The Dual award degree program Bachelor of Music Bachelor of Education (Secondary) (UNSW BMusic BEd (Secondary)) is a five-year program (full-time) for intending specialist music teachers. Graduates of BMusic BEd (Secondary) are qualified to teach classroom and instrumental/vocal music from Grade 7 to 12.

The BMusic offers intensive pre-professional training in one of four Streams: Music Creative Practice, Music Inquiry, Sonic Arts, and Music Pedagogy. All streams are supported by a variety of large and small, western and non-western music ensembles as well as extensive opportunities for developing musicianship skills.

Admission to the program is subject to a satisfactory music audition and an acceptable level of attainment in year 12 music studies or equivalent.

An Advanced Entry Scheme is available to suitably qualified applicants. Students admitted into the advanced entry scheme may receive a block credit of up to 36 UOC in Level 1 music courses.

The Graduate Attributes for the UNSW BMus are as follows:

The Graduate Attributes for the UNSW BEd (Secondary) are as follows:

The basic requirements for the degree in Dual mode (144 UOC) are:

The following stream specialisations are available in the Bachelor of Music:

Students must complete 12 UOC from the following list of Prescribed Music Electives:

Note: Students cannot double count their stream courses as Prescribed Music Electives. Prescribed Music Electives must be chosen from outside their stream courses.

You are eligible for the award of your Pass Degree "with Distinction" if you achieve a Weighted Average Mark (WAM) of at least 75 in all courses and complete at least 50% of the requirements of your award at UNSW.

High achieving Bachelor of Music / Bachelor of Education (Secondary) students who have successfully completed all course requirements for levels 1-4, semester 1, may apply to continue their fourth year of study, semester 2, in the Bachelor of Music (Honours) / Bachelor of Education (Secondary) program 3470. A minimum WAM of 70 is required for entry into Honours. Please refer to the Bachelor of Music (Honours) / Bachelor of Education (Secondary) program 3470 for further information.

BMus students must take part in a required number of the performance ensembles offered by the School.

To qualify for the award of the degree at Pass level, a student must:

The basic requirements for the degree in Dual mode (96 UOC) are:

EDST2002, EDST6760 and EDST6761 provide students with a total of 80 days of professional experience in secondary schools and other educational settings.

Students complete four courses (24 UOC) in one double teaching specialisation:

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

It is expected that all applicants will have a Higher School Certificate minimum Band 5 in Standard English or a Higher School Certificate minimum Band 5 in English as a Second Language or a Higher School Certificate minimum Band 5 in Advanced English or an overall IELTS score of 7.5, with a minimum of 8.0 in speaking and Listening and a minimum of 7.0 in reading and writing or the equivalent.

Participation and Enrolment Requirements

National Literacy & Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education Students (LANTITE)

Well trained, skilled and knowledgeable teachers provide the foundation for a high quality education system in which every Australian student receives excellent teaching. 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. All students enrolled in an initial teacher education course (either undergraduate or postgraduate) will be expected to sit and pass the test prior to graduation. At UNSW, you must complete the LANTITE test prior to starting your first teaching placement in EDST6760 Professional Experience 1.

In 2017 during the transition you have to be registered to take the LANTITE test before going on placement. As of Semester 2 2017 you will have taken and passed the LANTITE test before going out on your placement. The Professional Experience Handbook 2017 states that you are eligible to take EDST6760 if you have had a pass in the National Literacy and Numeracy test. You are supplied with information for the tests though Moodle and the link is provided at https://teacheredtest.acer.edu.au

Working with Children Check

The Commission for Children and Young People Act 1998 introduced mandatory requirements for background checking of people working with children. All Teacher Education Students must complete a Volunteer Working With Children Check having listened to a child protection lecture online and successfully completed a quiz.

Anaphylaxis Training & Certification

NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) and the Department of Education and Communities (DEC) require that all initial Teacher Education Students have training in managing anaphylaxis. The Director-General, DEC, has mandated the completion of anaphylaxis e-training for all permanent, temporary and casual employees who work in schools. Subsequently, all 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 any student 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. Students will then need to arrange with the Professional Experience Office practice using the adrenaline auto-injector training device and have this component of the training signed off before they commence their placement. Students are then required to upload this signed certificate to the OPS. NESA and the DEC 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 DEC 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 DEC to meet the requirement of anaphylaxis training for initial Teacher Education Student

You are eligible for the award of your Pass Degree "with Distinction" if you achieve a Weighted Average Mark (WAM) of at least 75 in all courses and complete at least 50% of the requirements of your award at UNSW.

After completion of 144 UOC including all of the requirements of the Bachelor of Education (Secondary) dual degree, high achieving students may apply for admission to the Bachelor of Education (Secondary) (Honours) program 4509. A minimum WAM of 70 in the Bachelor of Education (Secondary) component of the dual degree is required for entry into Honours.

Bachelor of Education (Secondary) (Honours) program 4509

To qualify for the award of the degree at Pass level, a student must:

Sample programs for all cohorts can be found at the School of Education website.

For information regarding fees for UNSW programs, please refer to the following website:  UNSW Fee Website.

The Academic Rules for the BMusic BEd (Secondary) 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.

Admission to the program is subject to a satisfactory audition/interview and an acceptable level of attainment in year 12 studies or equivalent. Assumed knowledge: HSC Music 2 or Extension or equivalent qualification.

For more information on the audition/interview, please contact school

For all other enquiries, please contact the UNSW Arts and Social Sciences Student Centre.
Tel: + 61 2 9385 2289
Email: arts@unsw.edu.au
Location: Room G1 Ground Floor, Morven Brown building (C20)
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm
Frequently asked questions