Master of Teaching (Secondary Education)

Graduates of this degree will have the skills, knowledge and experience required to teach in secondary schools. Additional careers include education administrator or policy development officer.

Professional recognition

This degree is recognised nationally as an initial teaching qualification. Initial Teacher Education degrees in Australia are accredited by the relevant authority in the state or territory in which the institution providing the qualification is based. The Master of Teaching (Secondary Education) degree offered by Curtin University is fully accredited by the Teacher Registration Board of WA (TRBWA) and graduates of the degree are able to register as practising teachers with the registration body in their home state or territory, based on the degree accreditation provided by the TRBWA. Below is a link to the list of state-based teacher registration bodies for reference.

State-based Teacher Registration Bodies (PDF, 30Kb)

Higher education

Academic Entry Requirements

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: https://about.curtin.edu.au/learning-teaching/humanities/education/education-non-academic-entry-requirement/

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.

Work and Life

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

English Proficiency Requirements

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:

https://study.curtin.edu.au/applying/english-language-requirements/courses-higher-english-criteria/

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. ***

Special requirements

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.

Practicum placement

Professional Experience Placements

All students are required to successfully complete four compulsory professional experience placements as part of designated subjects throughout the degree. These placements must be undertaken in registered schools 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 and will be required to complete all other placements within Australia.

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

The first year of the degree includes two professional experience subjects that require school placements of 10 consecutive days and 15 consecutive days respectively. These two subjects are undertaken in the same calendar year in the same school. The third professional experience subject contains a block placement of 15 consecutive days in a different school context and 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 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 must be able to complete placements in more than one school over the duration of the degree. Students will complete the majority of their professional experience in their major teaching area. Students who are also offered a minor teaching area will be also be required to complete some of their professional experience in this teaching area. Students are expected to be able to travel a reasonable distance to these schools 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 those circumstances where the student is having difficulty securing a placement, Curtin University staff will assist and will seek input from the student to identify possibilities before making direct contact with the school. Students having difficulty should contact Curtin in sufficient time to ensure that they are not disadvantaged due to their personal inability to identify a site for professional experience.

To view the Professional Experience Calendar, please see below:

2023 Master of Teaching Prof Exp Calendar (PDF)

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.

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.

To apply for CRL, please visit the Curtin University website: https://study.curtin.edu.au/credit/

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).

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.

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: https://teacheredtest.acer.edu.au/. 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 opencurtin@curtin.edu.au prior to enrolling in any of the Teaching Area Specialisation subjects.

2022 Changes:

The Master of Teaching (Secondary 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 (Secondary 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 (Secondary 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 (Secondary) 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.