Undergraduate courses and subjects 2000

Studies in education

Education is one of the central functions of a university. It is not surprising, therefore, that one of the first faculties established at Monash should have been the Faculty of Education. This faculty is concerned with the professional education of teachers (both preservice and inservice) and related professionals and with research into the many-faceted ways in which education is conducted in society and in which education, society and individuals interact with each other.
The faculty's tradition of scholarly research, professional education and community service is substantial, having been built up since the faculty's foundation in 1964, and the faculty is constantly revising its courses and their constituent subjects and exploring new research opportunities.
While many students enrolled within the faculty are intending to teach in schools or early childhood settings or are teachers already, there is an increasing number of students who wish to study education for other reasons. Education takes place in the community in many ways and in many institutions other than schools. The faculty's courses have become increasingly attractive to educators in the fields of health, business, nursing, social work, industrial training, commerce, law, the public service, professional associations, tertiary institutions and community fields generally.
Undergraduate preservice courses are offered on all three campuses. These programs range from innovative double-degree programs to stand-alone three and four-year degrees. Preservice graduate diploma of education courses are also offered on each campus.
All campuses offer postgraduate certificates and diplomas and degrees, both by coursework and research. Many of these courses are available by distance education. Postgraduate courses cater mainly for students who have had some years of professional experience. For these students the faculty offers a wide range of subjects, many of which have a flexibility that encourages students to define their own interests and draw on their considerable professional and life experience. These opportunities reflect a recognition that there is a mutuality and reciprocity in the contributions to learning that are made by both staff and students.
The faculty's usual research degrees - the Master of Education and the Doctor of Philosophy - may be taken on any campus by students who wish to engage in individually supervised courses of research leading to the submission of a thesis, the prime purpose of which is the extension of knowledge for its own sake.
The faculty also offers a professional doctorate - the Doctor of Education - which requires up to five years full-time or up to eight years of part-time study. This degree program offers experienced and appropriately qualified educators the opportunity to upgrade their professional qualifications by engaging in study at a level equivalent to that of the PhD but involving a combination of coursework and research, culminating in the production of a thesis, the prime purpose of which is to use novel research findings to improve professional practice.