The Graduate Diploma of Early Childhood Education will grow your abilities to be a self-sufficient, versatile and creative early childhood educator. ou will develop and advance your skills in supporting the learning needs of diverse learners across the curriculum from birth to five years of age.
Key Info
Subject Offerings
Entry Requirements
Professional Practice
The Graduate Diploma of Early Childhood Education will grow your abilities to be a self-sufficient, versatile and creative early childhood educator. You will develop and advance your skills in supporting the learning needs of diverse learners across the curriculum from birth to five years of age. You will build effective relationships with children, families and communities to develop evidence based educational interventions.
Industry professional placement subjects are embedded in the course and are completed in a regulated early childhood education service.
A reflexive professional practitioner, you will be able to register with the Victorian Institute of Teaching to teach in an early childhood setting with children aged birth to five years.
Accredited by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Authority (ACECQA).Accredited by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Authority (ACECQA) students study early childhood cognitive, social and physical development along with education theory and curriculum development in historical context. Classroom management techniques as well as skills in teaching literacy and numeracy are taught in line with national and state early learning frameworks (EYLF and VEYLDF). Industry placement units are embedded into the course providing consistent opportunities for students to implement and develop their practical skills.
Students interested in progressing further in this area, may choose to study one of the following areas on completion of the Graduate Diploma of Early Childhood Education:
Graduates of the 106561H Graduate Diploma of Early Childhood Education may find employment with government, private enterprises and not-for-profit organisations.
Graduate employment opportunities include:
Interpret and integrate professional standards for teachers demonstrating 21st century skills.
Critically evaluate educational theory and research in the design and implementation of learning experience.
Appraise different worldviews and socio political circumstances to design learning and interventions that promote engagement and inclusion.
Generate safe and inclusive teaching practices to meet the needs of diverse learners.
Collaborate ethically with children, parents and colleagues as capable contributors.
Demonstrate advanced curriculum and pedagogical knowledge to develop learning that empowers and develops 21st century skills in learners.
Critically reflect on own professional practice
Formulate a personal teaching and professional practice philosophy that advocates for children’s rightsand the public good
All Applicants must meet the approved English Language Proficiency Requirements listed below:
| TEST | POST GRADUATE DEGREEs |
|---|---|
| IELTS | Score of 7.0 overall (with no score less than 6.5 in written communication and no individual band score less than 6.0). Individual course entry levels may vary with advice from relevant industry consultation. |
| TOELF (iBT) | Overall score of at least 94+ (no writing score less than 27, no reading & listening score less than 24 and speaking score less than 24). |
| TOEFL (paper based) | 600 + (including a score of 5.0 or more in the Test of Written English. |
| OET | Pass |
| Pearson (PTE) | Overall score of at least 66 (with no score less than 56 in written communication and no less than 46 in other communication skills). Individual course entry levels may vary with advice from relevant industry consultation. |
| Cambridge English | 185 + with no skill below 185. |
Please note : English language requirements for teacher registration in Australian States and Territories may be different from those required for entry into SCEI-HE courses.
The enrolment officer will verify all English language proficiency test scores via the following means :
If an applicant is found to have submitted fraudulent English language proficiency documentation, SCEI-HE reserves the right to dismiss the applicant’s application or withdraw a letter of offer for admission to the Institute.
Postgraduate Courses – Graduate Diploma and Master Programs
To be eligible for an offer of admission, applicants will:
Applicants for education programs will need to complete a non-academic suitability test. The test measures attributes such as motivation to teach, attitude toward learning, interpersonal and communication skills, resilience, self-efficacy, how conscientious applicants are as well as organisation and planning skills.
SCEI-HE currently uses the computer based Casper Postgraduate Teacher Education test. The fee for students to take the test is met by student (approximately $80.00).
All applicants applying to Education courses at Southern Cross Education Institute – Higher Education are required to complete an online suite of assessments (Altus Suite), to assist with our selection process for the 2021-2022 Application Cycle.
About Snapshot
Snapshot is a one-way interview tool that takes 15 minutes to complete. It is used to help programs get to know their applicants better by assessing verbal and non-verbal communication skills, as well as motivation for the profession.
Snapshot includes 2 mandatory practice questions to allow applicants to get familiar with the format and to test your audio and video capabilities. After you complete the practice portion, you will move on to record responses to 3 standardised interview-style questions.
Applicants have 2 minutes to record each response. You will have time to read and consider each question during a 30-second reflection period before you begin recording. All recorded responses will be submitted to the program for review.
The aim of industry placement program is to prepare you for the world of work and assist in applying your newly acquired skills and knowledge in real lifework environments.
It also allows you to make meaningful connections with potential employers that may be able to employ you upon completion of your degree, or act as a work reference for other employment opportunities.
The placement handbook is an essential resource for students, identifying what to expect and how to conduct themselves whilst on placement.
For external placement organisations wishing to facilitate SCEI-HE students for placement, please download, populate and return our placement contract.
A document specifically outlining the student’s preparation requirements prior to attending placement is downloadable below.