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Program

Arts / Education (Secondary) - 4053

Program Summary

Faculty: Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Contact: School of Education

Campus: Sydney

Career: Undergraduate

Typical Duration: 4 Years  

Typical UOC Per Semester: 24

Min UOC Per Semester: 6

Max UOC Per Semester: 24

Min UOC For Award: 192

UAC Code: 422100

Domestic Entry Requirements: See Domestic Entry Requirements

International Entry Requirements: See International Entry Requirements

Award(s):

Bachelor of Arts (Major)

Bachelor of Education (Secondary)

View program information for previous years

Program Description
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.

Program Learning Outcomes
You should achieve the Program Learning Outcomes upon successful completion of the Bachelor of Arts 3409.

Program Learning Outcomes

You should achieve the following Program Learning Outcomes upon successful completion of the Bachelor of Education (Secondary):
  1. Know students and how they learn
  2. Know the content and how to teach it
  3. Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning
  4. Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments
  5. Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning
  6. Engage in professional learning
  7. Engage professionally with colleagues, parents/carers and the community.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Education (Secondary) in Dual Mode

Program Structure
The basic requirements for the degree in Dual mode (96 UOC) are:
  1. Education Core (66 UOC)
  2. Prescribed Education method electives (24 UOC)
  3. Prescribed Education electives (6 UOC)

Core

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Level 4

Professional Experience

EDST2002, EDST6760 and EDST6765 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 method courses in each single teaching specialisation or four method courses in one double teaching specialisation from the following:
  • Aboriginal (Indigenous) Studies
  • Drama
  • English (single or double)
  • English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D)
  • Geography
  • History (single or double)
  • Languages: Chinese, French, German, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish
  • Legal Studies
  • Music Studies (Intensive)
  • Society and Culture

Prescribed Education Electives

The teaching specialisation requirements are summarised below:
 
Teaching Specialisation (offered as a single method only unless specified)
Two single methods: A Major stream is required for the first teaching method, and a Minor stream for the second teaching method.
For double English or double History: A Major is required in English or History and a Minor in a related area (eg. For English, appropriate minor studies include Linguistics, Media, Culture and Technology, Film Studies, Creative Writing, Philosophy; for History, appropriate minor studies include any Area studies, Politics, Indigenous Studies)
Aboriginal (Indigenous) Studies
Studies in Aboriginal history, Aboriginal anthropology, Aboriginal literature, and/or Aboriginal language and linguistics.
Drama (Theatre & Performance Studies)
Studies in Drama, including theory, performance and production, including ARTS2122 Performance Production 1: Staging the Text, ARTS3123 Solo Performance Making or ARTS3124 Performance Production 2: Collaborative Making.
English (single or double method)
Studies in English language and literature, communications, creative writing, linguistics, and/or media studies, including at least 12 UOC in literature and 6 UOC in Australian literature.
English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D)
Studies in Linguistics, with a specialisation in the English language.
Geography
Studies in Geography
History (single or double method)
Studies in History in areas such as Australian history, Aboriginal history, modern history, ancient history, or historiography.
Languages: Chinese, Japanese,  Indonesian, French, German, Spanish, and/or Korean 
Studies in a language other than English, including the spoken and written language, beyond the HSC level.
Legal Studies
Interdisciplinary studies in  criminology, politics, philosophy and law (available as an Extended Minor stream only)
Music Studies (Intensive) Studies in musicology (music history and analysis) in a range of musical styles, periods and genres with a strong component of contemporary and western art music, compositional techniques, music performance studies (a minimum of two years of music performance studies) and preferably Australian music.
Society and Culture
Studies in Social Sciences, including at least 6 UOC in sociology and no more than 6 UOC of psychology, in areas such as: Aboriginal studies, anthropology, archaeology, Asian or Pacific studies, civics, cultural studies, government, history, media studies, philosophy, politics, religion studies, social communication.   

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

For accreditation as a teacher in NSW, all teacher education students will need to meet the following participation and enrolment requirements set by the NSW Educations Standards Authority (NESA).

Assessment of Suitability for Teaching

It is a NESA requirement that all UNSW Bachelor of Education students successfully complete a full year (48 UOC) of studies in their specific disciplinary content area (e.g., Maths, Science, Economics, Arts, etc.) before undertaking any discipline-specific curriculum and pedagogic studies (Methods) or professional experience placements in schools. At the end of their first semester they must also complete a motivational statement as to why they want to be a teacher, which is scored on a 2-point scale: No – incoherent, irrelevant, or inappropriate reasons, or Yes - coherent and valid reason. If students score ‘No’, they will be counselled out of the program.

