Master of Teaching (Secondary Education)
An Initial Teacher Education qualification in order to register as a teacher in Australia. Develop advanced critical skills, knowledge and understanding for best practice in secondary education.
About the Course
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 (Secondary Education) will be chosen by those who wish to teach in Secondary schools in Years 7 - 12. Students in this degree will specialise in either one or two Secondary school curriculum areas, depending on their previous study, and will be qualified to teach in those subject areas of the Secondary curriculum. This degree is not suitable for qualified Secondary teachers wishing to change their subject specialisation.
Curriculum areas offered in the Master of Teaching (Secondary Education) are:
- English;
- The Arts (specialisations in Visual Arts, Drama, Media Production & Analysis);
- Mathematics;
- Science (specialisations in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Human Biology, Psychology, Earth & Environmental Science);
- Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) (specialisations in Economics, Geography, History, Politics & Law); or
- Health and Physical Education.
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.
Course Entry Requirements
This is a restricted degree. Subject enrolment is only available to students admitted into this degree.
To be eligible for entry into the Master of Teaching (Secondary Education) applicants need to have completed a Bachelor degree or its equivalent from a recognised tertiary institution with studies relevant to the teaching areas offered at Curtin (English, The Arts, Mathematics, Science and Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS). Specifically, a major teaching area equivalent to a total of three-quarters of a year of successful EFTSL, comprising of sequential discipline study. This equates to six subjects, with no more than two at first-year level and no fewer than two subjects at third-year level.
Applicants wishing to qualify with a minor teaching area must also have equivalent to a total of half a year of successful EFTSL, comprising of sequential discipline study. This equates to four subjects, with no more than two at first-year level. Applicants may be eligible for entry based on previous studies in a major teaching area only.
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.
Course Structure
Recommended study pattern
This degree is made up of 12 Secondary Education core subjects and 4 subjects which are specific to the Teaching Area/s approved when your application to the degree is assessed. It is important that you choose these subjects correctly, as they must relate to your approved Teaching Area or Areas. You will be approved for either one teaching area (First Teaching Area only) or two teaching areas (First and Second Teaching Areas) and you will receive notification of your approved Teaching Area/s with your offer for the Master of Teaching (Secondary Education). If you did not receive notification of your approved Teaching Area/s with your offer, please contact [confirm email for OUA enrolments] prior to enrolling in any of the Teaching Area subjects.
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 assessed teaching area/s and your study period of commencement in the Master of Teaching. MTC610 Professional Experience 4: Transition into the Profession is the capstone subject in this degree and can only be taken in the final study period of enrolment. 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 Teaching Area/s as assessed and 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 course 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 (Secondary Education) enrolment planner (XLS)
Award requirements
To qualify for the Master of Teaching (Secondary Education), students must successfully complete all core subjects. There are 16 subjects comprised of:
- secondary education core subjects
- teaching area specialisation subjects (either one or two teaching areas
- 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.
Choose your subjects
Majors
This degree is made up of 12 Secondary Education Core Subjects and 4 subjects which are specific to the teaching area specialisation/s which are approved when your application to the degree is assessed. It is important that you choose these subjects correctly, as they must relate to your approved area or areas of specialisation.
You will be approved for either one teaching area specialisation (Major only) or two teaching area specialisations (Major and Minor) and you will receive notification of your approved teaching area/s with your offer for the Master of Teaching (Secondary Education). If you did not receive notification of your approved teaching area/s with your offer, please contact Curtin Universityat Curtin Connect prior to enrolling in any of the Teaching Area Specialisation subjects.
At the completion of this degree students will be able to:
- demonstrate cultural responsiveness and respectful engagement with local First Peoples and a diversity of cultures
- 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
- apply relevant theory and research to enhance the learning experiences and outcomes of learners from a diversity of backgrounds and of aspirations
- 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
- 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
- demonstrate effective and creative literacy and numeracy competencies across a range of professional contexts
- 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
- communicate professionally with educational stakeholders, including colleagues, parents and carers, and engage collaboratively to build sustainable communities.
