The Bachelor of Arts, Master of Teaching (Early Childhood) double degree is a pre-service teacher education course which requires five years of full-time study (or the equivalent part-time). Students who study part-time would normally be expected to complete the double degree program within ten years.

The course is offered by the Faculty of Education, Humanities and Law.

A Lutheran pathway is available in the fifth year for students wishing to teach in that system. Specialist language education topics are available for those students who wish to teach a language(s).

Admission requirements

The minimum requirements for consideration for entry to all undergraduate courses are specified in detail in the University Entry Requirements.

Course aims

The course aims to provide graduates with a sound basis of knowledge in their chosen areas of study in the Bachelor of Arts together with the ability to apply an advanced/specialised body of content and pedagogical knowledge, skills and dispositions to:

  • plan, implement and advocate transformative teaching and learning in the field of early childhood education
  • enact policies and practices that take account of social and individual difference, ensuring that all children learn in supportive and just environments
  • work independently and collaboratively with children, colleagues and communities to construct and assess inclusive and intellectually challenging curriculum for children aged birth to 8 years
  • engage in critical reflection and continuing professional learning through a variety of pathways including research-based projects

Learning outcomes

On completion of the double degree program graduates will be able to:

  • demonstrate achievement of the learning outcomes of the Bachelor of Arts and be able to apply these in an education setting
  • synthesise in-depth, current knowledge and an integrated understanding of the theories, content and processes of learning and teaching in the field of early childhood education
  • articulate advanced knowledge and reflexivity regarding children’s development and individual and social differences, including for Indigenous Australians
  • apply the cognitive, technical and creative skills and dispositions to create and maintain mutually respectful and socially just learning environments for children aged birth to 8 years
  • communicate respectfully with students, colleagues, parents and communities to enhance professional practice and student learning in the field of early childhood education
  • apply the cognitive, technical and creative skills to construct and assess inclusive and challenging curriculum for children aged birth to 8 years
  • demonstrate and apply sound knowledge of research principles and methods to execute a research based project in early childhood education
  • commit to ongoing professional learning to do with new discourses, debates and issues in education as they arise in the field of early childhood education
  • demonstrate dispositions towards relational and transformative education and a strong sense of themselves as agents, advocates and leading professionals in the field of early childhood education.

Program of study

To qualify for the double degree of Bachelor of Arts, Master of Teaching (Early Childhood), a student must:

  • complete 180 units with a grade of P or NGP or better in each topic, consisting of 108 units in the Bachelor of Arts and 72 units in the Master of Teaching, according to the program of study below; and
  • meet the required benchmark in the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education Students (LANTITE). Students must normally meet the benchmark within three attempts. Further attempts may be recommended by the Faculty Board under exceptional circumstances.

Except with the permission of the Faculty Board, a student may not proceed to the Master level topics in years four and five unless they have satisfactorily completed the first three years of the double degree.

Students will normally need to have achieved a GPA of 5.00 or higher in the first 108 units to enter the Masters component in the final two years of the double degree. Under exceptional circumstances and subject to specific conditions, the Faculty Board may permit students who do not meet this GPA requirement to enter the final two years of the double degree. Those not meeting this requirement will transfer to the four-year Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood), Bachelor of Arts double degree.

Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood), Bachelor of Arts may transfer to Bachelor of Arts, Master of Teaching (Early Childhood) if they have achieved a GPA of at least 5.00 after completion of 36 or 72 units of the degree. Under exceptional circumstances and subject to specific conditions, the Faculty Board may invite other students to transfer.

Students who commence, but subsequently do not wish to complete, the double degree program may be eligible to exit with:

Except with the permission of the Board:

  • no compulsory Education topic may be taken more than twice
  • professional experience topics may not be attempted more than once.

Students should note that professional experience topics require full-time commitment for their duration.

The 108 unit Bachelor of Arts component must include:

  • COMS1001 Academic and Professional Communication;
  • 36 units of one Arts major sequence selected from the list below;
  • 22.5 units of one Arts minor sequence selected from the list below;
  • 4.5 units of Arts electives which can be selected from any one of the BA majors/minors at any level provided the entry requirements are met; and
  • 40.5 units of Education topics.

Bachelor of Arts component

Core - Year 1 topics

13.5 units comprising

 COMS1001  Academic and Professional Communication  (4.5 units)
 EDUC1120  Teaching and Educational Contexts  (4.5 units)
 EDUC1221  Play, Learning and Development  (4.5 units)
 EDUC1225   Professional Experience: Year 1 (Early Childhood) (0 units)

Option - Year 1 topics

Choose 22.5 units comprising:

9 units of BA Major topics
9 units of BA Minor topics
4.5 units of BA Elective topics*

*BA electives can be selected from any of the BA majors/minors at any level provided the entry requirements are met

