Get the skills and knowledge you need to be a confident and competent school teacher.
Our postgraduate Teacher Education study options include substantial time working with students in school classrooms.This experience will help you make connections between the theory you learn in lectures and everyday practice.
You'll learn to excel in the classroom and create a positive learning environment where students from varying backgrounds can grow and develop.
Pathways
To equip yourself to be the best teacher you can be, it is a good idea to think carefully about your choice of courses in your undergraduate degree. Think of your tertiary education as a complete journey towards preparing yourself to teach.
You may need to include different subjects in your undergraduate degree, depending on whether you aim to teach at primary or secondary level. There are some courses that are useful no matter which level you wish to teach—you can include some of these if you have space for elective courses within your undergraduate degree.
| Subject | Course code |
|---|---|
| Education | EDUC 101, EDUC 141, EDUC 117, EDUC 136 |
| New Zealand Sign Language | NZSL 101, NZSL 102 |
| Pacific Studies | PASI 101, SAMO 101 |
| Science | SCIE 105 |
| Statistics | STAT 193 |
| Te reo Māori | MAOR 101, MAOR 102 |
| Writing | WRIT 101 |
Graduate Diploma of Teaching
The Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Primary) and the Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Secondary) are one-year full-time programmes offered on campus or online and include 14 weeks of teaching experience in schools.
To enter either programme, you must have completed an undergraduate degree. If you want to be a secondary teacher, you need appropriate-level study in at least one teaching subject in your degree, although it is a good idea to take a second teaching subject to at least 200 level.
Master of Teaching and Learning
The Master of Teaching and Learning (Primary) and the Master of Teaching and Learning (Secondary) are integrated internship models combining theory and practice that will give you the opportunity to study primary or secondary teacher education while based in a school. You will complete the qualification full time over 12 months of study.
To gain entry to the programme, you must have completed a three-year Bachelor’s degree and should have a grade average of at least a B in the final year of study. If you want to be a secondary teacher, you should major in a teaching subject in your undergraduate degree.
Primary teaching
Any undergraduate degree can be used as the basis for admission to primary teaching programmes. If you are planning your undergraduate degree with the intention of undertaking a teacher education programme in the future, you should embrace the opportunity to study a broad base of curriculum areas, including mathematics, science, social science, and te reo Māori.
Useful subjects to prepare yourself for a primary teaching programme include those related to areas of the New Zealand school curriculum, and those that develop your knowledge on the broader context of education and society.
Some subjects we offer include:
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Computer Science
- Cultural Anthropology
- Design
- Early Childhood Education
- English Literature
- Film
- Geography
- History
- Languages
- Linguistics
- Mathematics
- Media Studies
- Music
- New Zealand Sign Language
- Physics
- Psychological Science
- Public Policy
- Sāmoan/Matā’upu tau Sāmoa
- Sociology
- Statistics
- Te reo Māori
- Theatre
Secondary teaching
If you want to teach at secondary level, you should include the subjects you wish to teach in your undergraduate degree.
You should choose teaching subjects that relate to the New Zealand school curriculum areas. We recommend that you take one teaching subject as a major, and another to at least 200 level.
Curriculum area | Teaching subjects offered at the University |
English | |
| Health and Physical Education | Health Informatics, Health Promotion, Health Psychology, Psychological Science |
Learning Languages | Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Māori Studies*, New Zealand Sign Language, Samoan Studies/Matā‘upu tau Samoa, Spanish, Te Reo Māori |
Mathematics | |
Science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics) | Biology, Biotechnology, Cell and Molecular Bioscience, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Ecology and Biodiversity, Environmental Science, Environmental Studies, Geology, Marine Biology, Physics, Space Science |
Social Sciences | Accounting, Classical Studies, Development Studies, Economics, Environmental Studies, Geography, History, Media Studies |
Technology | Computer Science, Design Innovation, Electronic and Computer Systems, |
The Arts (Drama, Visual Art, Music) |
*Must include Te Reo Māori courses to at least 200 level.
**Courses only, not a major.