Graduate Diploma
* Become a highly-qualified early years teacher*
* Intensive study program
* Complete placement in a Victorian school
* Receive ongoing support throughout studies and placement
The Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Early Childhood) focuses on learning and teaching for children aged birth-eight years, and provides a qualification for registration to teach in early childhood settings.** The course is completed over one year of full-time study. It is intensive in nature, and includes extended semesters, a winter term subject and placements throughout the year. The Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Early Childhood) uses a multi-disciplinary approach to connect research, theory, and practice through coursework and professional placements, preparing early childhood professionals to respond to the communities where they will work.
You will engage with your experiences and grow your abilities to teach across the curriculum from birth through to eight years of age.* This includes creating curriculum that supports building relationships with children, families, and communities and practising critical reflection. The Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Early Childhood) will help you develop your interventionist educational skills through the Evidence-Based Teaching framework. You'll develop the professional skills to assess, diagnose and support the individual learning needs of all students, and work with learners of all abilities.
The Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Early Childhood) course is comprised of both supported teacher placement and face-to face learning. The Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Early Childhood) must be undertaken through full-time study over two semesters, over one year.
Candidates must complete:
The delivery mode of our course is face-to-face classes on the Parkville campus, plus supported teacher placement in early childhood and primary school settings.
COURSE MAPGraduate Diploma of Teaching (Early Childhood) - Full time (123KB, PDF)
COURSE SCHEDULESGraduate Diploma in Teaching (Early Childhood) schedule - 2020 (153KB, PDF)
University Handbook: Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Early Childhood)
*You will be qualified to teach children between birth-five years, but will study learning and teaching for children aged birth up to eight years.
On completion of your Graduate Diploma, you'll be an effective early years teacher with experience of teaching in real education settings. The Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Early Childhood) is currently undergoing the accreditation process with the Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority (ACECQA). Once accredited, the Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Early Childhood) will allow graduates for provisional registration and work in Australian early childhood education and care settings with children aged birth to five years. You will also be eligible to apply for registration as an early childhood teacher with the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT). On graduating, you could also find yourself in a rewarding career in children's services coordination, quality regulation and assessment, and early intervention for children with special needs.
Further studyOnce you graduate from your diploma, you may continue to complete the University of Melbourne's Master of Teaching (Early Childhood), provided you meet the respective minimum entry requirements and have satisfactorily completed the Australian Commonwealth Government's Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education Students. Graduates may also progress to a range of other graduate coursework programs.
Highly employableFinish your course confident of gaining employment. We rank with a high employment rate of 96 per cent of our graduate's gaining employment within the first four months of graduating.^ We have been ranked as #1 in Australia and #12 in the world for Education*, meaning a degree from us is a globally-recognised achievement.
Meet our Early Childhood Alumni: Maria Frial“You will be challenged and at times doubt yourself and your capabilities - but if you take it one day a step at a time and keep an open and learning mindset, you will come out more confident and highly equipped to do the most important task ever - helping young individuals grow and better themselves every day.”
*The Times Higher Education, 2020
^Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching, Graduates Outcomes Survey 2017-2019
Round 1: Saturday 31 October (guaranteed entry)
Round 2: Friday 4 December
Round 3: Friday 22 January
Before applying, you must complete the Teacher Capability Assessment Tool (TCAT). TCAT takes approximately 70-90 minutes to complete and contains both long and short answers used to assess your suitability for Melbourne Graduate School of Education courses.
Once you’ve completed your TCAT, you may be required to provide the following supporting documentation:
If your personal circumstances have had a sustained adverse effect on your academic achievement at undergraduate level or you are member of a specified group known to be under-represented in higher education, you may be eligible for GAM. GAM aims to minimise financial barriers through offering a range of grants, bursaries and scholarships for graduate coursework study. For more information please visit Graduate Access Melbourne.
You are strongly encouraged to submit a GAM application to support your course application if you are an Australian or New Zealand citizen, an Australian permanent resident or the holder of a permanent Humanitarian Visa who can demonstrate the capacity to succeed in the Masters degree of your choice. You must also qualify for one or more of the following criteria: