Graduate Diploma

of Early Childhood Education

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.

English Proficiency Language Requirements

All Applicants must meet the approved English Language Proficiency Requirements listed below:

Postgraduate Programs

An applicant will be deemed to have sufficient English language proficiency if they have completed :

Bachelor degree in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, the USA, Canada or the Republic of Ireland.
Successful attainment of the following:

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.

Verification Procedures

The enrolment officer will verify all English language proficiency test scores via the following means :

IELTS test scores submitted will be verified on the IELTS Test Report Form verification online service
TOEFL online score verification service is utilised to verify the applicants submitted report form
Cambridge English Language Assessment verification services is used to validate applicant’s Cambridge English examination results
The PTE Academic online score reporting system is used to view score reports and listen to applicant’s (test takers) personal introductions
The photo on the Test Reports will be verified with the applicants Passport photo

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.

Academic Requirements

Postgraduate Courses – Graduate Diploma and Master Programs

To be eligible for an offer of admission, applicants will:

Hold a bachelor qualification (please refer to specific course information as entry requirements may vary).

Non – Academic Requirements

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).

Altus Suite -

Casper and Snapshot

Altus Suite - Admissions Assessments of Non-Cognitive Skills

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.

How to Complete Altus Suite

In order to take Altus Suite, you will be responsible for securing access to a laptop or desktop computer with webcam and audio capabilities. You will require the following for both account creation and completing Altus Suite :

Government-issued photo ID
Valid email address (the same one you will use to submit your application)
Working webcam
Working microphone
Reliable high-speed internet connection

Please go to www.TakeAltus.com to sign up for Altus Suite for Postgraduate Teacher Education (CSP-20409 – Australian Postgraduate Teacher Education) under your specific country, and register using a piece of government-issued photo ID.When making your Altus Suite account please ensure you use the exact name and email address you have used on your application to Southern Cross Education Institute as this information will be used to match your Casper score to your application.
Select a Casper test date. You will be provided with a limited number of testing dates and times. Please note that these are the only testing dates available for your Casper test. There will be no additional tests scheduled. Please use an email address that you check regularly; there may be updates to the test schedule.

Important : To account for identity verification and payment processing timeline, ensure that you register for your test at least 3 days before your preferred test date and time. Last- minute bookings are not recommended.
Ensure you have selected Southern Cross Education Institute – Higher Education for distribution before the posted Distribution Deadline. Likely, there will be no additional tests scheduled, but the most up to date information can be found by browsing the Test Dates and Times.
You may complete Snapshot any time after you have registered for your Casper test at TakeAltus.com and we recommend you complete it within 14 days of your Casper test to ensure that all components of your Altus Suite are available together to be considered by your program(s), if they are an admissions requirement as per the program website(s). You will still be able to access Snapshot and Duet after the recommended 14 days, but must complete them before your earliest program distribution deadline, as shown on the Test Dates and Times page.
Please direct any inquiries on Altus Suite to support@altus.as. Alternatively, you may use the chat bubble in the bottom right hand corner of your screen on the TakeAltus.com website.

Accommodations : If you require testing accommodations for Altus Suite you will need to submit the Accommodations Request Form signed by you and your qualified professional 3 weeks in advance of your desired test date. More information regarding accommodations can be found here.

More About Altus Suite

Altus Suite consists of a two-part online assessment of non-cognitive skills, interpersonal characteristics, and personal values and priorities that we believe are important for successful students and graduates of our program. Altus Suite will complement the other tools that we use for applicant screening. In implementing Altus Suite, we are trying to further enhance fairness and objectivity in our selection process.

Altus Suite consists of :

Casper : a 60-90 minute online situational judgment test (SJT)
Snapshot : a 10-minute one-way interview with standardised questions.

About Casper

The Casper test comprises 12 sections of video and written scenarios. Following each scenario, you will be required to answer a set of probing questions under a time contract.

The test typically takes between 60-90 minutes to complete. Each response is graded by a different rater, giving a very robust and reliable view of personal and professional characteristics important to our program.

No studying is required for Casper, although you may want to familiarise yourself with the test structure at TakeAltus.com, and ensure you have a quiet environment to take the test. We strongly urge you to take advantage of the 12-section practice test, which will not only immerse you in the test environment, but will also ensure you meet the technical requirements to access and complete the test.

Casper test results are valid for one admissions cycle. Applicants who have already taken the test in previous years will therefore be expected to re-take it.

For a more detailed look at the Casper test, please see this video.

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.