School of Education Programs

The School of Education offers pre-service education programs for primary and secondary teaching,as well as a range of post-initial programs in specialised areas such as Computers in Education, Curriculum and Policy Studies, and Tertiary Education.

Undergraduate Programs

The Bachelor of Education program is aimed at preparing students as professional educators for the new and broader roles expected of them in schools now and into the future. It will provide a qualification to teach in primary schools (P-6) or primary & middle years of schooling (P-10). In particular, this program will:

actively facilitate lifelong learning and contribution to a wide range of learning environments, with an emphasis on rural and regional communities
prepare graduates with flexible capabilities, and hence, employment opportunities
establish a new base and pathway for higher degree and research studies in education and learning
establish international perspectives and opportunities for students and staff

This program is offered from our Mt Helen and Horsham locations with Horsham offering a combination of face-to-face and online delivery.

The Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) aims to prepare teachers who are able to work confidently and competently with children in prior-to-school settings such as kindergarten, pre-schools, long day care centers and in primary schools. The objectives of the Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) are to:

Prepare graduates with flexible capabilities, and hence employment opportunities;
Incorporate learning technologies and learning about associated pedagogies;
Prepare graduates who recognise the importance of commitment to the profession and in the profession and for the field as a whole;
Actively facilitate the lifelong learning of pre-service teachers in early childhood education and prepare them to contribute to a wide range of learning communities;
Build partnerships with learning professions and communities;
Emphasise the importance of regional communities, facilitate work with and in them, and reinforce the university’s central roles in regional development.

This program is offered from our Mt Helen and Horsham locations with Horsham offering a combination of face-to-face and online delivery.

The Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) program prepares teachers in prior-to-school education particularly Kindergarten. The program also offers opportunities for qualified child care workers in the early childhood field to achieve professional status as a teacher.

The program has been designed to build upon students’ existing knowledge and focus on the development of the professional attributes of teaching including:

Responsibility for curriculum development
Strategies for engaging children and families in learning
Advocacy for children and families
Continued professional development through research and understanding research publication
Providing links into the broader social and education communities in which they are located

The program is designed to meet and go beyond the challenges of the new millennium for learning communities. The program aims to develop understandings about the diversity and social contexts of early childhood education. There is a strong focus on pre-school education.

The Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Education program aims to develop professional educators who will have specific discipline knowledge in one or more of the following areas: LOTE, Psychology, Literature, History, Social Sciences, Philosophy and Indigenous studies and to prepare them to become secondary teachers in regional and rural and metropolitan schools. The program provides a strong balance of theoretical studies in education and practicum studies. The Bachelor of Education component of the joint degree has a strong focus on educational issues and is designed to meet and respond to the challenges of the new millennium for learning communities.

The Bachelor of Visual Arts coupled with a Bachelor of Education in a joint degree will prepare graduates for a career as a secondary teacher. The program will provide the education theory and practicum to teach Visual Arts education at secondary level up to year 12.

The Bachelor of Visual Arts/Bachelor of Education program is designed to give graduates a strong foundation in the areas of Arts Theory, Fine Art Studio Practice, [Ceramics/3D, Drawing and Digital Art, Intermedia and Painting] to prepare graduates with the necessary teaching skills to be effective teachers at the secondary school level.

Along with the good teaching skills acquired in the education units, this type of curriculum will prepare students to be skilled, engaging and innovative teachers.

The Bachelor of Mathematical Science/Bachelor of Education program provides a professional qualification for teaching in secondary school from middle years and VCE level as a Mathematics and Information Technology Teacher. The Bachelor of Mathematical Sciences component of the program will provide students with a strong foundation in the basic principles and techniques of mathematics and an understanding of how mathematics is applied in the real world. The Bachelor of Education component is aimed at professional educators in the areas of Mathematics and Information Technology in a number of settings: regional and rural and metropolitan schools. The joint degree provides a strong balance of professional studies in education and practicum studies.

The Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Education program aims to develop professional educators who will have specific discipline knowledge in the areas of science and prepare them to become secondary teachers in regional and rural and metropolitan schools. The program provides a strong balance of theoretical studies in education, practicum studies with major and minor Science strands. The Bachelor of Education component of the joint degree has a strong focus on educational issues and is designed to meet and respond to the challenges of the new millennium for learning communities.

