Master of Teaching (Early Childhood)
Build on your undergraduate degree to become an Early Childhood teacher.
Course essentials
Entry requirements
Credit
Study mode
Duration
Start dates
01 March 2027
19 July 2027
Locations
Course overview
Build on your undergraduate degree to become an Early Childhood teacher. Maybe it is time for a career change or studying for your degree has shown you that teaching is where you belong. You will graduate from this course with the confidence and skills to teach in Pre-Schools throughout Australia and overseas. This is a hands-on course that will get you into the classroom for a minimum of 60 days where you can put into practice what you have learnt.
You will discover how young children learn and how you can develop and support their learning prior to school settings, with a focus on nature pedagogy. You’ll look at examples from around the world and learn how to best work with children from diverse backgrounds.
Our Master of Teacher (Early Childhood) course is offered on campus at Mt Helen (Ballarat) in an accelerated mode over 2 years full time or 4 years part time. It is also offered online (part-time study is not available to international students). We offer flexible pathways to suit peoples’ individual circumstances; this means blended options that include a combination of on campus and online study are also possible.
IT requirements
To do this course you’ll need a fast and reliable computer and access to high-speed internet. Expect to use about 5GB of data per month for every unit you’re doing. Find out more about the minimum IT requirements for studying with us.
Got questions?
Call us on 1800 333 864, start a live chat or submit an enquiry.
Student support
The support we offer is second to none. Need academic help? No problem. Extra access or financial assistance? Let’s see what we can do. View our student services.
The fine print
The commencement of all courses is subject to available funding and enrolment quotas.
Everything in this course overview is correct at the time of being published. However, the University reserves the right to alter any course, procedure or fee. Please check for changes before you apply or enrol.
Federation University uses Victorian and Commonwealth Government funding (for eligible students) to deliver training.
School department
Education
Course co-ordinator
Kylie Nice
Career paths
Professional recognition
Approved by Victorian Institute of Teaching
Fees and scholarships
Tuition fee information
Commonwealth Supported Places are subsidised by the Australian Government. The tuition fee is called the student contribution amount. The indicative fee above is based on a typical first-year enrolment for this course and should be used as a guide only. For 0.5 EFTSL (60 credit point) courses the certificate fee is displayed. Your fee will depend on the units you chose, your study load, the time it takes to complete your course and any approved credit you receive.
How it's calculated
The government sets the fee each year. The amount depends on the discipline area and band of each unit. 2026 annual student contribution amounts for 1 EFTSL (equivalent full-time student load) range from $4,738 (Band 1) to $17,399 (Band 4). The sample course structure below link to the EFTSL, Band and fee for each unit or you can use our unit search to find these details.
Other fees
You will also need to pay the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF).
Fee assistance
If you're eligible for a HECS-HELP loan, you can defer the payment of all or part of your student contribution fee. If you’re also eligible for a SA-HELP loan, you can defer your SSAF payment too. You won’t have to start paying either loan back until your income reaches the compulsory repayment threshold.
Scholarships
There’s a range of scholarships and grants available. Find out what you can apply for.
Course details
Start dates
Semester 2, 2026
20 July 2026
Locations
Mt Helen (on campus)
Semester 1, 2027
1 March 2027
Locations
Mt Helen (on campus)
Semester 2, 2027
19 July 2027
Locations
Mt Helen (on campus)
Information
- Our Mt Helen, SMB, Camp St and Gillies St campuses are located in Ballarat. Testing.
Contact hours
You’d be looking at about 25-30 hours per week (if you’re full time), but this includes on-campus classes and self-directed study (i.e. homework).
Work integrated learning
This course requires a total of 480 placement hours, across 12 weeks.
Sample course structure
Here’s what the course structure could look like. It’s just an example (so don’t use it for enrolment). Interested in the details? You can find current course structure or select a single unit name below to find out what it’s about and how much it costs.
