Master of Teaching (Early Childhood)

2025 Deakin University Handbook

Year	2025 course information
Award granted	Master of Teaching (Early Childhood)
Deakin course code	E761
Faculty	Faculty of Arts and Education
Campus	Offered at Burwood (Melbourne)
Online	Yes
Duration	2 years full-time or part-time equivalent
Course Map - enrolment planning tool	These course maps are for new students commencing from Trimester 1 2025: Early Childhood Education Trauma Response Stream Early Childhood Inquiry Stream Research Specialisation Stream 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	114296J Burwood (Melbourne)
Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recognition	The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 9
Become an Early Childhood Teacher. This course is approved by ACECQA as an early childhood teaching qualification in Australia and graduates are eligible to register with the VIT. *This course is accredited with the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) and recognised as an early childhood teaching qualification in Australia. Graduates are eligible to register with the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) as an early childhood teacher. Other states and territories may also require early childhood teachers to hold teacher registration or accreditation. Prospective students are strongly advised to check with teacher registration and accreditation authorities as to the requirement and eligibility to register and work as early childhood teachers in other states, territories or internationally with a Master of Teaching (Early Childhood) birth to five qualification.

Course sub-headings

Course overview

Want to equip the next generation with the emotional intelligence, social and critical-thinking skills to flourish? Study a Master of Teaching (Early Childhood) and discover how to help young children learn important concepts like empathy and self-confidence through play. Graduate with the unique ability to shape the next generation as a nationally accredited early childhood teacher.

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 fast-tracked course will equip you with the knowledge to work across diverse early childhood settings. Our nationally recognised academics will guide you towards teaching expertise in areas such as:

Developing numeracy and literacy in young learners
Creating safe and inclusive learning environments
Social justice, diversity and equity
Trauma responsive practice
Arts and STEM creativity in a child’s life
Play-based learning across all areas of the curriculum

At Deakin, we’re focused on developing educational leaders for the future. That’s why we offer our Master of Teaching (Early Childhood) students the chance to develop in-depth knowledge through unique specialisation training pathways.

One popular training pathway is in the International Baccalaureate (IB) PYP Early Years Program, which provides students with the skills to help develop young children as self-motivated and internationally minded learners. Specialising in the IB PYP Early Years Program can lead to international teaching opportunities and can help to increase your employability.

You may alternatively choose to specialise in trauma responsive practice or Research pathways, the latter of which may be used as a pathway to further study in a PhD. An internship is also available for students who would like to have an immersive experience in the sector before graduating.

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 Master of Teaching (Early Childhood) 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

The education and training industry is one of the largest growing employment industries in Australia, and is projected to grow by 11.2% by May 2023 – that’s 11,300 new jobs.* Early childhood education teachers in particular are in high demand.

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.

*Australian Government Department of Jobs and Small Business, 2018 Employment Projections – for the five years to May 2023.

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 will be required to hold a valid Working with Children (WWC) Check prior to undertaking professional placements as part of this course. Learn more about Working with Children Checks.

Interstate applicants must check the requirements and meet all conditions for undertaking professional experience in schools for their state or territory before undertaking professional experience placements as part of this course.

Inherent requirements

It is expected that all students will be able to abide by, and ensure their behaviour is in accordance with the Victorian Institute of Teaching Code of Conduct.

Immunisations

Immunisation and/or vaccination requirements will be communicated by the Professional Experience Office in line with the Department of Education and Training's directions at the time of placement.

For further information contact the School of Education, Professional Experience Office.

Research information

This is a graduate entry teaching course that introduces research based practice throughout the core professional studies units (a total of six credit points), which includes demonstrating their application of knowledge and skills through their 70-days of professional practice in education based contexts e.g. early childhood settings. As part of the series of core professional studies units, students are also required to complete a capstone assessment in the final year (2 credit point unit) to demonstrate their evidence based professional practice informed by data analysis and scholarship of teaching and learning.

