Is primary teaching for you?

The Master of Teaching (Primary) program aims to develop the knowledge, skills and dispositions necessary for a highly successful career in teaching. Read more ...

What you will study

Admission to the Master of Teaching (Primary) is based on you having already successfully completed of a Bachelor degree that contains study across specific key learning areas. Read more ...

What you will learn

The Master of Teaching program prepares you for the classroom, and includes two periods of hands-on teaching practice in schools. Read more ...

Teachers are in demand

Now is a great time for you to get into teaching. Teachers are in demand both nationally and internationally, and this demand is only expected to increase as the current teaching workforce reaches retirement age. Read more ...

Is primary teaching for you?

The Master of Teaching (Primary) program aims to develop the knowledge, skills and dispositions necessary for a highly successful career in teaching.

Graduates of this program will be able to seek employment as K-6 teachers in and beyond the NSW Government, Catholic, and Independent school sectors. The program aims to develop graduates who are inspirational teachers with the capability to act professionally, ethically and effectively in their primary school destinations; insightful scholars with the capability to engage in rational enquiry into curriculum, policy and practice; and innovative leaders with the capability to play a constructive role in public discourse on and beyond education.

The Master of Teaching (Primary) program is offered as a two year full-time program or part-time equivalent. The program requires the successful completion of 160 units that are normally offered as 40 units per semester for four semesters. Students will complete the equivalent of 60 days professional experience in relevant school settings.

In-school professional teaching experiences may involve placement in schools in a variety of geographic regions outside the Newcastle area. They are supervised by school or university staff, and students are expected to satisfy a range of professional teaching competencies as part of the successful completion of the program.

What you will study

Admission to the Master of Teaching (Primary) is based on you having already successfully completed of a Bachelor degree that contains study across specific key learning areas.

The six key learning areas (KLA) are:

English - including communications, creative writing, literature studies, language studies, linguistics (may only be counted for one KLA) and media studies (the theoretical study of media, or where the product is a literary text).

Maths - including pure or applied mathematics and one unit only of statistics (must be done as a stand alone subject).

Science and technology - including agriculture, architecture (two units only may be counted), biology, biotechnology, chemistry, computing studies, design (two units only may be counted), engineering, food technology, geology, materials science, media productions, medicine, nursing, physics, and psychology (one unit only may be counted for one KLA).

Personal development, health and physical education (PDHPE) - including physical education studies, health studies, family studies, health promotion, human movement studies, nutrition education, and psychology (one unit only may be counted for one KLA).

Creative arts - including dance with practical experience in choreography and performance, drama with experiential involvement in making and performing drama, music performance (singing, playing and moving), listening and organising sound (composing), visual arts including art making, art theory or art history.

Human society and its environment (HSIE) - including Aboriginal studies, anthropology, archaeology, Asian or Pacific studies, business studies, cultural studies, economic history, economics, environmental land use studies, geography, government and citizenship, history, industrial relations, languages, linguistics (may only be counted for one KLA), legal studies, political science, sociology, and studies of religion.

To be eligible for a place in the Master of Teaching (Primary) degree, applicants will need to have completed one of the following: two (semester-long) courses or subjects from four key learning areas of the Primary curriculum; four (semester-long) courses or subjects from one key learning area and two (semester-long) courses or subjects from two other key learning areas; eight (semester-long) courses or subjects from one key learning area.

For example, if you have completed two maths courses, two English courses, two science courses and two creative arts courses in your Bachelor degree, you will be eligible to apply for entry into the Master of Teaching (Primary). Alternatively, if you had four human society and its environment courses, two creative arts courses and two maths courses in your degree, you would also be eligible to apply.

If you do not meet these criteria within your Bachelor degree, you will need to undertake additional studies (with associated costs) before enrolling in, or concurrently with, the Master of Teaching (Primary) program in order to qualify for employment as a teacher.

What you wil learn

The Master of Teaching program prepares you for the classroom, and includes two periods of hands-on teaching practice in schools.

The first placement is a 20 day block and the second is a 25 day block. The second placement may be out of the local area and students may need to relocate and be ready to start at the beginning of school term four.

The professional experience placement is organised by the University of Newcastle. Students may need to make sure their Newcastle residential lease arrangements are compatible with this requirement. Additional to the 45 days of formal in-school practicum, five days of observation and microteaching is undertaken as well as 10 single days in a primary school setting.

Teachers are in demand

Now is a great time for you to get into teaching. Teachers are in demand both nationally and internationally, and this demand is only expected to increase as the current teaching workforce reaches retirement age.

According to the NSW Department of Education, demand for teachers is particularly strong in the secondary teaching areas of mathematics, science, technology, English, special education, legal studies, business studies and commerce.

However, teachers of all secondary subjects as well as primary teachers can find work, often fulltime, and certainly as casual and temporary teachers throughout NSW. Similar opportunities for graduates exist across State and Territory systems of education as well as in Catholic and Independent schools.

A rewarding career path

Teaching is an immensely rewarding career, where you can have a profound impact on young people’s education, career aspirations and their lives.

Your work in schools can impact positively on local communities and even contribute to the creation of a better world. At its core, teaching is ethical and political work that is critical to how society functions.

There are also opportunities for promotion within teaching as well as many opportunities to use a teaching degree as a basis for other employment in other occupations.

A passport to travel

There are fantastic opportunities for teachers to take their professional knowledge and work across the globe. The recruitment of Australian teaching graduates is particularly strong in countries across Asia, the United Kingdom and the Americas, but similar opportunities can be found throughout the world.