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Australian Catholic University (ACU)

  • 12% international / 88% domestic

Master of Teaching (Primary)

  • Masters (Coursework)

The Master of Teaching (Primary) is a graduate entry course designed for those aiming to become primary school teachers. It provides comprehensive training in curriculum and pedagogy for teaching children aged five to twelve, with specialisations in areas like literacy, numeracy, and sciences. Scholarships are available to support students in their studies.

Key details

Degree Type
Masters (Coursework)
Duration
2 years full-time
Study Mode
In person
Intake Months
Feb, Jul
Domestic Fees
$4,736 per year

About this course

Overview

The Master of Teaching (Primary) is a graduate entry, pre-service teacher education course for those who want to qualify as a primary school teacher. Gain the critical knowledge and skills to become a reflective, independent, and flexible teacher, able to adapt in a complex contemporary classroom environment.

Building upon the knowledge you have already gained from your previous qualification; this course will engage you with the breadth of curriculum and pedagogical knowledge required to teach children from ages five to twelve.

You will graduate classroom-ready with specialist knowledge and understanding of not only literacy and numeracy but of all learning areas of the primary school curriculum. Forming the foundations for your specialist teaching areas, previous study and learning interests will inform your teaching specialisation in an area of the primary curriculum from these options:

  • English and Literacy
  • Mathematics and Numeracy
  • Science
  • Humanities and Social Sciences
  • The Arts
  • Technologies
  • Health and Physical Education

Achieve your goals with a scholarship.

A generous Commonwealth Teaching Scholarship is available to support new undergraduate and postgraduate students enrolling in an initial teacher education (ITE) program to help meet the costs of their study. Learn more about eligibility and how to apply here.

Entry requirements

An applicant must also comply with the Admission to Coursework Programs Policy.

To be eligible for admission to the course, an applicant must:

  • have successfully completed a Bachelor degree or equivalent qualification, with:
    • subject content studies equivalent to one year of full-time study in one or more learning areas of the primary school curriculum; including
    • subject content studies equivalent to one quarter of a year in a selected subject specialisation.
  • demonstrate suitability for teaching as evidenced by completion of the relevant State assessment which will be provided in the application process.

International applicants need to meet the English Language Proficiency requirements as defined in the Admission to Coursework Programs Policy.

Any applicant who completed a Bachelor degree outside Australia should review the Admission to Coursework Programs Policy to determine if they are required to meet additional English Language Proficiency requirements for entry into the course.

Any applicant who completed a Bachelor degree outside Australia intending to seek teacher registration in Australia should check with state registration bodies to confirm English Language Proficiency requirements for teacher registration.

State| Prerequisites
---|---
State NSW| Prerequisites Applicants intending to study this course in NSW must also:
1. possess at least a Band 4 result in a prior HSC mathematics course, or
2. have undertaken at least 0.125 EFTSL (1 unit) of mathematics/numeracy in the prior bachelor degree or equivalent qualification, or
3. pass a bridging unit (in addition to the program's units) that is benchmarked to a NSW Education Standards Authority HSC Band 4 in Mathematics as an ITE Entry Requirement for Primary Teaching and addresses the discipline-specific knowledge requirements for primary mathematics/numeracy as described by NSW Subject Content Knowledge Requirements.

Disclaimer: The course entry requirements above are for 2026 Admission.

What you will learn

Overview

The Master of Teaching (Primary) is a graduate entry, pre-service teacher education course for those who want to qualify as a primary school teacher. Gain the critical knowledge and skills to become a reflective, independent, and flexible teacher, able to adapt in a complex contemporary classroom environment.

Building upon the knowledge you have already gained from your previous qualification; this course will engage you with the breadth of curriculum and pedagogical knowledge required to teach children from ages five to twelve.

You will graduate classroom-ready with specialist knowledge and understanding of not only literacy and numeracy but of all learning areas of the primary school curriculum. Forming the foundations for your specialist teaching areas, previous study and learning interests will inform your teaching specialisation in an area of the primary curriculum from these options:

  • English and Literacy
  • Mathematics and Numeracy
  • Science
  • Humanities and Social Sciences
  • The Arts
  • Technologies
  • Health and Physical Education

Career pathways

Our graduates have pursued careers in:

  • primary school education
  • academia
  • religious education
  • education research
  • play education specialist
  • learning designer
  • adult learning
  • curriculum development
  • education consulting
  • government education policy making

Course structure

Course details

To complete the Master of Teaching (Primary), a student must complete 160 credit points (cp).

Commencing Semester 1Year 1 Semester 1
  • Education Studies and Effective Teaching Units EDES500 Foundations of Development and Learning in Australian Childhood Contexts 10 cp
  • Curriculum Studies EDEN502 Foundations of Literacy Development and Children's Literature 10 cp
  • Curriculum Studies EDMA500 Foundations of Mathematics and Numeracy Curriculum and Pedagogy for Children 10 cp
  • Curriculum Studies EDTE500 Technologies Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment (F-6) 10 cp
Year 1 Semester 2
  • Education Studies and Effective Teaching Units EDET501 Effective Teaching 1: Promoting Positive Learner Engagement (Professional Experience: 20 days) 10 cp
  • Curriculum Studies EDEN503 Reading and Writing Instruction in the Early Years (B-8) 10 cp
  • Curriculum Studies EDHP500 Health and Physical Education Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment (F-6) 10 cp
  • Curriculum Studies EDAR500 The Arts Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment (F-6) 10 cp
Year 2 Semester 1
  • Education Studies and Effective Teaching Units EDET610 Effective Teaching 2: Advanced Pedagogy and Leadership in English and Literacy OR EDET611 Advanced Pedagogy and Leadership in Mathematics and Numeracy OR EDET612 Advanced Pedagogy and Leadership in Science Education OR EDET613 Advanced Pedagogy and Leadership in Humanities and Social Sciences OR EDET614 Advanced Pedagogy and Leadership in The Arts OR EDET615 Advanced Pedagogy and Leadership in Technologies OR EDET616 Advanced Pedagogy and Leadership in Health and Physical Education (Professional Experience: 15 days) 10 cp
  • Education Studies and Effective Teaching Units EDES600 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories, Cultures and Education 10 cp
  • Curriculum Studies EDSI600 Science Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment (F-6) 10 cp
  • Curriculum Studies EDSS600 Humanities and Social Sciences Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment (F-6) 10 cp
Year 2 Semester 2
  • Education Studies and Effective Teaching Units EDET691 Effective Teaching 3: Teacher Inquiry and Evidence-based Practice 10 cp
  • Education Studies and Effective Teaching Units EDES603 Inclusive Practice 10 cp
  • Curriculum Studies EDEN602 English Language and Literacy Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment 2 10 cp
  • Curriculum Studies EDMA602 Mathematics Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment 2 10 cp

Credit for prior study or work

If your prior study or relevant work experience has provided you with knowledge, skills or experience aligned with the learning outcomes of units in your new course, you may be eligible to gain credit for study or have your prior learning recognised. This means you may be able to complete your ACU course in a shorter timeframe.

You can use our credit search tool to see what you might be eligible for. For more information about credit and recognition of prior learning at ACU, follow the link below.

Search our credit database

Learn more about recognition of prior learning

How to apply

Apply now

Graduate outcomes

Graduate satisfaction and employment outcomes for Teacher Education courses at Australian Catholic University (ACU).
79.7%
Overall satisfaction
72%
Skill scale
63.8%
Teaching scale
93.3%
Employed full-time
$94.8k
Average salary