The Graduate Diploma in Language Teaching is a 36-unit program for qualified teachers offered by the Faculty of Education, Humanities and Law.

It is also available via flexible delivery for students outside Adelaide or with special needs. International students who are residing outside Australia may also undertake the course in the external mode.

Admission requirements

Applicants must normally hold an approved degree or equivalent qualification from a tertiary institution, be eligible for registration as a teacher in Australia, and have had at least one year's teaching experience in a school or other approved institution. However, the Faculty Board may, under certain circumstances and subject to specific conditions, admit others who can show evidence of fitness for candidature. 

Course aims

The Graduate Diploma in Language Teaching aims to:

  • foster the development of proficient levels of linguistic, socio-cultural and communicative competencies in French, Indonesian, Italian, Modern Greek or Spanish
  • expose students to a wide body of specific and cross-disciplinary knowledge relative to linguistic and cultural knowledges and practices (grammar, literature, translation, cinema, etc) relative to the language of study
  • develop students’ ability to analyse and respond to written and visual texts of varying difficulty relative to the language of study
  • develop students’ awareness of local and global communities of speakers relative to the language of study
  • train students to form broad conceptual understandings of issues relating to cross- and intercultural communication
  • provide opportunities for metacognitive training to enhance language acquisition and maximise opportunities to progress in language learning within and beyond the classroom
  • expose students to key concepts, principles and theories relative to Second Language Acquisition and provide an introduction to language action research
  • develop a personal and informed philosophy of language education based on students’ experience as language teachers and on their understanding of concepts, principles and theories relative to Second Language Acquisition and language teaching methodology.

Learning outcomes

On completion of the Graduate Diploma in Language Teaching, students are expected to:

  • be able to demonstrate a proficient level of competence in the target language
  • be able to demonstrate a broad knowledge of linguistic and cultural issues pertaining to the country / countries where the language of their choice is spoken
  • have developed academic rigour in formal language study
  • have increased their cross-cultural and intercultural skills by being aware of local and global communities of speakers relative to the language of study
  • be able to plan and implement strategies for successful language learning, and evaluate their effectiveness
  • have assimilated the key concepts, theories and issues pertaining to first and second language acquisition
  • have acquired key principles of language education which may be applied in classroom situations
  • have developed an informed personal philosophy of language education, which may inform teaching practices.

Credit

Students who have completed a Graduate Certificate in Language Teaching may be eligible to receive 18 units of credit.

The Graduate Diploma in Language Teaching also articulates with the Master of Language Studies. 36 units of credit may be granted toward the Master of Language Studies for successful completion of the Graduate Diploma in Language Teaching.

Program of study

To qualify for the Graduate Diploma in Language Teaching, a student must complete 36 units selected from one of the following programs of study with a grade of P or NGP or better for each topic:

Stream - French

 FREN8001  French 1, Part 1 for Teachers  (4.5 units)
 FREN8002  French 1, Part 2 for Teachers  (9 units)
 FREN8003  French 2, Part 1 for Teachers  (4.5 units)
 FREN8004  French 2, Part 2 for Teachers  (4.5 units)
 FREN8211  French Culture and Society 1  (4.5 units)
 LANG8001  Introduction to Second Language Acquisition  (4.5 units)

plus one of

 LANG8002  Second Language Teaching Methodology  (4.5 units)
 LANG8003  Introduction to Classroom-based Research  (4.5 units)

Stream - Indonesian

 INDO8101  Indonesian 1, Part 1 for Teachers  (4.5 units)
 INDO8102  Indonesian 1, Part 2 for Teachers  (4.5 units)
 INDO8103  Indonesian 2, Part 1 for Teachers  (4.5 units)
 INDO8104  Indonesian 2, Part 2 for Teachers  (4.5 units)
 INDO8110  Directed Study in Indonesian  (4.5 units)
 INDO8200  Indonesian Culture and Society GE  (4.5 units)
 LANG8001  Introduction to Second Language Acquisition  (4.5 units)

plus one of

 LANG8002  Second Language Teaching Methodology  (4.5 units)
 LANG8003  Introduction to Classroom-based Research  (4.5 units)

Stream - Italian

 ITAL8001  Italian 1, Part 1 for Teachers  (4.5 units)
 ITAL8002  Italian 1, Part 2 for Teachers  (9 units)
 ITAL8003  Italian 2, Part 1 for Teachers  (4.5 units)
 ITAL8004  Italian 2, Part 2 for Teachers  (4.5 units)
 ITAL8211  Italian Culture and Society 1  (4.5 units)
 LANG8001  Introduction to Second Language Acquisition  (4.5 units)

plus one of

 LANG8002  Second Language Teaching Methodology  (4.5 units)
 LANG8003  Introduction to Classroom-based Research  (4.5 units)

Stream - Modern Greek

 LANG8001  Introduction to Second Language Acquisition  (4.5 units)
 MGRE8001  Modern Greek 1, Part 1 for Teachers  (4.5 units)
 MGRE8002  Modern Greek 1, Part 2 for Teachers  (9 units)
 MGRE8003  Modern Greek 2, Part 1 for Teachers  (4.5 units)
 MGRE8004  Modern Greek 2, Part 2 for Teachers  (4.5 units)
 MGRE8211  Modern Greek Culture and Society 1  (4.5 units)

plus one of

 LANG8002  Second Language Teaching Methodology  (4.5 units)
 LANG8003  Introduction to Classroom-based Research  (4.5 units)

Stream - Spanish *

 LANG8001  Introduction to Second Language Acquisition  (4.5 units)
 SPAN8001  Spanish 1, Part 1 for Teachers  (4.5 units)
 SPAN8002  Spanish 1, Part 2 for Teachers  (9 units)
 SPAN8003  Spanish 2, Part 1 for Teachers  (4.5 units)
 SPAN8004  Spanish 2, Part 2 for Teachers  (4.5 units)
 SPAN8211  Keys to the Spanish and Latin American World  (4.5 units)

plus one of

 LANG8002  Second Language Teaching Methodology  (4.5 units)
 LANG8003  Introduction to Classroom-based Research  (4.5 units)

* Spanish is not offered externally.