The Master of Teaching (Secondary) is for graduates with non-Education bachelor degrees who want to qualify to teach their disciplines in secondary schools. For admission to the program, your bachelor degree disciplines must align with the current subject offerings of Queensland schools.

• Build on your existing subject knowledge with discipline-specific courses that will get you ready for the classroom
• Learn how to assess students’ learning needs, design lesson plans and manage a diverse classroom
• Complete Supervised Professional Experience in three blocks, totalling 60 days of practice teaching, with the opportunity to gain experience in rural and remote areas throughout Queensland
• Enhance your knowledge and skills through ongoing professional development seminars and employment forums, meeting with representatives from major employers, The Queensland College of Teachers, teacher unions and international recruiters

This program replaces the Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary) from Semester 2, 2017. The Master of Teaching is a two-year equivalent program delivered intensively over 18 months (or equivalent part-time).

USC Secondary Education graduates are in demand and experience a high level of employment. According to QILT (Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching), 85.7% of USC teacher education graduates are employed full time – one of the highest rankings of all Australian public universities.

Admission requirements

Research has shown that the most effective teachers are those who have academic capability, literacy and numeracy skills, and personal characteristics (non-academic capabilities). Entry to this program requires that applicants meet academic and non-academic criteria.

Academic qualifications

Applicants must have completed a non-Education Bachelor's degree (AQF Level 7), or equivalent, with a minimum GPA of 4.0 from a recognised tertiary institution. In addition, applicants must satisfy the discipline study requirements of at least one-quarter of a degree in a nominated first teaching area and one-sixth of a degree in a nominated second teaching area. Teaching Area One and Teaching Area Two must be from contrasting subject areas or different discipline areas and contain no more than 2 introductory courses in each area.

Discipline studies suitable for secondary include:

Teaching Area One: accounting; agricultural science; biology; business, chemistry; Chinese; dance; drama; earth and environmental science; English; film, television and new media; French; geography; German; health and physical education; history; Indonesian; information and communications technology; Italian; Japanese; marine science; mathematics; music; physics; psychology; Spanish; study of religion; technology studies; visual arts.

Teaching Area Two: Chinese; dance; design and technologies; digital technologies; drama; economics and business; English; French; geography; German; health and physical education; history; Indonesian; Italian; Japanese; mathematics; media arts; music; science; Spanish; visual arts.

Applicants from a non-English speaking background must attain an IELTS score of at least 7.5 with a minimum of 8.0 in speaking and listening and 7.0 in all other subtests. Refer to English language requirements

Personal statement requirement

As part of your application, you are required to complete an online questionnaire to demonstrate your motivation for, and understanding of, the program and profession. In the questionnaire, you will be asked to rank a series of statements in order of what you think is most to least important. You will also need to write a 600-1000 word personal statement on why you think you would make a great teacher, and why influencing the future appeals to you.

After you have submitted a QTAC application for this program, QTAC will contact you with further information about the written statement and how to complete your application.

More information is on the QTAC website.

Post-admission requirements

Students must complete a minimum of 60 days of Supervised Professional Experience in a school setting under the supervision of a Queensland College of Teachers (QCT) registered teacher. Students must obtain a Blue Card (or link their existing Blue Card to USC) prior to commencing supervised professional experience. Applications should be submitted at least 12 weeks prior to the SPE start date. View the Blue Card Fact Sheet for further information. Blue Cards are free-of-charge for Education students when applying through the School of Education at USC.

Students will also need to successfully complete the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education students. For more information on this Government initiative please visit the Students First website. Further information on the test, including sample test questions and registration information, please visit the Australian Council of Educational Research website.

Career opportunities

Teacher in secondary schools (Years 7-12), education consultant, corporate trainer.

Registration

Graduates are eligible for registration with the Queensland College of Teachers *.