Core - Year 2 topics

9 units comprising

 EDUC2321  The Expressive Arts in Early Childhood  (4.5 units)
 EDUC2324  Professional Experience: Year 2A (Early Childhood) (0 units)
 EDUC2421  Literacy and Numeracy: Birth-4  (4.5 units)
 EDUC2424  Professional Experience: Year 2B (Early Childhood) (0 units)

Option - Year 2 topics

Choose 27 units comprising:

13.5 units of BA Major topics 
13.5 units of BA Minor topics

Core - Year 3 topics

27 units comprising:

 EDUC3521  Language, Literature and Literacies 4-8  (4.5 units)
 EDUC3522  Pedagogies of Belonging  (4.5 units)
 EDUC3528  Professional Experience: Year 3A (Early Childhood) (0 units)
 EDUC3618  Numeracy and Multiliteracies in Design and Technology  (4.5 units)
 EDUC3623  Health and Physical Education in Early Childhood  (4.5 units)
 EDUC3640  Professional Experience: Year 3B (Early Childhood) (4.5 units)
 EDUC7xxx  Thinking and Working Mathematically  (4.5 units)#

Option - Year 3 topics

Choose 9 units of BA Major topics

Master of Teaching (Early Childhood) component

Core - Year 4 topics

27 units comprising:

 EDUC9127  Thinking and Working Scientifically in the Early Years (4.5 units)
 EDUC9301  Curriculum and Pedagogy in the Early Years  (4.5 units)
 EDUC9303  Critical Pedagogies for a Changing World (4.5 units)
 EDUC9304  Professional Experience: Final Assessment (Early Childhood) (4.5 units)
 EDUC9400  Critical Indigenous Pedagogies  (4.5 units)
 EDUC9401  The Reflective Professional in Action (4.5 units)

Option - Year 4 topics

Choose 9 units comprising:

4.5 units chosen from the list of Option - Year 5 - Master of Education topics below
4.5 units of BA Major topics^

Core - Year 5 topics

4.5 units comprising:

 EDUC9761  Approaches to Research  (4.5 units)

Option - Year 5 - Research topics

Choose either a 4.5 unit Independent Research Study or an 18 unit Dissertation:

 EDUC9719  Independent Research Study  (4.5 units)

OR complete the following 18 unit Dissertation

 EDUC9724A  Dissertation in Education  (4.5/18 units)
 EDUC9724B  Dissertation in Education  (4.5/18 units)
 EDUC9724C  Dissertation in Education  (4.5/18 units)
 EDUC9724D  Dissertation in Education  (4.5/18 units)

Option - Year 5 - Master of Education topics

Select the remaining topics from the list below to fulfil the 36 unit year 5 requirement. Students may choose topics from a single Master of Education specialisation area as listed below or can choose topics from a range of these specialisation areas:

Cognitive Psychology and Educational Practice

 EDUC8731  Motivation, Cognition and Metacognition in Learning  (4.5 units)
 EDUC9732  Teaching to Develop Motivation, Cognition and Metacognition  (4.5 units)
 EDUC9733  The Psychology of Learning and Instruction  (4.5 units)
 EDUC9734  Applications of Psychology to Learning and Instruction  (4.5 units)
 EDUC9735  Research Design in Cognition and Instruction  (4.5 units)
 EDUC9736  Research Application in Cognition and Instruction  (4.5 units)

Educational Research, Evaluation and Assessment

 AUST9000  Indigenous Research Methodologies  (4.5 units)
 EDUC9762  Introduction to Statistics  (4.5 units)
 EDUC9763  Survey and Questionnaire Methods  (4.5 units)
 EDUC9764  Methods in Ethnography  (4.5 units)
 EDUC9765  Researching Texts and Documents  (4.5 units)
 EDUC9766  Multivariate and Multilevel Statistics for Educational Research  (4.5 units)
 EDUC9767  Assessment in Education  (4.5 units)
 EDUC9769  Measuring Educational Achievement  (4.5 units)

Gifted Education

 EDUC8791  Gifted Education: Conceptions of Giftedness, Intelligence and Creativity  (4.5 units)
 EDUC9792  Gifted Education: Curriculum and Differentiation  (4.5 units)
 EDUC9793  Gifted Education: Program Design and Evaluation  (4.5 units)
 EDUC9794  Gifted Education: Affective Development  (4.5 units)

Higher Education

 EDUC8905  Higher Education: A Global Context  (4.5 units)
 EDUC9906  Higher Education: Global Perspectives on Teaching and Learning  (4.5 units)

International Baccalaureate

  EDUC8821  IBMYP Curriculum Foundations  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9822  IBMYP Curriculum Processes  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9823  Teaching, Learning and Assessment in the IBMYP  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9824  Classroom Diversity and the IBMYP  (4.5 units)