In addition, before their first supervised professional experience placement, all teacher education students must successfully complete:

  1. The National Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education.
  2. The Classroom Readiness Questionnaire. The Classroom Readiness Questionnaire is a pre-professional experience self-assessment tool that requires students to provide evidence of success across six areas (subject content, inherent requirements, professional language/literacy/numeracy, oral communication, classroom management, and commitment to the profession). Their self-assessments are then endorsed (or not) by at least two staff members who teach them.
  3. A situational judgement test. This test is a scenario-based measurement tool designed to assess individuals’ judgement in a contextualised workplace setting. This test evaluates a number of key non-academic capabilities deemed necessary for teaching (e.g., adaptability, empathy).
We also undertake extensive evaluation of teacher suitability for their specific teaching areas. We do this via: (a) including a compulsory microteaching assessment in Methods courses, (b) using direct observation of all professional experience placements, including the first semester placement as a teaching assistant, (c) multiple critical assessment tasks, (d) a teaching performance assessment, and (e) a set of inherent requirements used by a range of UNSW teacher education providers. We continually monitor and evaluate the relationship between these measures, the performance during professional experience, and graduate outcomes, including level of self-efficacy.

English Language Proficiency

It is a NESA requirement that all teacher education students have very high levels of English language proficiency, thus in addition to satisfying UNSW entry requirements, see www.unsw.edu.au/english-requirements-policy, oral and written communication skills are assessed regularly as part of all coursework and professional experience. By graduation it is expected that all teacher education students will be able to demonstrate English language proficiency equivalent to a Band 5 NSW HSC- level or an IELTS 7.5, with 8.0 for speaking and listening.

The National Literacy and Numeracy Test

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. At UNSW, students must successfully complete both components of the LANTITE test prior to enrolling in their first Professional Experience course. You are supplied with information for the tests though Moodle and the link is provided at https://teacheredtest.acer.edu.au. Successful completion of the LANTITE test will be recorded as two zero credit courses, EDST6600 LANTITE (Literacy) and EDST6601 LANTITE (Numeracy) on a student’s academic record.

Proficiency in Languages Other than English

Teacher education students undertaking a major or extended minor stream in a language other than English (e.g., Chinese) as a first or second teaching specialisation may be asked to take an additional assessment of their language other than English skills before being permitted to enrol in the relevant language teaching specialisation (i.e., Method). This is to ensure that they have the necessary language competence, including both spoken and written language, to teach the target language at HSC level in NSW schools.

Working With Children Check

Before their first professional experience placement, all teacher education students must obtain a current Volunteer Working With Children Check (WWC) and attend a UNSW-based 2-hour child protection lecture delivered by the Department of Education – Employee Performance and Conduct Directorate. They must provide a copy of their WWC clearance number to the Professional Experience Office (PEO) via the Online Placement System (OPS). The PEO verifies all WWC numbers in the Office of the Children’s Guardian verification page for employers (https://wwccheck.ccyp.nsw.gov.au/Employers/Login) and classifies students as ‘eligible’ for placement, or not. All EDST 6765 Professional Experience 2 students must then obtain a valid paid WWC clearance. For more information about volunteer and paid WWC Checks, find the link here: https://www.kidsguardian.nsw.gov.au/child-safe-organisations/working-with-children-check.

All students must also familiarise themselves with the NSW Department of Education Code of Conduct and the document Responding to Allegations against Employees in the Area of Child Protection. All students are provided access to the policy via the Professional Experience Handbook specific to their year of placement.

Anaphylaxis Training & Certification

The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) and the Department of Education (DoE) has mandated the completion of anaphylaxis e-training for all permanent, temporary, and casual employees who work in schools, including teacher education students. All UNSW 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 auto-injector training device prior to commencing their first 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. The Professional Experience Office will then arrange practice using the adrenaline auto-injector training device. Students are then required to upload their signed certificate to the OPS. NESA and the DoE 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 DoE 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 DoE to meet the requirement of anaphylaxis training for initial Teacher Education Students.

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

Academic Rules

To qualify for the award of the degree at Pass level, you must:
  1. enrol in the Bachelor of Education (Secondary) in Dual mode and complete 96 UOC;
  2. complete the method requirements for one or two areas of teaching specialisation
  3. complete at least 30 UOC of Level 1 courses before enrolling in Level 2 courses
  4. complete at least 30 UOC of Level 2 courses before enrolling in Level 3 courses

Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in Dual Mode

Program Structure

The basic requirements for the degree in Dual mode (96 UOC) are:
  1. A home major stream (60 UOC)
  2. A minor stream (24 UOC)
  3. Arts and Social Sciences Prescribed Electives (12 UOC)
OR
  1. A home major stream (60 UOC)
  2. An extended minor stream (36 UOC)

Home Major Streams

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

Chinese Studies English French Studies German Studies History
Japanese Studies Korean Studies Music Studies (Intensive) Spanish and Latin American Studies Theatre and Performance Studies

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:

External Major Stream

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.

