Graduate Diploma in Education

GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN EDUCATION (Course Code 31400)

Students who wish to qualify as secondary school teachers can apply for enrolment in the Graduate Diploma in Education course when they have completed a Bachelors degree either at The University of Western Australia or at another recognised tertiary institution.

The Graduate Diploma is accepted as a teaching qualification in Western Australian government and non-government schools, and throughout Australia. The course requires a minimum of one year of full-time study. The requirements include 12 weeks of school teaching practice experience in schools. Because of the coherence of the whole program, a part-time student employed during normal working hours would find it difficult to complete the course, and students must have the approval of the Dean of Education to enrol on a part-time basis.

The course allows students to reflect on, and research, classroom practices; and has core requirements in curriculum studies, teaching and learning perspectives, policies in education research and school experience.

In this degree, students should have three years of study in the major curriculum area in which they wish to teach (for the School Psychology stream one needs a four year degree), and preferably two years of study in their minor curriculum area. For the minor curriculum areas of Information Communication and Technology, Career Education and Special Education, no prior academic studies are required.

The Diploma comprises units to the value of 60 points as follows:

• a major curriculum unit - select from English, Information and Communication Technology, LOTE, Mathematics, Physical Education, Science, Society and the Environment, TESOL, and School Psychology.
• a minor curriculum unit - select from Career Education, Information and Communication Technology, LOTE, Mathematics, Science, Society and the Environment, Special Education and TESOL.
• 5 core units
• 2 optional units
• 2 school experience units