- Engaging Professionally 115 credit pointsEDMAS6026
- Planning Effective Learning Environments for Learning and Teaching15 credit pointsEDMAS6028
- Understanding Early Childhood Development15 credit pointsEDMAS6050
- Curriculum Through Play15 credit pointsEDMAS6051
- Infants and Toddlers15 credit pointsEDMAS6031
- Early Childhood Language and Literacies15 credit pointsEDMAS6032
- Steam Ahead With Young Children15 credit pointsEDMAS6057
- Engaging Professionally 2: Infants and Toddlers15 credit pointsEDMAS6062
- Numeracy and Digital Technology15 credit pointsEDMAS6029
- Curriculum Approaches15 credit pointsEDMAS6033
- Nature Pedagogy 115 credit pointsEDMAS6035
- Art, Movement and Music in Early Childhood15 credit pointsEDMAS6052
- Nature Pedagogy 215 credit pointsEDMAS6036
- The Neophyte Professional in Early Childhood Contemporary Society15 credit pointsEDMAS6058
- Educational Leadership in Early Childhood15 credit pointsEDMAS6059
- Engaging Professionally 3: Education for Prior-to-school Children15 credit pointsEDMAS6162
Meet us at Open Day
Open Day is your chance to explore all that Federation has to offer. Meet current lecturers and students, ask course questions, learn about our support services and explore campus spaces.
We’ve got heaps of activities, tours and presentations planned. Basically, we want you to get a real feel for Federation. The atmosphere. The opportunities. The community.
Oh – and there’s no need to pack a sandwich. Lunch is on us.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements (year 12)
Applicants with current or recent secondary education are not eligible to apply for this course.
Entry requirements (non year 12)
Admissions criteria for applicants with a higher education study.
Prerequisite
A completed Australian Bachelor degree in any field (or equivalent).
This course uses the entire academic record as part of its selection considerations.
Students must prove they meet the English language requirement as determined by the Victorian Institute for Teaching to be eligible for registration.
Applicants with a Vocational Education and Training study are not eligible to apply for this course.
Applicants with work and life experience are not eligible to apply for this course.
English language requirements
IELTS score 7.5 for Speaking and Listening and 6.5 or equivalent for Reading and Writing or equivalent, or International Second Language Proficiency Rating (ISLPR) test with a Level 4 in speaking, listening, reading and writing or Successful completion of two years full-time equivalent study at a recognised Australian university within the past two years.
Extra requirements
Essential requirements for enrolment and graduation
Students may be required to provide validation of Covid Vaccinations for placements in early childhood (EC) settings. Although no longer mandatory some EC settings do require evidence as part of their own policies. The vaccination evidence is to be uploaded to Inplace before the commencement of attending a placement.
Working with children check
Compulsory: Applicants will be required to hold a valid Working with Children (WWC) Check prior to undertaking professional placements as part of this course. For more information see: http://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au
Police record check
Compulsory: Applicants will be required to hold a valid National Police Record Check for professional placements as part of this course. For more information see: https://www.police.vic.gov.au/content.asp?Document_ID=274
Immunisations
Compulsory: All students enrolled in an Early Childhood Teacher Program are now required to provide validation of immunisation/ training pre-requisites (Infuenza, Whooping Cough, MMR, and COVID) for placement in Early Childhood settings. The validation is to be uploaded in InPlace by the commencement of the University academic semester.
If you’re only applying for this course, do it via direct application.
Ready to fill out your application?
You'll need this code:
Direct application
Federation University code
- VTAC application
- Yes
- VTAC code
- 3700510881 - Mt Helen (on campus)
- Direct application
- Yes
- Federation University code
- TX9
Hear from our students
Hi, my name is Maddie and I'm studying a Bachelor of Education. I'm specialising in inclusive Ed and I'm in my third year of studies. I chose to study at Fed Uni because it is close to home and because I had a few friends who were studying here as well. I would recommend federation to those considering studying because of the placement opportunities they have here. This year as part of my diversity placement I was given the opportunity to travel to the NT to a remote indigenous community. This option was available to all students in my degree in the third year and it was made even more accessible as the majority of the accommodation and flights were funded by the Uni Arunga. The community I was placed in was the most beautiful little community with wonderful students and incredible classroom facilities. I'm so glad and proud of myself for taking that leap of faith because now I have so many more skills and experiences under my belt. This opportunity will be something I'll happily share with anyone and we'll think about forever. I really couldn't recommend this programme more.