Master of Teaching (Secondary)/Graduate Certificate in Religious Education

Upon successful completion, students should be able to:

1. Apply critically concepts and theories from the foundation, ET, ES and CPA units to analyse, critically reflect on and question school-based experiences and improve their teaching.
2. Synthesise complex information, concepts, theories and current debates relevant to secondary education and apply this knowledge to their teaching practice and professional engagement.
3. Plan and implement effective and engaging learning environments that support equitable and ethical outcomes and the advancement of disadvantaged communities, including those of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, based on effective communication and well-established relationships with key stakeholders.
4. Apply pedagogical approaches, and learning resources, to address a range of problems in their teaching and evaluate their effectiveness through a process of evidence-based inquiry, working both autonomously and in collaboration with others.
5. Evaluate issues of equity and social justice in Australian classrooms, schools, and education systems, and their impact on students and communities, through the triangulation of learners’ reflection on their own experience, their professional experience and their critical reading of the literature.
6. Meet the Australian Professional Standards for Teaching at the Graduate level.

This is a graduate entry, preservice teacher education course for those who want to become secondary school teachers.

Whether you are looking for a complete career change or are a recent graduate, you can use your undergraduate degree to inform your specialist teaching areas in this course. Depending on your undergraduate degree and campus of study, this course will prepare you to teach in two specialist areas.

By combining the Graduate Certificate in Religious Education, you will gain the certification and knowledge to teach Religious Education in Catholic Schools in addition to their other teaching areas.

Recommended study pattern

To complete the Master of Teaching (Secondary)/Graduate Certificate in Religious Education, a student must complete 200 credit points (cp).

As a guide, core subjects in this degree can include: 

• EDES591 Foundations of Teaching 2: The Nature of Learning
• EDET590 Effective Teaching 1: Professional Practices
• THBS562 Introducing the Scriptures
• LNTE110 Literacy and Numeracy Diagnostic

Plus a choice of electives. As part of your application, you’ll be guided through how to get the right degree structure in place for you.

Award requirements

To qualify for the degree, without a named specialisation a student must complete 200 cp from the Schedule of Unit Offerings, consisting of:

• 100 cp from Education Studies units (Part A)
• 40 cp from Curriculum Studies units (Part B), consisting of either:
• 20 cp in each of two teaching subjects OR
• 40 cp from one teaching subject
•  20 cp from Elective units (Part C)
• 0 cp from ACER Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education units (Part D)
• 40 cp from Religious Education and Theology units (Part E)

OR

To qualify for the degree with a named specialisation in Internship, a student must complete 200 cp from the Schedule of Unit Offerings consisting of

Exit points

A student who has successfully completed the following requirements may exit from the course with that qualification:

1. *Graduate Diploma in Educational Studies: 80 cp from the Schedule of Unit Offerings of the Master of Teaching (Secondary).
2. *Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies: 40 cp from the Schedule of Unit Offerings from the Master of Teaching (Secondary).
3. *Graduate Certificate in Religious Education: 40 cp from the Religious Education and Theology units is required.
4. Master of Teaching (Secondary): 160 cp from the Schedule of Unit offerings of the Master of Teaching Secondary).

*Note that none of these qualifications qualifies a student to teach in Australia.

A student who does not meet the LANTITE requirements may exit with the Graduate Diploma in Educational Studies or Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies if they meet the requirements of those awards.

Open Universities Australia is a not-for-profit organisation. You will not pay any fees for using our services.

Indicative total fee $18,168

The amounts shown here are 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.

Established in 1991 after amalgamating four eastern Australian Catholic tertiary institutes, Australian Catholic University now has seven campuses, from Brisbane to Melbourne and welcomes students of all beliefs. Specialising in arts, business, education, health sciences, law, theology and philosophy, ACU encourages its students to think critically and ethically and bring change to their communities and offer this online through Open Universities Australia.

Learn more about ACU.

Explore ACU courses.

QS World University Ranking 2026, within Australia:

33

Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2026, within Australia:

27

To be eligible for admission to the course, an applicant must:

• Have successfully completed a Bachelor degree or equivalent qualification with a major study that meets the content requirements in at least one secondary teaching area offered by ACU, and
• Demonstrate suitability for teaching as evidenced by completion of the relevant state/jurisdiction assessment, which will be provided in the application process (excluding QLD).

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) allows students to gain credit (advanced standing) towards their course in recognition of skills and knowledge gained through work experience, life experience and/or formal training. Applicants are assessed on a case-by-case basis. Speak to a Course Coordinator about applying for RPL.

Students must complete a minimum of 60 days professional experience during which time they are required to be available full-time.

The Professional Experience program consists of a minimum of 10 weeks of teaching rounds, usually broken into three blocks.

Professional experience covers all school and community-based experience designed to help students develop professional competence and personal commitment, in accordance with the expressed Catholic philosophy of the University. The professional experience units apply skills, techniques and processes taught in the Foundations Studies and Professional Studies units.

Professional experience units are planned as a specific sequence allowing for progressive development of both classroom-based proficiency and an understanding of the relevance of theory to practice and practice to theory. The practicum will be supported by other forms of in-school experiences, such as school-based tutorials and workshops.

Certain prerequisite units are required before students are placed in schools.

Supervised professional experience is at the heart of all our pre-service teacher education courses and the Faculty will find appropriate placements to suit the needs of your course. Placements will usually be arranged for the scheduled placement period in the professional experience calendar though this may not always be possible.

Non-academic assessment - suitability for teaching

Applicants who apply for entry into this initial teacher education course will be required to complete a non-academic assessment. The assessment is to demonstrate suitability for teaching and will be part of your application when applying for admission into this course.

Literacy and Numeracy Test in Initial Teacher Education (LANTITE) 

Students will be required to demonstrate they have achieved approved benchmarks in literacy and numeracy as demonstrated through the Literacy and Numeracy Test in Initial Teacher Education (LANTITE). Successful completion of LANTITE is a requirement for course completion.

If you have started your ITE course at another institution and wish to transfer to ACU to complete your studies, please be sure that you have read and understand the requirements for receiving credit for previous studies and those on completing LANTITE.