Graduate Diploma of Early Childhood Education
2025 Deakin University Handbook
| Year | 2025 course information |
|---|---|
| Award granted | Graduate Diploma of Early Childhood Education |
| Deakin course code | E661 |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts and Education |
| Campus | Offered at Burwood (Melbourne) |
| Online | Yes |
| Duration | 1 year full-time or part-time equivalent |
| Course Map - enrolment planning tool | This course map is for new students commencing from Trimester 1 2025 Course maps for commencement in previous years are available on the Course Maps webpage or please contact a Student Adviser in Student Central. |
| CRICOS course code | 114294M Burwood (Melbourne) |
| Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recognition | The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 8 |
Course sub-headings
- Course overview
- Professional recognition
- Career opportunities
- Participation requirements
- Mandatory student checks
- Pathways
- Course Learning Outcomes
- Course rules
- Course structure
- Other learning experiences
- Research and research-related study
- Fees and charges
Course overview
Want to equip the next generation with the emotional intelligence, social and critical-thinking skills to flourish? Study the Graduate Diploma of Early Childhood Education and discover how to help young children learn important concepts like empathy and self-confidence through play.
Ready to start a meaningful career, shaping tomorrow’s leaders?
Whether your background is in education or you’re looking to make a meaningful career change, this course will equip you with the knowledge to work across diverse early childhood settings. Our nationally recognised academics will guide you towards specialised teaching using a play-based approach so you can:
- Create safe and inclusive learning environments
- Practice Social justice, diversity and equity
- Develop numeracy and literacy in young learners
- Support arts and STEM creativity in a child’s life
- Be a leader for educational change
In addition, you will put your academic knowledge into practice with over 60-days of professional experience placements. The course is designed to blend your classroom experience with your academic learning, culminating in a final hurdle task, the Deakin Teaching Performance Assessment, that ensures you graduate with the experience and rigour you will need to enter the teaching profession with confidence.
This practical experience ensures you graduate with the skills and expertise that are highly valued by employers. 96% of Deakin early childhood education graduates have gone on to secure roles in the early childhood education profession, which continues to generate new jobs at a steady rate. In addition, the Victorian Government offers a range of financial incentives to support students interested in studying the Graduate Diploma of Early Childhood Education at Deakin. More information can be found at education.vic.gov.au
Professional recognition
This program is approved by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) as an early childhood teaching qualification in Australia. In line with recent changes to early childhood teacher registration, it is also mapped against the Australian professional standards for graduate teachers. Graduates of this course who are intending to apply for registration in Victoria or interstate may be required to provide further information. Applicants are advised to check the registration requirements in their state, carefully.
Career opportunities
As an early childhood education graduate, you could go on to secure teaching roles within early childhood settings across the private, independent, or public education sectors. You could also find employment in a range of other education-adjacent fields, including in early years service management, policy, consultancy, NGOs, research community and government organisations.
For more information go to DeakinTALENT.
Participation requirements
Professional Experience Placements are a compulsory component of the course and a requirement for registration as a graduate teacher. Placement can occur at any time, including during standard holiday breaks. Learn about key dates at Deakin.
Reasonable adjustments to participation and other course requirements may be made for students with a disability. More information available at Disability support services.
Mandatory student checks
Students are required to apply for a Working with Children Check. Apply online as a volunteer at Service Victoria.
Pathways
This course can be a pathway to:
Master of Teaching (Early Childhood) (E761)
Course Learning Outcomes
| Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes | Course Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|
| Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities | Critically analyse, consolidate, synthesise and apply knowledge, theory, principles and practices relevant to curriculum, ethical conduct, policy and regulations in early childhood education with advanced knowledge and evaluation of the theoretical underpinning. |
| Communication | Critically evaluate and use highly skilled communication strategies (oral, written, digital and nonverbal) to professionally transfer knowledge, complex ideas and theoretical concepts with diverse individuals and groups (such as children, families, parents and caregivers, colleagues and other professionals, community organisations). |
| Digital literacy | Critically evaluate and apply a range of technologies to collect, analyse, synthesise, evaluate, generate and transmit information for the purposes of advanced and ethically responsible teaching and learning practices in a rapidly changing global environment. |
| Critical thinking | Critically analyse, evaluate and reflect on contemporary issues, policies and research in educational and societal contexts to generate and transmit independent judgements that are ethical to complex situations relating to teaching and learning in early childhood education. |
| Problem solving | Apply analytical and practical skills to complex professional situations and ideas to make independent judgements related to teaching and learning. Generate and transmit creative, innovative and authentic solutions to real-life and complex problems encountered when working with diverse individuals and groups (such as children, families, parents and caregivers, colleagues and other professionals, community organisations). |
| Self-management | Use initiative and agency to apply evaluative and critically analytic knowledge and skills to demonstrate responsibility for own learning and professional practice (and in collaboration with others). |
| Teamwork | Actively and collaboratively participate in, and/or lead learning communities, involving learners, families, community members, colleagues and the broader profession to deepen knowledge and practice to optimise teaching for child learning and wellbeing. |
| Global citizenship | Adapt and apply advanced knowledge and skills that support inclusion of diversity in the professional context. This includes influences of Indigenous and intercultural issues, family contexts, gender and disability on development, learning and teaching. |
Approved by Faculty Board 2023
Course rules
To complete the Graduate Diploma of Early Childhood Education students must pass 8 credit points and meet the following course rules to be eligible to graduate:
- DAI001 Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0-credit-point compulsory unit) in their first study period
- 8 credit points of core units
Students are required to meet the University's academic progress and conduct requirements. See the enrolment codes and terminology to help make sense of the University’s vocabulary.
This course includes 60-days of supervised professional experience, and students must successfully complete the Deakin Teaching Performance Assessment.
Course structure
Core Units
| ECE781 | Bioecological Perspectives of Child Development in the Early Years (Birth-Eight) |
| ECE722 | Positioning Early Childhood Education and Care: the History and Philosophy |
| ECE728 | Pedagogical Understandings of Teaching and Learning in the Early Childhood Contexts |
| ECE735 | Children's Ecological Positioning: Seeing Children in Family and Community Contexts |
| ECE703 | Integrative Curriculum Concepts in Play-Based Contexts: Language and Literacy |
| ECE736 | Integrative Curriculum Concepts in Play-Based Contexts: Creative Arts |
| ECE705 | Integrative Curriculum Concepts in Play-Based Contexts: Mathematics and Science |
| ECE733 | Teacher as Leader |
Course duration
Course duration may be affected by delays in completing course requirements, such as failing of units or accessing or completing placements.
Placement information
All professional experience placements must be undertaken in an Australian school setting. Overseas placements are not permitted.
For further information contact the School of Education, Professional Experience office.
Further information
Student Central can help you with course planning, choosing the right units and explaining course rules and requirements.
- Contact Student Central
Other learning experiences
Experiences in community and school or early childhood settings are embedded in some curriculum units beyond the professional experience placements. Students are also encouraged to volunteer in these settings. Wherever possible, academic staff work alongside education professionals and preservice teachers in these authentic learning experiences.
Research and research-related study
Independent research and practitioner research and training components are embedded across a number of units. Preservice teachers are expected to apply an integrated, critical and advanced understanding of complex bodies of knowledge and research skills in education in their practice.
Fees and charges
Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study, and their study discipline or your study load.
Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.
For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current students website.