC)
- EDST6726 Extension Mathematics Method 1 (6 UOC)
- EDST6727 Music Method 1 (6 UOC)
- EDST6728 Extension Music Method 1 (6 UOC)
- EDST6730 Chinese Method 2 (6 UOC)
- EDST6731 Drama Method 2 (6 UOC)
- EDST6732 English Method 2 (6 UOC)
- EDST6734 EAL/D Method 2 (6 UOC)
- EDST6735 French Method 2 (6 UOC)
- EDST6736 Geography Method 2 (6 UOC)
- EDST6737 German Method 2 (6 UOC)
- EDST6738 History Method 2 (6 UOC)
- EDST6740 Indonesian Method 2 (6 UOC)
- EDST6741 Japanese Method 2 (6 UOC)
- EDST6743 Science Double Method 2 (12 UOC)
- EDST6744 Spanish Method 2 (6 UOC)
- EDST6745 Business Studies Method 2 (6 UOC)
- EDST6746 Economics Method 2 (6 UOC)
- EDST6747 Aboriginal Studies Method 2 (6 UOC)
- EDST6748 Korean Method 2 (6 UOC)
- EDST6749 Legal Studies Method 2 (6 UOC)
- EDST6750 Dance Method 2 (6 UOC)
- EDST6752 Society and Culture Method 2 (6 UOC)
- EDST6753 Extension English Method 2 (6 UOC)
- EDST6754 Extension History Method 2 (6 UOC)
- EDST6755 Mathematics Method 2 (6 UOC)
- EDST6756 Extension Mathematics Method 2 (6 UOC)
- EDST6757 Music Method 2 (6 UOC)
- EDST6758 Extension Music Method 2 (6 UOC)
- EDST6771 Graphics & Multimedia Method 1 (6 UOC)
- EDST6772 Graphics & Multimedia Method 2 (6 UOC)
- EDST6775 Visual Arts Method 1 (6 UOC)
- EDST6776 Visual Arts Method 2 (6 UOC)
- EDST6777 Extension Visual Arts Method 1 (6 UOC)
- EDST6778 Extension Visual Arts Method 2 (6 UOC)
ARTS5503 Academic Writing for the Humanities (6 UOC)
ARTS5505 Personalised English Language Enhancement (6 UOC)
Credit Transfer
Award with Excellence
Academic Rules
Enrol in the Master of Teaching and complete 96 units of credit of study, including:
- Seven core education courses
- Four subject teaching area units (called methods)
- Two education electives
- Professional Experience 1 and the final capstone Professional Experience 2/Internship
Fees
**Double Method Requirement
Teaching Specialisation
|
Double Method Requirement
A major ( three years of study, six semester long courses with no more than 12 UOC (units of credit) of Level (year) 1 and must include 12 UOC at Level 3 at least 2 of these at level 3 or above)
|
Science
|
36 units of credit in science including 24 units of credit in physics, chemistry, or biology and at least one year (12 units of credit) study in another science. One of the two sciences must be chemistry or physics. Permissible sciences are only physics, chemistry, biology and geology/earth/environmental sciences, not psychology or computer science.
Or Earth and Environmental Sciences (EES)36 units of credit in science including at least 12 units of credit in physics or chemistry, 6 units of credit in biology and 6 units of credit in geology or environmental science. Permissible sciences are only physics, chemistry, biology and geology/earth/environmental sciences, not psychology or computer science. |
Mathematics
|
36 units of credit in pure or applied mathematics subjects (must include algebra and calculus). One course (6 units of credit) in statistics may be counted.
|
English
|
36 units of credit in English including at least 12 units of credit in textual studies including literature and an additional 24 units of credit in English textual studies, linguistics, media studies, communications or creative writing.
|
History
|
36 units of credit in history, in areas such as Australian history, contact and Aboriginal history, early modern history, historiography, modern history.
|
Music
|
36 units of credit including all of the following: musicological study (music history and analysis) in a range of musical styles, periods and genres with a strong component of contemporary and western art music, compositional techniques, music performance studies (a minimum of two years of music performance studies) and preferably Australian music. The study of music and music practice must be developed as a discrete discipline. Vocationally oriented courses are not recognised as equivalent.
|
Visual Arts | 36 units of credit in visual arts including all the following: practical studies in 2 and 3 and/or 4 dimensional art forms, art theory/history (a minimum of one year), and studio art making practice (a minimum of one year). Vocationally oriented courses are not recognised as equivalent. |
***Single Method Requirement
Teaching Specialisation
|
First Method Requirements
A major (three years of study, six semester long courses with at least 2 of these at level (year) 3 or above and no more than 12 UOC (units of credit) at level 1)
|
English
|
36 units of credit in English including at least 12 units of credit in textual studies including literature and an additional 24 units of credit in English textual studies, linguistics, media studies, communications or creative writing.
|
History
|
36 units of credit in history, in areas such as Australian history, contact and Aboriginal history, early modern history, historiography, modern history.
|
Drama (Theatre & Performance Studies)
|
36 units of credit in drama, including performance, production and theory.
|
Geography
|
36 units of credit in geography.
