Faculty information

• Introduction to the faculty
• Research degrees 
  
• Postgraduate courses
  • Initial teacher education courses
  • Professional studies
    
• Where to get help and advice in the faculty
  
  • Course and student advisers
  • Professional placements
  • Student ambassadors
• Credit policy
• Fieldwork
  
• Mandatory checks and security clearances
• Professional registration and accreditation
• Policies and procedures
• Contact us
  

Areas of study

• Areas of study

Course information

• Outline of postgraduate studies
  • Courses offered in 2014
  • Courses with no further intake

Course-related policies and rules

• Government and University legislation

The Faculty of Education is committed to researching, communicating and applying knowledge about teaching and learning in ways that foster quality in education.

The Faculty of Education develops and provides innovative research and teaching that takes seriously the global-to-local demands of a world-class, Australian public university. Our work focuses on advancing the discipline and practice of education through original research, development and partnership activities. We prepare and develop professionals and practitioners for a range of education settings and specialisations. We also engage policy and public debate on matters of importance to education and educators at all levels.

Our mission is to contribute to the public interest through high-quality and ethical teaching, research, capacity building and community service. To this end, we create and pursue opportunities that strengthen and sustain a vibrant intellectual community, centred on the purposeful, critical and disciplined study of learning and teaching in a range of contexts.

Our vision is of:

• graduates who are capable, thoughtful, ethical citizens of the world, distinguished by their knowledge, intellectual engagement and professional skill, and by their commitment to lifelong learning, innovation and excellence
• research practice and scholarly output that is recognised internationally and locally for its originality, rigour and impartiality, and for providing advice and services that inform and lead professional practice, public debate, policy and community action
• an intellectual, social, physical and web environment that challenges, enthuses and supports all to learn and excel, and which sustains productive working relations characterised by mutual respect, accountability, contribution and recognition.

The Faculty of Education is based at three of Monash’s Australian campuses: Berwick, Clayton and Peninsula, and offers courses in Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Fieldwork

Students in initial teacher education courses must successfully complete a specified number of days of professional experience, which consists of supervised school/early childhood setting placements. Professional experience connects the theoretical components of students’ academic studies with the practical aspects of teaching, and provides students with real-life experience to put their learning into practice. Students must meet specific security clearances before participating in a professional experience in any educational setting.

Students in the psychology and counselling master’s programs undertake supervised clinical placements. These placements offer valuable professional experience and the opportunity for students to establish contacts in the field of counselling and psychology.

Refer to the relevant course entry for specific fieldwork details.

Professional registration and accreditation

Primary and Secondary

Primary and secondary education courses are recognised by the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT). Courses approved under the Victorian standards for accreditation will be recognised for the purposes of teacher registration in Victoria and may be recognised by teacher regulatory authorities in other Australian jurisdictions. Courses approved under the national standards for accreditation will be recognised for the purposes of teacher registration in Victoria and by teacher regulatory authorities in all other Australian jurisdictions.

Early Years

Graduates of the Master of Teaching (Early Years) are able to gain registration with the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) as kindergarten teachers to teach in licensed early childhood settings in Victoria, including preschools and childcare centres. Students wishing to teach outside of Victoria (i.e. interstate or overseas) are advised to check the registration requirements of that area to ensure registration eligibility.

The Faculty of Education's postgraduate courses develop effective, innovative and sensitive professionals who support the learning and development of a diverse range of individuals, organisations and communities. Students can choose from an extensive range of programs, disciplines, specialisations and research options to meet their learning needs.

Initial teacher education courses

The Master of Teaching suite of courses are graduate entry teaching courses that prepare students from a range of disciplines for careers as teachers. The Master of Teaching courses are offered over three sectors: early years, primary and secondary, and each two-year course qualifies graduates to teach in their relevant sector. These courses are available to applicants with a bachelor degree, generally in a field other than education.

The courses comprise six core units and two depth units. Depth units enable students to select from three different streams; advanced professional learning, professional inquiry or research. These options direct students towards advancing their professional knowledge, further study in professional inquiry, or provide a direct pathway to a PhD respectively.

Master of Teaching (Early Years)

The Master of Teaching (Early Years) is offered on the Clayton campus and provides a qualification to teach in the birth to eight years. The course develops students' theoretical and practical knowledge in the area of early years teaching, with a focus on play-based learning, families and transition to school. Students form a broad conceptual understanding of the field of pre-school education as active participants in both on-campus classes and professional experience placements.

Master of Teaching (Primary)

The Master of Teaching (Primary) is offered from the Berwick and Peninsula campuses and provides a qualification to teach in primary schools. The course provides students with the opportunity to build on strengths developed in their undergraduate degree. Students develop deep knowledge of how primary aged children learn and how best to provide opportunities to develop and support integrated and differentiated learning. Students gain valuable classroom experience by completing professional experience placements.

