Graduate Certificate of Education (Early Childhood Studies)
Course code S74
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Important
This course is not offered for study on-campus to international students with a student visa.
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About this Course
Designed to meet the needs of practising primary and secondary teachers who wish to have a recognised qualification, as well as the skills and pedagogical understandings to teach in early childhood settings (Birth to 8, inclusive of school settings).
Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) level
This course has been accredited by ECU as an AQF Level 8 Graduate Certificate Award.
Course code S74
Entry requirements
ECU admission and English language requirements apply.
See Course Entry for further information.
Admissions
Fees
Commonwealth supported - estimated 1st year indicative fee AUD $2,350
See Fees and Scholarships for further information.
Availability & Campus
| Location | Semester 1 | Semester 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Joondalup | ||
| Mount Lawley | PT | |
| South West | ||
| Online | PT |
Course Entry
Admission requirements you'll need to meet for this course.
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The following course-specific admission requirements are mandatory and must be satisfied by all applicants. These requirements are in addition to or supersede the minimum requirements outlined within the Academic admission requirements band section below.
All applicants are required to have a three-year or four-year primary teaching qualification, such as a Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood Studies), Bachelor of Education (Primary), or a Graduate Diploma of Education (Primary), with equivalents considered.
Academic admission requirements (Band 8) may be satisfied through completion of one of the following:
- Bachelor degree in a cognate discipline; or
- Where accepted, equivalent prior learning, including at least five years relevant professional experience.
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Students must attain an IELTS Academic with an average level of 7.0 or more, across the four components of listening, speaking, reading and writing; no score below level 7.0 in any of these components.
Note:- If secondary education and degree studies were completed in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK or the USA, applicants do not need to provide proof of English competency.
- Applicants who have completed their secondary education in South Africa in English and have an undergraduate degree taught in English from a South African University are deemed to have met English language requirements for entry to the Master of Teaching.
Course Details
Semester availability
Semester 1: Study part-time at Mount Lawley or Online
Course Structure
S74|6
For more detailed unit information for this course take a look at our Handbook. To organise your life for next semester visit the Teaching timetable.
Student handbookCourse notes
Important course notes
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Students are required to complete two professional experience placements: ECE6240 (Childhood Development for the Early Years) and ECE6260 (The Art of Early Childhood Pedagogy) as part of the course.
Attendance requirements are:
- ECE6240: 10 days in a Birth-2 years setting; and
- ECE6260: 30 days in a 3-5 years setting, 20 days in a 5-8 years setting.
Attendance requirements
Generally, host Schools and Centres require that the pre-service teachers attend the professional experience on a full-time basis and otherwise meet their specific attendance requirements of the particular professional experience. There is limited scope for ECU to negotiate any deviations from these requirements.
Clearances and/or Risk Management Protocols Required
The Department of Education Western Australia and cooperating non-government schools have the right to determine 'fit and proper persons' to enter and practice in schools. For these reasons, all pre-service teachers 18 years of age and over will be required to have a current Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC) and a current Working with Children Check, or the equivalent clearance issued by the relevant State authority before commencing this period of Professional Experience.
Further information can be found at https://www.ecu.edu.au/schools/education/professional-experience/before-professional-experience
Professional practice rules
During the professional experience, it is imperative that pre-service teachers always demonstrate professionalism and respect for industry partners. Pre-service teachers must abide by the professional standards set out in the ECU Student Code of Conduct and comply with the applicable University policies and rules.
The Student Code of Conduct can be found at: http://policysearch.ecu.edu.au/PolicySearch/Record/767/file/document
The host School/Centre has absolute discretion to terminate the pre-service teacher’s professional experience prior to completion of the placement. Situations where this discretion has been exercised are typically where the School/Centre has had concerns about pre-service teacher's conduct or performance. ECU may also withdraw a pre-service teacher from professional experience in certain circumstances. Early termination or withdrawal from the professional experience placement may result in a Fail grade for this unit.
Course learning outcomes
- Apply high order analytical, problem solving and integrative thinking skills with a high level of personal autonomy when applying early childhood knowledge and skills in undertaking research, engaging in policy development, articulating a personal philosophy and improving teaching practice.
- Critically reflect using accredited standards, mentor feedback and the ECA Code of Ethics to demonstrate professional decision making and accountability in order to plan for continued collaborative and autonomous professional learning and development.
- Demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of the ethical, legislative, regulatory and policy requirements that guide high quality provision, leadership, advocacy and review of effective practices across a range of early childhood settings.
- Demonstrate detailed specialised knowledge and understanding of early childhood development, pedagogy, learning frameworks, content and practices that enable the construction of effective early childhood curriculum for differentiated and engaged learning and teaching for all young children.