Languages Education

  EDUC8602  Leaders and Leadership  (4.5 units)
  EDUC8731  Motivation, Cognition and Metacognition in Learning  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9701  Effective Use of ICT for Learning and Teaching  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9704  Exploring Languages Pedagogy - Theory and Practice  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9705  Developing Literacies Through Intercultural Language Learning  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9706  Visualising Language Learning  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9708  New Technologies and e-pedagogy in Foreign Language Education  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9732  Teaching to Develop Motivation, Cognition and Metacognition  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9733  The Psychology of Learning and Instruction  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9767  Assessment in Education  (4.5 units)
  ESOL8001  Second Language Learning and Teaching (4.5 units)
  ESOL8002  Second Language Testing (4.5 units)
  LANG8001  Introduction to Second Language Acquisition (4.5 units)
  LANG8002  Second Language Teaching Methodology (4.5 units)

Leadership and Management

  EDUC8601  Strategic Thinking and Planning  (4.5 units)
  EDUC8602  Leaders and Leadership  (4.5 units)
  EDUC8618  Pedagogical Leadership (4.5 units)
  EDUC9603  Theories of Organisational Change  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9604  Managing Human Resources  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9605  Knowledge Management for Organisational Learning  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9606  Planning Change in Organisations  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9608  Globalisation, Development and Education  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9609  Leadership and Management in Rural Contexts  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9610  Developing People in Organisations  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9611  Managing Innovation in Organisations  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9616  Leadership and Management in Education  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9617  Education Governance  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9707  Leading Change in the Digital Age (4.5 units)

Special Education

  EDUC8129  Contemporary Issues in Special Education (4.5 units)
  EDUC8541  Studies in Vision Impairment 1  (4.5 units)
  EDUC8731  Motivation, Cognition and Metacognition in Learning  (4.5 units)
  EDUC8791  Gifted Education: Conceptions of Giftedness, Intelligence and Creativity  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9307  Educational Planning and Assessment for Students with Special Needs (4.5 units)
  EDUC9406  Differentiation and Inclusive Educational Practices  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9409  Intervention for Students with Numeracy Difficulties  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9501  Understanding Behaviour in Educational Contexts  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9503  Supporting Behaviour Change  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9504  Supporting Positive Behaviour in Schools  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9511  Complex Communication Needs and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (4.5 units)
  EDUC9512  Supporting Learners with Disability and Challenging Behaviour  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9513  Designing Individualised Functional Curriculum  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9521  Supporting Students with Learning Difficulties in Schools  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9522  Intervention for Students with Literacy Difficulties  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9531  Current Perspectives in Early Intervention  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9532  Early Intervention: Learning From and Through Play  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9542  Studies in Vision Impairment 2  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9543  Studies in Braille: Research and Practice  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9544  Studies in Orientation and Mobility: Research and Practice  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9551  Introduction to Sensory Impairment  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9552  Collaborative Consultation  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9553  Autism Spectrum Disorders: Teaching and Learning  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9709  Mindfulness and the Inner World of Teaching and Learning  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9732  Teaching to Develop Motivation, Cognition and Metacognition  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9792  Gifted Education: Curriculum and Differentiation  (4.5 units)

Studies of Asia

  EDUC8881  Studies of Asia Across the Curriculum: An Introduction  (4.5 units)
  EDUC8883  Studies of Asia: Contemporary Issues and Values  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9882  Studies of Asia: Premodern Asian Societies and Cultures  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9884  Studies of Asia: Arts Learning Area 1 (Sources and Contexts)  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9885  Studies of Asia: Arts Learning Area 2 (Contemporary Arts of Asia)  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9886  Studies of Asia: English Learning Area 1 (Literatures from Asia)  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9887  Studies of Asia: English Learning Area 2 (Contemporary Asian Literature)  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9888  Studies of Asia: Utilising In-Country Experience  (4.5 units)

Wellbeing and Positive Mental Health

  EDUC8601  Strategic Thinking and Planning  (4.5 units)
  EDUC8602  Leaders and Leadership  (4.5 units)
  EDUC8731  Motivation, Cognition and Metacognition in Learning  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9531  Current Perspectives in Early Intervention  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9552  Collaborative Consultation  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9606  Planning Change in Organisations  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9702  Teaching and learning to promote wellbeing and positive mental health in schools and early childhood services  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9709  Mindfulness and the Inner World of Teaching and Learning (4.5 units)

Other Education Options

  EDUC9502  Assessment, Planning and Teaching in Behaviour  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9612  Advanced Issues in Education  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9612A  Advanced Issues in Education A  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9703  Postgraduate Education: Purposes and Practices  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9851  Constructions of Education and Social Justice  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9852  Ethics in Education  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9921  Issues in Professional Learning  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9922  Models of Professional Learning  (4.5 units)
  EDUC9923  Leading Professional Learning  (4.5 units)

# This topic counts towards the Master of Teaching (Early Childhood) component of the double degree

^ This topic counts towards the Bachelor of Arts component of the double degree

The following majors or minors can be studied within the Bachelor of Arts component of the double degree:

# Chinese, German and Japanese are available cross-institutionally at the University of Adelaide. Please refer to http://hss.adelaide.edu.au/current-students/undergrad/majorsminors/