Master of Teacher Librarianship

Master level teacher librarianship is an ideal way to gain extensive knowledge of the field. Queensland University of Technology and other institutions offer these courses with units in youth popular culture, designing spaces for learning, children’s literature and accompanying independent research. They take at least one year of full time study to complete, with one and a half year completion being more common. There is also a part time option, extending the duration by up to four years.

Employment options

Employment options described here all make great choices for a graduate from teacher librarianship. Working as a library assistant, for instance, can be a rewarding choice for those with great people skills and enjoy working with databases. Being a library technician is a way to gain even more technological input, maintaining library resources and creating promotional resources. No matter the path, the Australian School Library Association is a great way to become acclimated to the numerous duties and employment opportunities available.

Scholarships and funding

The best scholarships available to students of teacher librarianship are generalised across disciplines. They’re highly competitive, but can be very lucrative. These opportunities tend to re-open annually, so keep an eye on them. The following are some of the best and most sought after.

• The Westpac Future Leaders Scholarship provides a staggering $120,000 to students from any discipline on track to achieve a distinction GPA (at least 75%) during bachelor study, or have already achieved this grade. Applicants must show their passion for strengthening Australia’s ties with Asia, in addition to two references; one professional and one personal.
• Endeavour Scholarships and Fellowships are offered by Australian National University to the tune of $69,500 pa. These are also merit-based scholarships, making GPA the largest contributing factor to success. They are designed for applicants to travel and study overseas in the field of their choosing.
• Fulbright Scholarships are valued at roughly $40,000, designed to give Australian students the chance to study in the USA. Applicants must be Australian citizens that don’t currently hold US citizenship.
• The Indigenous Australian Graduate Scholarship provides $26,682 pa to an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander student each year to study at Australian National University. At least second-class honours in a prior bachelor degree is the requirement for entry.

Prerequisites and selection process

These courses all require either a Bachelor of Education prior to entry, or a postgraduate education qualification such as a graduate certificate or diploma. These also tend to require that students already be registered teachers before commencement, which can be done at the Teacher’s Registration Board relevant to your state. If you are currently registered as a teacher in one state, it’s very easy to apply for registration in another. Just being eligible to register as a teacher can also grant entry into these courses.

Applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis to determine eligibility for either the one year or one and a half year program. It’s not possible to apply for one or the other; greater degrees of success will result in automatic enrolment into the one year program.