|
Graphics & Multimedia Technology | 36 units of credit in graphic design or multimedia design including computer-aided design (CAD) and theoretical studies and practical applications in at least three of the following areas: architecture and architectural drawing (such as Australian), cabinet drawing, computer animation, engineering drawing, furniture drawing, landscape drawing, product and technical illustration. |
Languages
|
36 units of credit in a Language other than English, including the spoken and written language, ending beyond the HSC level.
|
Legal Studies
|
36 units of credit in legal studies, including Australian and international law.
|
Aboriginal Studies
|
36 units of credit in Aboriginal Studies in areas such as contact and Aboriginal history, anthropology, Aboriginal literature, Aboriginal language and linguistics.
|
Economics
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36 units of credit in economics.
|
Business Studies
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36 units of credit in business related studies including at least 6 units of credit in finance or accounting, 6 units of credit of business management and remaining units drawn from: business law, economics, human resource management, industrial relations, marketing.
|
Dance
|
36 units of credit in Dance studies, including all the following: history and analysis of dance, performance, with a technique base in modern/contemporary dance and ballet, applied anatomy, kinesiology, and composition/choreography. Vocationally oriented courses are not recognised as equivalent.
|
Society and Culture
|
36 units of credit in Social Sciences, including at least 6 units of credit in Sociology, and the remaining units drawn from: Aboriginal studies, anthropology, archaeology, Asian or Pacific studies, civics, cultural studies, government, history, media studies, philosophy, politics, psychology (only 6 units of credit may be counted), religion studies, and social communication.
|
Mathematics
|
36 units of credit in pure or applied mathematics subjects (must include algebra and calculus). One course (6 units of credit) in statistics may be counted.
|
Music
|
36 units of credit including all of the following: musicological study (music history and analysis) in a range of musical styles, periods and genres with a strong component of contemporary and western art music, compositional techniques, music performance studies (a minimum of two years of music performance studies) and preferably Australian music. The study of music and music practice must be developed as a discrete discipline. Vocationally oriented courses are not recognised as equivalent.
|
Visual Arts | 36 units of credit in visual arts including all the following: practical studies in 2 and 3 and/or 4 dimensional art forms, art theory/history (a minimum of one year), and studio art making practice (a minimum of one year). Vocationally oriented courses are not recognised as equivalent. |
Teaching Specialisation
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Second Method Requirements
A minor (two years of study, four semester long courses with at least 2 of these at level (year) 2 or above and no more than 12 UOC (units of credit) at level 1)
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English
|
24 units of credit in English including at least 6 units of credit in textual studies including literature and an additional 18 units of credit in English textual studies, linguistics, media studies, communications or creative writing.
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EAL/D
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At least 24 units of credit in linguistics, with a specialisation in the English language.
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History
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At least 24 units of credit in history, in areas such as Australian history, contact and Aboriginal history, early modern history, historiography, modern history.
|
Drama
|
At least 24 units of credit in drama, including performance, production and theory
|
Geography
|
At least 24 units of credit in geography.
|
Graphics and Multimedia Technology | At least 24 units of credit in graphic design or multimedia design including computer-aided design (CAD) and theoretical studies and practical applications in at least three of the following areas: architecture and architectural drawing (such as Australian), cabinet drawing, computer animation, engineering drawing, furniture drawing, landscape drawing, product and technical illustration. |
Languages
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At least 24 units of credit in a Language other than English, including the spoken and written language, beyond the HSC level.
|
Legal Studies
|
A minimum of 24 units of credit in legal studies, including Australian and international law.
|
Economics
|
At least 24 units of credit in economics.
|
Business Studies
|
At least 24 units of credit in business related studies including at least 6 units of credit in finance or accounting, 6 units of credit of business management and remaining units drawn from: business law, economics, human resource management, industrial relations, marketing.
|
Aboriginal Studies
|
At least 24 units of credit in Aboriginal Studies in areas such as contact and Aboriginal history, anthropology, Aboriginal literature, Aboriginal language and linguistics.
|
Dance
|
At least 24 units of credit in Dance studies, including all the following: history and analysis of dance, performance, with a technique base in modern/contemporary dance and ballet, applied anatomy, kinesiology, and composition/choreography. Vocationally oriented courses are not recognised as equivalent.
|
Society and Culture
|
At least 24 units of credit in Social Sciences, including at least 6 units of credit in Sociology, and the remaining units drawn from: Aboriginal studies, anthropology, archaeology, Asian or Pacific studies, civics, cultural studies, government, history, media studies, philosophy, politics, psychology (only 6 units of credit may be counted), religion studies, and social communication.
|
Mathematics
|
At least 24 units of credit in mathematics subjects (must include algebra and calculus). One course (6 units of credit) in statistics may be counted.
|
Music
|
At least 24 units of credit including all of the following: musicological study (music history and analysis) in a range of musical styles, periods and genres with a strong component of contemporary and western art music, compositional techniques, music performance studies (a minimum of one year of music performance studies) and preferably Australian music. The study of music and music practice must be developed as a discrete discipline. Vocationally oriented courses are not recognised as equivalent.
|
Visual Arts | At least 24 units of credit in visual arts including all the following: practical studies in 2 and 3 and/or 4 dimensional art forms, art theory/history (a minimum of one year), and studio art making practice (a minimum of one year). Vocationally oriented courses are not recognised as equivalent. |
Area(s) of Specialisation