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.

Students combine studies in two single or one double secondary teaching specialisations from the BA (Major Stream: 54 UOC and Minor Stream: 36 UOC). The program covers both theoretical and practical aspects of education, including 80 days supervised professional experience in at least two different secondary schools.

The aims of the UNSW BA are:

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.

The Graduate Attributes for UNSW BA are as follows:

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

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 two courses in each single teaching specialisation or four courses in one double teaching specialisation from the following:

The teaching specialisation requirements are summarised below:

 

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

Proficiency in English is essential in all Education courses.

It is expected that all applicants will have a Higher School Certificate minimum Band 5 in Standard English, English as a Second Language or 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.

Students undertaking a major or minor in a language other than English as a first or second teaching specialisation may be asked to take an additional assessment of their language skills before being permitted to enrol in their specific language teaching specialisation (i.e., method). This is to ensure they have the necessary language competence, including in both spoken and written language, to teach the target language to 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

Students must pass a national literacy and numeracy test as part of the program requirements.

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:

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

The home major streams in the Bachelor of Arts which will prepare students for a major teaching specialisation in schools are as follows:

All the major streams above except Dance Studies and Music Studies (Extension), are available to be completed as a minor stream ("Non-designated Minor") and could be combined as preparation for a first and second teaching specialisation.

In addition, some areas of study are only available as Minors. These are known as "Designated Minors". They are:

The following majors and minors 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:

Minors are also offered in the following areas:

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

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

External Minors are Streams offered by other Faculties.

The External Minors, streams of study offered by other Faculties, are also suitable preparation for a second teaching specialisation.

Students completing the Economics minor stream (30 UOC) are required to complete a second 6 UOC UNSW Arts and Social Sciences Prescribed Elective.

Language Studies for Commencing Mid-Year Students

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

Students must be careful in the selection of courses in their second Dual program so that they meet the requirements for teaching in specific areas of specialisation.

Students should check with the School of Education the teaching specialisation requirements in Dual mode in the other program to ensure they provide appropriate background for two single or one double secondary teaching specialisations.

UNSW Arts and Social Sciences Prescribed Electives are any courses chosen from the offerings of UNSW Arts and Social Sciences. Students can add depth to their 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.

After completion of 144 UOC including all of the requirements of the Bachelor of Arts dual degree, high achieving students may apply for admission to the Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences (Honours) program 4504. Entry to Honours requires a WAM of 70 or higher in the stream(s) seeking to be further studied.

Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences (Honours) program 4504

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.

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 (54 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