The Bachelor of Technology Education is a degree designed to provide entry into careers in both schools and industry. It provides a qualification to teach in secondary schools (7-12) and within technology based industries.

The program combines the traditional disciplines of design and technology, food technology, systems engineering and vocational education and training (VET), with the need for learners to be innovative, creative and adaptive. It places great emphasis upon industry experience and innovative teaching practices.

Postgraduate Programs

The Graduate Certificate of Education (Tertiary Education) is designed to meet the professional development needs of tertiary educators. The program provides relevant, formally accredited staff and educational development opportunities for University of Ballarat staff and for other tertiary teachers working in educational contexts within the broader community.

Informed by the relevant literature the GCE(TE) is built on collaborative, practice-based critical enquiry approaches to the development of teaching and learning. This provides a mechanism whereby participants can further develop their understandings of their own teaching practice and the context, in which it takes place, and change and develop that practice. This collaborative critical enquiry approach also allows the participants to focus on issues that are of concern to them in their practice while achieving the learning/ professional development objectives of the program.

The Graduate Diploma of Education (Primary) is a pre-service teacher education qualification that can be completed in one year. The program structure includes 10 compulsory courses of education, 2 courses of professional studies and 60 days of primary school experience. The student intake includes recent graduates, parents returning from family care to the workforce, people seeking a career change and international students.

This program prepares participants for teaching in post primary schools. Graduates of the program are eligible to teach in both government and non-government schools. This program is usually undertaken full-time over one year although part-time study may be possible after consultation with the Program Coordinator at the Mt Helen campus. The program is well recognised for its innovative programs, the partnerships it has with regional schools and for its collegial nature.

This program has been designed to provide continuing education for teachers who are interested in the development of eLearning opportunities for students in teaching and learning settings. It acknowledges the demands being placed upon schools by government, parents and employers to ensure students acquire the appropriate skills to live and work in a global environment structured around emerging technologies and information. The program seeks to achieve a balance between the need for teachers to acquire skills associated with the technologies, practice critique and develop appropriate pedagogy.

Whilst most enrolments will be drawn from primary and post-primary schools, the program is sufficiently flexible to be equally beneficial to educators from other fields who have an interest in developing new teaching skills with computer mediated learning technology.

Currently the School of Education is developing online delivery and exploring associated pedagogies. Students are encouraged to research within these domains.

The Graduate Diploma of Education (Curriculum and Policy Studies) seeks to provide education practitioners and persons with related skills or academic backgrounds with an opportunity to pursue studies which will lead to a developed critical familiarity with issues and questions related to curriculum and education policy. Students will be enabled to explore recent developments in these areas in order to deepen their knowledge and acquire a more informed base for decision making in their educational work. Offered as it is to practitioners with considerable experiential knowledge, the program will provide opportunities for them to identify and pursue studies in areas of curriculum and policy which are of personal interest to them and to develop research experience through undertaking a small research project.

The University of Ballarat’s Master of Education (Special Education) is an exciting, innovative and flexible program designed to meet the needs of teachers wishing to teach either in the special school system, or to work with students with particular learning needs and/or disabilities within regular schools. First offered in 2005, the program has been extensively reviewed and further enhanced in order to meet the needs of students interested in a variety of settings. It offers students a critical familiarity with issues and questions relevant to the fields of special education, disability studies and the research and theoretical developments in those fields.

While this is a programwork qualification, it includes a research component. This may be approached flexibly, and includes guidance in reading and interpreting relevant research, as well as in carrying out research in the field, whether it be research on the professional practice of teachers, or on an issue that entices the Masters student into further exploration. Offered as it is to practitioners with considerable experiential knowledge, the program will provide students with opportunities to identify and pursue studies in areas of education which are of personal interest to them and to develop research experience through extended, but relevant research tasks.

Created for dedicated education professionals aspiring to upgrade their skills and understanding, the Master of Education Studies will build on your exciting knowledge base, and recognise the value of your experience. The program aims to build on your professional expertise and academic interests, while offering professional growth and networking opportunities.

Benefits: Undertaking the Master of Education Studies will keep you engaged, interested and up-to-date with innovations within your field. The broad range of units available within the program will allow you to diversify and specialise , keeping you up-to-date professionally. You will become a highly valuable asset to your school or workplace – a role-model capable of significant contributions.

Programs of Study

Undergraduate Programs

Postgraduate Programs

Higher Degrees by Research Programs