Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) (BEED) - BEd

QTAC code (Australian and New Zealand applicants): Toowoomba campus: 908181; External: 908185; Springfield campus: 928181

CRICOS code (International applicants): 0100825

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Professional accreditation

Graduates from this program will have met the requirements to apply for teacher registration with the Queensland College of Teachers (QCT) and will have also met the requirements of the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA).

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Program objectives

Upon successful completion of the Bachelor of Education program, students should be able to:

1. Know students and how they learn (possess a broad and coherent body of knowledge, with depth in the underlying principles and concepts)

2. Know the content and how to teach it (transmit knowledge, skills and ideas to others)

3. Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning (well-developed cognitive, technical and communication skills to select and apply methods and technologies to transmit knowledge, skills and ideas to others)

4. Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments (apply knowledge and skills with initiative and judgement in planning, problem-solving and decision making in professional practice)

5. Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning (analyse, generate and transmit solutions to unpredictable and sometimes complex problems and transmit knowledge and ideas to others)

6. Engage in professional learning (through collaborative professional practice apply a broad and coherent body of knowledge and skills in a range of contexts to undertake professional work and as a pathway for further learning)

7. Engage professionally with colleagues, parents/carers, and the community (through professional integrity and ethical practice present a clear, coherent and independent exposition of knowledge and ideas in order to communicate knowledge, skills and ideas to others).

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Australian Qualifications Framework

The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is a single national, comprehensive system of qualifications offered by higher education institutions (including universities), vocational education and training institutions and secondary schools. Each AQF qualification has a set of descriptors which define the type and complexity of knowledge, skills and application of knowledge and skills that a graduate who has been awarded that qualification has attained, and the typical volume of learning associated with that qualification type.

This program is at AQF Qualification Level 07. Graduates at this level will have broad and coherent knowledge and skills for professional work and/or further learning.

The full set of levels criteria and qualification type descriptors can be found by visiting www.aqf.edu.au.

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Program Information Set

View USQ’s admission criteria, student profiles and a summary of all offers made under Course Admission Information Set via the QTAC website.

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Admission requirements

To be eligible for admission, applicants must satisfy the following requirements:

• Have achieved a minimum Overall Position (OP) 15, tertiary entrance rank 68 or equivalent qualification.^

Academic:

• English (4, SA) or equivalent

• Mathematics A, B or C (4, SA) or equivalent

• Science (4, SA) or equivalent

• English Language Proficiency requirements for Category 5. All students are required to satisfy the applicable English language requirements.

Non-academic:

As a result of a national requirement, submission of a 1000-word personal statement that demonstrates Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) competencies. The personal statement must address two categories that show your understanding of and motivations for studying the program:

• Category 1: Interest in teaching children/young people;

• Category 2: Involvement in personal learning and leadership activities.

Information regarding the rationale surrounding this admission requirement, is available at Ask USQ.

For information regarding the selection guidelines for Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programs, including what is expected of you in your 1000-word personal statement, please visit the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) website.

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Program fees

Commonwealth supported place

A Commonwealth supported place is where the Australian Government makes a contribution towards the cost of a students' higher education and students pay a student contribution amount, which varies depending on the courses undertaken. Students are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the Course Fee Finder.

Commonwealth Supported students may be eligible to defer their fees through a Government loan called HECS-HELP.

Domestic full fee paying place

Domestic full fee paying places are funded entirely through the full fees paid by the student. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken. Students are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the Course Fee Finder.

Domestic full fee paying students may be eligible to defer their fees through a Government loan called FEE-HELP provided they meet the residency and citizenship requirements.

Australian citizens, Permanent Humanitarian Visa holders, Permanent Resident visa holders and New Zealand citizens who will be resident outside Australia for the duration of their program pay full tuition fees and are not eligible for FEE-Help.

International full fee paying place

International students pay full fees. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken and whether they are studied on-campus, via distance education/online. Students are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the Course Fee Finder.