- Ethically utilise a range of communication skills and technologies effectively in designing, evaluating and implementing innovative early childhood programs, reporting children's learning and engaging children, families and communities.
- Work collaboratively and build positive sustainable relationships with children, colleagues, families and community stakeholders to broaden cultural competence and professional knowledge and practice.
Professional Recognition
CourseAccredited by: Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority (ACECQA)
Fees and Scholarships
Fees
- AUD $2,350 - Commonwealth supported estimated 1st year indicative fee 1
Note
1 The 'estimated 1st year indicative fee' is provided as a guide only, based on a typical enrolment of students undertaking the first year of this course. At ECU, you pay for the individual units you enrol in, not an overall course fee, so the total cost of your course will vary, depending on what units you choose. An indicative fee will be provided with your course offer, however you can use our Course Fee Calculator to estimate the actual amount you'll need to pay. ECU fees are adjusted annually.
Some units require the payment of a fee for incidental goods or services required to complete those units. For more information and the full list of incidental fees for courses and units, visit What are Incidental Fees.
Scholarships
ECU has a scholarship program that provides many opportunities each year to students undertaking studies here.
Find a scholarshipCareer Opportunities
This course will increase the employment opportunities for graduates by providing them with a recognised early childhood qualification that they can use towards employment in the school sector in Kindergarten and Pre-Primary as well as opportunities to work as pedagogical leader, teacher, or director within early learning centres.
Possible future job titles
Kindergarten Teacher, Pre-Primary Teacher, Early Childhood Teacher, Pre-School Teacher
Courses you can consider if you are interested in progressing further in this area.
Need some help deciding what to study?
Our future student events include a mix of on-campus and online sessions designed to help you decide what to study at ECU.
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Quick guide to uni-speak
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The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is the national regulator of qualifications in the Australian education and training system. The AQF defines the essential characteristics, including the required learning outcomes, of the different types of qualifications issued across the higher education systems in Australia.
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ATAR is the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank, the primary criterion for entry into most undergraduate university courses in Australia. The ATAR is a percentile score which denotes a student's ranking relative to their state-wide peers upon completion of their secondary education.
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CRICOS is the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students. A CRICOS code is allocated to education institutions (like ECU) who are approved to recruit, enrol and deliver education to overseas students. Courses with a CRICOS code are available to international students who meet the entry requirements.
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A major, or unit set, is your chosen area of in-depth study in an undergraduate course. It usually involves 8 units of study, or one-third of the units in a 3-year degree. Talk to your Student Information Office if you need help choosing a major subject.
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Minors include between 4 and 6 study units in a specific discipline. Not all courses require you to complete a minor. Your minor subject doesn't appear on your printed degree (parchment), but is part of your academic transcript.
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If you're enrolled in 3 or more units in a semester this is considered full-time study. To complete most 3-year degrees studying full-time you'll need to complete 4 units per semester, i.e. 24 units over 3 years.
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If a course is available to study part-time you can generally expect it to take twice as long to complete as it would in full-time mode. Part-time students are enrolled in 1 or 2 units maximum per semester.
Note: International students who hold a student visa can only choose the full-time study option for our courses. This is to ensure the course is completed within the duration of the student visa.
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Most courses start in Semester 1 each year, usually in the last week of February. Some courses can be started in Semester 2 (we call this mid-year). There's a week of Orientation before each semester to help you get used to uni life.
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A lot of our courses start in Semester 2 each year, usually in the last week of July. We call this mid-year. There's a week of Orientation beforehand to help you get used to uni life.
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We use a points system to make it easier for you to understand your study progress. Most Bachelors degree study units are allocated 15 credit points. If you're studying a 3-year full-time degree you'll need to successfully complete 360 credit points - that's 24 units x 15 points per unit.
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These are compulsory units you have to successfully complete as part of your course.
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An elective is a unit you choose to study that counts towards your course requirements, but isn't compulsory. For some courses we recommend elective units. In some situations, a course coordinator may approve an elective unit as a replacement for a compulsory one.
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Do you have any questions about the Graduate Certificate of Education (Early Childhood Studies)?
The Important Things
Things you should know about if you're thinking about studying here.
Course Entry
There's more than one admission pathway into an ECU course. It depends on what you've studied already, or your work or life experience.
Fees & Scholarships
Course tuition fees can change, but we can give you an estimate of your costs. If you're eligible, a scholarship or student loan can help too.
Applying
Applying for a course is a fairly simple process, especially if you have scanned copies of qualifications, your resume or other paperwork, ready to upload.
ECU Experience
Starting a course is an exciting and sometimes daunting time, so we make a massive effort to ensure you get all the support you need to have a positive experience.