The combined degree of Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of Education at pass level is a four-year program for intending secondary school teachers. Students combine studies in two approved teaching disciplines with both theoretical and practical aspects of education. In the final two years of the program, students develop skills in classroom competence and spend 60 days on supervised teaching practice in allocated secondary schools.

In addition to the UNSW Bachelor of Arts Program Aims, this program is designed to enable students to acquire or develop skills in the following areas:

- subject content knowledge in areas of specialisation
- how to teach that content to secondary school students
- how to relate to secondary school students
- understanding how secondary school students learn
- effective unit and lesson planning, and effective assessment and reporting design
- enhanced communication skills to ensure effective classroom communication with the students they will be teaching
- effective classroom management skills
- reflective teaching, and the desire to continually improve professional knowledge and practice
- productive engagement with members of their profession and the wider community

To qualify for the Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of Education at pass level it is necessary to complete at least 192 units of credit.

1. Education courses

• Compulsory Year 1 courses include:
EDST1101 Educational Psychology 1 (6UOC)
EDST1104 Social Perspectives in Education (6UOC)

• Compulsory Year 3 courses include:
EDST4080 Special Education 1: Introductory to Special Education (3UOC)
EDST4082 Professional Issues in Teaching 1 (3UOC)
EDST3091 Professional Experience 1 (6UOC)
Teaching Method A1 (6UOC) and Teaching Method B1 (6UOC)

• Compulsory Year 4 courses include:
EDST4084 Managing the Classroom Environment (6UOC)
EDST4083 Professional Issues in Teaching 2 (3UOC)
EDST4093 Special Education 2: Inclusive Strategies (3UOC)
EDST4096 Gifted and Talented Students (6UOC)
EDST3092 Professional Experience 2 (12UOC)
Teaching Method A2 (3UOC) and Teaching Method B2 (3UOC)

A further 18 units of credit must be selected from upper level Education elective courses in Years 2 and 3.

2. Teaching Method courses

Students must complete 12 units of credit in approved teaching method courses from two single method courses over years 3 and 4.

3. Arts courses as Preparation for Teaching

A major of 54 units of credit and a minor of 36 units of credit must be completed in two disciplines to provide suitable background for the following teaching specialisations:

Chinese, Drama (Theatre and Performance Studies), Economics, English, French, Geography, German**, History, Japanese, Literacy/English as a Second Language (ESL)*, Spanish (Hispanic Studies).

*Students who wish to teach Literacy/ESL should be aware that in NSW schools, this subject is a second teaching specialisation only.

**German can only be taken as a minor sequence

Note: ESL is a second teaching specialisation only. The prerequisites are two years of languages, or two years of linguistics, or one of each, or the equivalent.

Students should be aware that certain combinations of teaching specialisations may not lead to satisfactory employment opportunities and may result in timetable difficulties in Years 3 and 4. For more details, consult the School of Education.

4. Other Arts courses

The remaining Arts courses in Years 1 (12 UOC Level 1) should be selected from those available in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

5. English Proficiency

Proficiency in English is essential in all Education courses. Prospective teachers must be able to communicate effectively with school students and staff members.

 

5. The Pass degree Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of Education may be awarded with Distinction where a candidate has achieved a weighted average mark (WAM) of at least 75% in all courses completed since enrolment at UNSW which are credited towards the degree.

Pass degree

To qualify for the award of the degree at Pass level, a student must obtain, normally over four years of study, a minimum of 192 units of credit in approved courses including:

1. a total of 48 Level 1 units of credit;

2. no more than 12 Level 1 units of credit in any one Discipline of the BA Rules;

3. 90 units of credit in Education including compulsory core courses;

4. A major of 54 units of credit and a minor of 36 units of credit from the tables below;

Teaching Methods

Each student must take a first method (with specific requirements) and a second method (with specific requirements). Only certain method combinations are permissible.

The permissible combinations are:

a. Any two methods from English, Literacy/ESL*, History, Drama, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Spanish
b. Any two methods from Economics, History, Geography.

*A major sequence in English is the most appropriate background for Literacy/ESL teaching. Students who wish to teach Literacy/ESL may undertake a Linguistics major but they must also include two Level 1 English courses in their program.


See below for Teaching Methods Requirements list**


5. The Pass degree Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of Education may be awarded with Distinction where a candidate has achieved a weighted average mark (WAM) of at least 75% in all courses completed since enrolment at UNSW which are credited towards the degree.


Honours Degree

Students may elect to undertake an Honours program in either their fourth or fifth year of study (eg. before the intensive teacher preparation year or afterwards). The Honours program may be undertaken in either Education or in an Arts discipline. Students with a good credit average in Year 1 are normally invited to undertake additional study in the relevant discipline over Years 2 and 3.

To qualify for the award of the Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of Education degree at Honours level in one or two Disciplines, a student must:

• have obtained 192 units of credit in accordance with 1-5 above and satisfied the appropriate prerequisites for entry to the Honours level program. Students should contact the appropriate school for information on the pre-requisites for that school’s entry into an Honours level program.

• obtain 48 units of credit in an approved Honours program.

The Honours degree is awarded in three classes (Class 1, Class 2 in two Divisions and Class 3). Students who fail to obtain one of these classes may proceed to graduate with the Pass degree.

For information regarding fees for UNSW programs, please refer to the following website:  https://my.unsw.edu.au/student/fees/FeesMainPage.html

The Academic Rules for the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Undergraduate programs and the online enrolment facility provide students with a wide range of course choices. The online enrolment facility checks that students meet the enrolment requirements for individual courses but not that a course complies with Program Rules. Students are responsible for ensuring they are enrolling in accordance with the Academic Rules outlined above. Students should not assume that because they have enrolled in a course online that the course is automatically credited to their degree program.

All schools require student teachers to have signed a 'Prohibited Employment Declaration Form' before starting a teaching practicum. A police record check is required before students are employed as a teacher.