This program is for students commencing from 2016.

Students commencing prior to 2016 should refer to 4054 Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of Education (Secondary).

The Dual degree program, Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of Education (Secondary) is a four-year program (192 UOC) for intending secondary school teachers. The program is a nationally accredited pre-service qualification.

You will combine studies in two single or one double secondary teaching specialisation(s) from the Bachelor of Arts. The program covers both theoretical and practical aspects of education, including 80 days supervised professional experience in at least two different secondary schools.

Please refer to the program learning outcomes as listed for the Bachelor of Arts program 3409.

The aim of the UNSW BEd (Secondary) is to prepare its graduates for careers as secondary school teachers. It seeks to do this by providing instruction and experience in the areas of educational theory, pedagogy, planning, diversity and management.

Graduate Attributes

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

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

Professional Experience

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

Prescribed Education Methods

You will complete two courses in each single teaching specialisation or two courses in one double teaching specialisation from the following:

The teaching specialisation requirements are summarised below:

 

Prescribed Education Electives

A Prescribed Education Elective is any course chosen from the offerings of the School of Education.

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. 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.

Proficiency in Languages other than English

If you are undertaking a major or extended minor stream in a language other than English as a first or second teaching specialisation, you may be asked to take an additional assessment of your language skills before being permitted to enrol in your specific language teaching specialisation (i.e., method). This is to ensure that you have the necessary language competence, including both spoken and written language, to teach the target language at HSC level in NSW schools.

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

Award with Distinction

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.

Honours

Once you have completed your Bachelor of Education in Dual mode and 144 UOC overall you can apply for admission to do an Honours year in the Bachelor of Education (Secondary) (Honours) program 4509. Entry to Honours requires a WAM of 70 or higher in the Bachelor of Education (Secondary) component of the dual degree.

Bachelor of Education (Secondary) (Honours) program 4509

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

Program Structure

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

OR

Home Major Streams

The following home major streams in the Bachelor of Arts will prepare you for a first teaching specialisation in schools:

The following majors are also offered in subject areas less commonly taught in schools and/or restricted to the senior secondary level, hence are recommended as more appropriate for a second teaching specialisation:

Geography exemption in BA/BEd (Secondary)
You can secure an exemption from the Home-based Major rule if you are completing the dual award program BA/BEd (Secondary) and wish to complete Geography as your first teaching method.

NOTE: For details of individual major and minor streams please consult the relevant stream entries.

The following streams are available as 36 UOC extended minors and will prepare you for an additional first teaching specialisation:

The following streams are only available as 24 UOC minor streams and can be combined with a major stream in English or History as preparation for a double first teaching specialisation:

Minors that are suitable as a supporting Minor for double History are as follows:

Minors that are suitable as a supporting Minor for double English are as follows:

If your language skills are assessed as Level A in Introductory, Intermediate, Advanced or Professional you cannot commence study until Semester 1.

You must choose courses in the Bachelor of Arts (Dual mode) that will enable you to meet the teaching requirements for specific areas of specialisation.

You should check with the School of Education the teaching specialisation requirements in the Bachelor of Arts (Dual mode) to ensure the courses you have chosen will provide the appropriate background for two single or one double secondary teaching specialisation.

UNSW Arts and Social Sciences Prescribed Electives are any courses chosen from the offerings of UNSW Arts and Social Sciences. You can use these courses to add depth to your major or minor stream (above the minimum requirements) or undertake other courses from other areas of study within UNSW Arts and Social Sciences. Indigenous Studies courses (ATSIxxxx) cannot be studied as UNSW Arts and Social Sciences Prescribed Electives.

ARTS2050 Academic Writing for the Humanities (6 UOC)
HUMS1005 Personalised English Language Enhancement (6 UOC)

These courses, ARTS2050 and HUMS1005, can be counted as UNSW Arts and Social Sciences Prescribed Electives or Free Electives.

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.

Once you have completed your Bachelor of Arts in Dual mode and 144 UOC overall you can apply for admission to do an Honours year in the Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences (Honours) program 4504. Entry to Honours requires a WAM of 70 or higher in the major stream(s) in which you want to study at Honours level.

Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences (Honours) program 4504

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

** BOSTES requires all students to complete 48 UOC in Arts courses by the end of Semester 1 Year 2. If you are completing an Extended Minor Language stream at Introductory Level you will complete a Level 2 course for your Major stream instead.

More sample programs can be found on the School of Education website.

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

Students completing the Bachelor of Education (Secondary) in Dual mode with the Bachelor of Arts who decide to discontinue their enrolment in this program may exit the program and enrol in the Bachelor of Arts program in Single mode.
Students may transfer from the combined degree Program to the single Arts degree program in their first 2 years.

After three years study in the dual degree, students may exit the program with a Bachelor of Arts with a Major in Education (60 uoc) and a Minor in an area of discipline study. Students who elect this option should follow one of the following exit strategies:

(1) Students identified at the end of Semester 1 in Year 3 will be required to complete 12 uoc of general education courses, 6 uoc of EDST Elective and 6 uoc in the upper level Arts course that would have been their first teaching subject.

(2) Students identified at the beginning of first semester in Year 4 will be required to complete 12 uoc of general education courses instead of the Year 4 courses.
Students seeking to exit the program should contact the UNSW Arts and Social Sciences Student Centre.

The Academic Rules for the UNSW BA 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.

Contact the UNSW Arts and Social Sciences Student Centre for advice.
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