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Program structure

The Bachelor of Education Early Childhood program is comprised of 32 units at undergraduate level (AQF Level 7) structured as follows:

• 29 core courses; and

• one three-unit specialisation.

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Program completion requirements

Within the 32 units required to complete this program, there are strict requirements for professional experience. These requirements are broken down to 95 days supervised placement within various settings to include 15 days in a Birth-2 year setting, 25 days in a 2-4 years Early Childhood education setting, 55 days in a Primary school setting and 20 days unsupervised placement.

Please refer to the 'Professional experience' section of this program entry for further information.

Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education

In addition to successfully completing all requirements for the program, students are required to pass the personal Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education (LANTITE) in order to graduate from the Bachelor of Education Early Childhood program. The LANTITE assesses initial teacher education students’ literacy and numeracy skills. For important information about the LANTITE and how this applies to you in your program of study, please go to the LANTITE FAQ at Ask USQ. You can register for the LANTITE test through the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) website.

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Required time limits

The standard duration for completion of this program is four years full-time or nine years part-time. Students have a maximum of nine years to complete this program.

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Core courses

Early Childhood

Specialisations

As detailed in the Program structure section of this entry, students must select a three-course specialisation from the choices of English or Mathematics detailed in the table below:

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Professional experience

Within the 32 units required to complete this program, there are strict professional experience requirements. These requirements are broken down to 95 days supervised placement within various settings to include 15 days in a Birth-2 setting, 25 days in a 2-4 years Early Childhood Education setting, 55 days in a Primary school setting and 20 days unsupervised placement.

Students are required to undertake Professional Experience in accordance with the number of days and placement settings as indicated in the program accredited by the Queensland College of Teachers (QCT) and the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA).

Students can undertake a maximum of one course with a professional experience component in the one semester.

Of the required supervised professional experience, all students, domestic and international, must complete a minimum of 50% of the supervised placement in Australian Primary and/or Secondary school settings.

Students must also hold a valid Blue Card within Queensland or hold a valid Working with Children Check as well as having completed any further training/certificates relevant to the state which they are completing their Professional Experience.

For further information please visit the Professional Experience and education placements website.

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IT requirements

For information technology requirements, please refer to the minimum computing standards.

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Other program requirements

Students must maintain good standing in this program. Please refer to the Academic Standing, Progression and Exclusion Procedure.

Students must also hold a valid Blue Card within Queensland or hold a valid Working with Children Check as well as having completed any further training/certificates relevant to the state which they are completing placement their professional experience.

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Related programs

Embedded within this program, there is a 24 unit Bachelor of Early Childhood degree. The structure for the 24 unit Bachelor of Early Childhood degree is comprised of the first 24 units of this program, including 80 days supervised professional experience.

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Exit points

This program contains provision for four generic exit awards, as follows:

• Bachelor of Early Childhood (BECH) – available at the completion of 24 approved courses, including 80 days supervised professional experience.

• Bachelor of General Education Studies (BGES) - available at the completion of 24 approved courses; 12 of which must be education courses;

• Associate Degree in Education Studies (DAES) - available at the completion of 16 approved courses; 8 of which must be education courses; and

• Diploma of Education Studies (DPES) - available at the completion of 8 education courses.

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Credit

Candidates eligible for admission into this program may be eligible for up to 24 units of credit on the basis of successful completion of relevant, equivalent undergraduate level study completed at a recognised university or institution.

Credit approved in this program or a specific specialisation will not automatically apply to other specialisations or USQ programs. Claims for credit should be submitted prior to or at the time of enrolment. Each claim will be assessed on individual merit in line with the Credit and Exemptions Procedure.

Visit our website to read more about how to apply for credit. .

Recommended enrolment pattern

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Recommended enrolment pattern

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, external or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.

Students are strongly encouraged to follow the recommended enrolment pattern for their specialisation. This is particularly important in respect to Professional Experience. Delaying Professional Experience may delay program completion by up to four (4) years.