Course Learning Outcomes

Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes	Course Learning Outcomes
Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities	Research, interpret, critically evaluate, and synthesise advanced knowledge, theory, principles and practices relevant to curriculum, ethical conduct, policy and regulations in early childhood education. Advanced ability to transfer specialised theoretical and practical knowledge into practice.
Communication	Critically evaluate and use highly skilled communication strategies (oral, written, digital and nonverbal) to professionally transfer specialised knowledge, complex ideas and advanced theoretical concepts with diverse individuals and groups (such as children, families, parents and caregivers, colleagues and other professionals, community organisations).
Digital literacy	Research, 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	Apply advanced knowledge to research, critically analyse and reflect on complex and contemporary issues, policies and concepts in educational and societal contexts to generate and transmit independent evidence-informed 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 advanced evaluative and 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	Research, interpret and apply knowledge, ideas and skills that actively promote knowledge and inclusion of the diversity in the professional context. This includes influences of Indigenous and intercultural issues, family contexts, gender, and disability on development, learning and teaching.

Approved at Faculty Board 2023

Course rules

To complete the Master of Teaching (Early Childhood) students must pass 16 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
12 credit points of core units
4 credit points in one of the following specialisations:
- Early Childhood Inquiry
- Research
- International Baccalaureate Early Years (Primary Years Programme (PYP)*
- Internship*
- Trauma Responsive Practice

* offered to continuing students only

This course includes 60-days of supervised professional experience, and students must successfully complete the Deakin Teaching Performance Assessment.

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.

Specialisations

Students complete the remaining four credit points from one of following specialisations:

* offered to continuing students only

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

ECE731

Diverse Environments and Pedagogies

ECE765

Play Pedagogies Addressing Adversity and Trauma

EPR714

Curriculum, Pedagogies and Practices for Infants and Toddlers

IND730

Decolonising Teaching and Learning: Recognition, Relationships, and Reconciliation On Unceded Land

Details of specialisations

Early Childhood Inquiry

Units
To complete a specialisation in Early Childhood Inquiry complete the four (4) units as specified below

EDX701

Research Design Development and Method

EIB702

The Inquiring Child: the Role of Play in Children's Learning

EIB703

Assessing and Documenting Learning in the Global Early Years Context

EDX707

Independent Research Project for Professional Practice

International Baccalaureate Early Years (Primary Years Programme (PYP)^

^ Offered to continuing students who commenced prior to 2025

Units
To complete a specialisation in International Baccalaureate Early Years (Primary Years Programme (PYP) complete the four (4) units as specified below

EIB701 Inquiry Learning Through the International Baccalaureate (PYP) [no longer available for enrolment]

EIB702

The Inquiring Child: the Role of Play in Children's Learning

EIB703

Assessing and Documenting Learning in the Global Early Years Context

EIB704 Planning for Inquiry Learning: Professional Practice and Portfolio [no longer available for enrolment]

Internship^

^ Offered to continuing students who commenced prior to 2025

Units
To complete a specialisation in Internship complete the one (1) unit as specified below

EPR704 Internship [no longer available for enrolment]

Research*

* Enrolment in Trimester 3 in Year 1 is required for students who select the Research specialisation in order to complete units in the required sequence and complete the course within the full-time duration.

Units
To complete a specialisation in Research complete the four (4) units as specified below

EDX701

Research Design Development and Method

EDX712

Theory and Methodology in Education Research

EDX703

Research Paper A

EDX704

Research Paper B

Trauma Responsive Practice

Units
To complete a specialisation in Trauma Responsive Practice complete the four (4) units as specified below

ETR701

Refugee Trauma and Education

ETR702

Trauma-Responsive and Humanitarian Practice Inquiry

ETR703

Trauma and Learning

ETR704

Trauma and Trauma-Responsive Practices

Course duration

Course duration may be affected by delays in completing course requirements, such as failing of units or accessing or completing placements.

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.

Estimate your fees

For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current students website.