Master of Teaching (Secondary)

The Master of Teaching (Secondary) is offered in an 18-month accelerated mode from the Berwick campus and as a two-year standard course at the Clayton campus and provides a qualification to teach in secondary schools. The course provides students with the opportunity to build on strengths developed in their undergraduate degree. Secondary education studies focus on adolescent and post-compulsory school learning, policy and social contexts of education, student engagement and the theory and practice of secondary teaching. Students also study two teaching methods that provide disciplinary expertise and gain valuable classroom experience by completing professional experience placements.

Professional studies

The faculty offers a wide range of courses in fields related to education, counselling and psychology, which may be taken either as coursework or research programs. The courses span the range of learning settings and issues that pertain to each setting. These include pre-school and school contexts, higher education, community and vocational education and workplace learning.  Topics address a wide range of issues that apply to learning across the lifespan.

The Graduate Certificate in Education Studies offers a short qualification that orients participants to concepts and practices in education. Successful completion of this award offers a pathway into a master's program for applicants without prior qualification in the education field.

The master’s program orients students to education, introduces key ideas and thinking at the core of contemporary educational debates, extends specialised learning in areas of interest and builds capacities to engage in scholarly work such as research.

The master’s program presents opportunities either to build a program by selecting units of interest, to enrol in a specialisation which allows choice from a selection of specialist units or to take a specialist master’s course in which students follow a particular sequence of units.

The Graduate Certificate in Academic Practice (Clayton) and the Graduate Certificate of Higher Education (Sunway only) provide a qualification for staff currently employed at Monash University or at another tertiary institution or for those preparing for a career in higher education.

The faculty offers a Master in Counselling course designed to provide counselling knowledge and skills for professional people working in a range of education, community and service-related industries who wish to obtain a qualification in counselling.

The psychology degrees offered by the faculty are accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) and qualify students for membership of a range of professional psychology organisations.These courses develop graduates as specialist professionals with a commitment to lifelong learning of the theoretical, research, assessment and therapeutic skills involved in psychology.

Refer to the relevant course entries for further information.

Note: The course details provided in the entries below are for those students who began their studies in 2014. Students who commenced their studies prior to this date should consult the archived Handbook edition for the year in which they started their course.

Refer to the faculty's 2014 course maps for course progression advice.

Research

• 0077 / 3737* Master of Education - by thesis only
• 3204 / 3740* Master of Education - by thesis and coursework
• 3732 Master of Psychology (Counselling)/Doctor of Philosophy - by coursework and thesis
• 3736 Master of Psychology (Educational and Developmental)/Doctor of Philosophy - by coursework and thesis
• 0079 / 3738* Doctor of Philosophy - by thesis only

* Students enrolled in the second course code listed for these degrees should refer to the course details outlined under the entry for the first course code.

Initial teacher education

• 4222 Master of Teaching (Early Years) - 96 points
  
• 4203 Master of Teaching (Primary) - 96 points
• 4201 Master of Teaching (Secondary) - 96 points

Postgraduate coursework

• 4207 Graduate Certificate in Academic Practice - 24 points
• 4213 Graduate Certificate in Education Studies - 24 points
• 4221 Graduate Certificate in Educational Research - 24 points
• 2550 Graduate Certificate in Higher Education - 24 points
• 3509 Postgraduate Diploma of Psychology - 48 points
• 3733 Master in Adult Education (Global) - 72 points
• 3236 Master in Counselling - 72 points
• 4215 Master in Early Childhood Education - 96 points
• 4211 Master of Education** - 96 points
• 4232 Master in Education for Sustainability - 96 points
• 4216 Master in Inclusive and Special Education - 96 points
• 4217 Master in Organisational Leadership - 96 points
• 4231 Master in Professional Psychology - 48 points
• 3231 Master of Psychology (Counselling) - 96 points
• 3232 Master of Psychology (Educational and Developmental) - 96 points
• 3721 Master in School Leadership** - 48 points
• 4214 Master in TESOL - 96 points

** 4211 Master of Education and 3721 Master in School Leadership students may graduate with a specialisation recorded on their testamur. Master of Education specialisations: Educational leadership and policy; Expert teaching practice; Learning communities and practice development. Master in School Leadership specialisations: Literacy; Numeracy.

Courses with no further intake

Students in these courses need to refer to the archived Handbook edition for the year in which they started their course.

• 0341 Graduate Diploma of Education (Primary)
• 1737 Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary)
• 3205 Postgraduate Certificate of Education
• 3210 Postgraduate Diploma of Education
• 3702 Postgraduate Diploma in Organisational Leadership
• 3239 Master in Applied Linguistics for Language Teachers
• 2500 Master of Education
• 3209 Master in Organisational Leadership
• 4202 Master of Teaching (Early Childhood)