Bachelor of Education (Secondary: Humanities and Social Sciences) and Bachelor of Arts

This five-year combined degree will give you a professional qualification to teach in secondary schools in the areas of humanities and social sciences.You will gain a strong practical and theoretical preparation for teaching.

The course covers professional teaching, special education, international education, and information and communications technology.School observations and work-based training are integral components of the professional experiences in this degree.Professional teaching experiences and internships are offered in partnership with participating schools and will provide you with the opportunity to develop your teaching skills and professional understanding of how to work in schools.In your first year you will engage in a broad tertiary education, studying units from the Sydney School of Education and Social Work and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.You may choose your major from one of the following teaching areas:

Aboriginal studies, Commerce, Drama, Economics, English, History (modern or ancient), Languages:

Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew (modern or classical), Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Modern Greek or Spanish.You will also complete at least two years of study, which can be extended to a minor, in a second teaching area chosen from the list above, or from mathematics, business studies, teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL), or geography.

Admission criteria

Admission to this course is on the basis of the following criteria:

• a secondary education qualification such as the NSW Higher School Certificate (including national and international equivalents), or approved higher education study, including approved preparation courses.
• Applicants to all undergraduate education degrees (except Early Childhood) will be required to complete a brief personal statement. For more information, visit our personal statement FAQ page.
• English language requirements where these are not demonstrated by sufficient qualifications taught in English.

Admission pathways are open to domestic applicants on the basis of equity or other adjustment factors, including for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants. For details, visit admission pathways.

Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education Students (LANTITE) The requirement to complete the LANTITE applies to all students enrolled in the BEd (Primary); BEd (Health and PE); BEd (Secondary:Humanities and Social Sciences)/BA; BEd (Secondary: Maths)/BSc; BEd (Secondary: Science)/BSc; and all Master of Teaching programs except MTeach (Early Childhood).

Information about LANTITE for students commencing their studies in 2017 and beyond will be required to have successfully completed testing as follows: All BEd students commencing their studies in 2017 and beyond will be expected to sit and pass the test within the first two years of candidature.

Register to take the LANTITE.

For information about teacher-accreditation requirements in NSW, including the testing, visit the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA).

Inherent requirements for programs in secondary education To assist students to make informed choices about their study, the Sydney School of Education and Social Work has identified inherent requirements for coursework-award courses in Secondary Education. In order to successfully complete such a course, students must possess these qualities and skills (PDF).

Credit for previous study

If you’ve already completed university-level or equivalent subjects, you may be able to apply for credit for previous study.

What you'll study