Extended Minor Streams

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

Chinese Studies English French Studies German Studies History
Indigenous Studies Indonesian Studies Japanese Studies Korean Studies Legal Studies
Linguistics Politics Sociology and Anthropology Spanish and Latin American Studies Theatre and Performance Studies

Minor Streams

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:

Asian Studies Australian Studies Creative Writing Enviromental Humanities European Studies
Film Studies International Relations (pre-2018 students only)
 Media, Culture and Technology Philosophy Women's and Gender Studies

Minors that are suitable as a supporting Minor for double History are as follows:
  • Asian Studies
  • Australian Studies
  • Environmental Humanities
  • European Studies
  • Indigenous Studies (Extended)
  • Politics (Extended)
  • Sociology and Anthropology (Extended)
  • Women's and Gender Studies
Minors that are suitable as a supporting Minor for double English are as follows:
  • Creative Writing
  • Film Studies
  • Linguistics (Extended)
  • Media, Culture and Technology
  • Philosophy
  • Women’s and Gender Studies

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.

Major and Minor Stream requirements in Dual Programs

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

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.

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 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

Academic Rules
To qualify for the award of the degree at Pass level, you must:
  1. complete 96 UOC in the BA;
  2. complete the requirements for one 60 UOC home major stream;
  3. complete the requirements for one 24 UOC minor stream or one 36 UOC extended minor stream;
  4. complete 12 UOC Arts and Social Sciences Prescribed Electives if not completing an extended minor stream (36UOC);
  5. complete at least 30 UOC of Level 1 courses before enrolling in Level 2 courses;
  6. specify your major(s)/minor at the time of enrolment into Level 2;
  7. complete at least 48 UOC overall, including 6 UOC at Level 1 and 6 UOC at Level 2 in your major/minor, before enrolling in Level 3 courses

Sample Program

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of Education (Secondary) with a 24 UOC Minor Stream - Example only

 Semester 1Semester 2UOC 
Level 1EDST1104 Social Perspectives in Education (6)

EDST1108 Indigenous Perspectives (6)

Major stream (6)

Minor stream (6)		EDST1101 Educational Psychology (6)

Major stream (6)

Minor stream (6)

UNSW Arts and Social Sciences Prescribed Elective (6)

 48
Level 2EDST2003 Learning and Teaching Introductory Perspectives (6)

Major stream (6)

Major stream (6)

Minor stream (6)

EDST2002 Professional Engagement (6)

Major stream (6)

Major stream (6)

Minor stream (6)

 48
Level 3EDST4084 Managing the Classroom (6)

EDST6760 Professional Experience 1 (6)

Method 1A (6)

Method 1B (6)

EDST4080 Special Education: Inclusive Strategies  (6)

Major stream (6)

Major stream (6)

UNSW Arts and Social Sciences Prescribed Elective (6)

 48
Level 4EDST4096 Gifted and Talented Students (6)

EDST Elective (6)

Major stream (6)

Major stream (6)

EDST6765 Professional Experience 2/Internship (12)

Method 2A (6)

Method 2B (6)

 48

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of Education (Secondary) with a 36 UOC Extended Minor Stream - Example only

 Semester 1Semester 2UOC 
Level 1EDST1104 Social Perspectives in Education (6)

EDST1108 Indigenous Perspectives (6)

Major stream (6)

Extended Minor stream (6)		EDST1101 Educational Psychology (6)

Major stream (6)

Extended Minor stream (6)

Extended Minor stream* (6)

 48
Level 2EDST2003 Learning and Teaching Introductory Perspectives (6)

Major stream (6)

Major stream (6)

Extended Minor stream (6)

EDST2002 Professional Engagement (6)

Major stream (6)

Major stream (6)

Extended Minor stream (6)

 48
Level 3EDST4084 Managing the Classroom (6)

EDST6760 Professional Experience 1 (6)

Method 1A (6)

Method 1B (6)

EDST4080 Special Education: Inclusive Strategies  (6)

Major stream (6)

Major stream (6)

Extended Minor stream (6)

 48
Level 4EDST4096 Gifted and Talented Students (6)

EDST Elective (6)

Major stream (6)

Major stream (6)

EDST6765 Professional Experience 2/Internship (12)

Method 2A (6)

Method 2B (6)

 48

* 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.

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

Exit Strategies
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.

Important Information
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.

Further Information
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

Glossary of Terms
Area(s) of Specialisation
Arts Education at UNSW

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