Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood)

This degree will give you a professional qualification to teach children from birth to five years in early childhood education settings.Our innovative teacher education program incorporates introductory and advanced curriculum units, a strong social justice and leadership focus.You will have 630 hours of work-based placement in early childhood settings that exceed minimum requirements, scope to develop and apply research skills in an honours strand, along with opportunities to develop strong practical and research skills.You will study specialist units in early childhood education and development, complemented by generalist units in education and professional studies, as well as elective units of study in the sciences, social sciences and humanities offered by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, the Faculty of Science, and the University of Sydney Business School.During your candidature you will undertake professional experience in an early childhood setting with children from birth to three years.By fourth year you will be competent to teach in an early learning centre using your professional judgement and autonomy.Your final, fourth-year, 30-day internship will be complemented by a practitioner inquiry research project in which you focus on an area of specialisation.

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.
• 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.

Inherent requirements for programs in early-childhood 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 Early Childhood 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