Designed in partnership with Griffith University, the Diploma of Educational Studies transitions seamlessly into the highly-regarded Bachelor of Education. This puts you in a strong position for a wide range of teaching careers, across the public and private sectors. It can lead to senior positions, like department head or principal.
Griffith University has the highest education graduate success rates in Australia. Our graduates are in demand and find employment in the independent, Catholic and state education systems in Queensland as well as overseas.
An education qualification is also a good general qualification for many areas of work. Rather than teaching in schools, you could choose to follow a different pathway. Options include training settings in industry and government, outdoor education, adult literacy, libraries, educational research, education policy, or consultancy.
If you need additional English, Maths or Science qualifications to be eligible for a teaching degree, this new diploma is perfect for you. Rather than needing to complete extra study, including bridging and enabling subjects, you can meet the requirements while studying this one-year diploma.
| QTAC code | Degree code | Program | Campus | Credit granted* | Additional Knowledge |
| 085002/ 085004 | 1567 | Bachelor of Education (Primary) | Gold Coast / Logan / Mt Gravatt | 60 CP | NARTE† |
| 085002/ 085004 | 1567 | Bachelor of Education (Secondary) | Gold Coast / Logan / Mt Gravatt | 70 CP | NARTE† |
| Progression: Students will progress to their bachelor degree upon completion of their Griffith College diploma with a GPA equivalent to Griffith University’s admission rank requirement for entry to the bachelor program. Contact Griffith College for GPA to rank equivalencies. Diploma students who do not meet the progression requirements for their pathway to Griffith University can apply for a place in their preferred degree via QTAC, and be considered along with other external applicants subject to QTAC admissions requirements and processes. *Students who choose to go into Primary Education will receive 60 Credit points, students who choose to go into Secondary Education with receive 70 credit points. 80 credit points is equivalent to one year of full-time study. Completion of degrees where students obtain less than 80 credit points of advanced standing in the degree, may take additional time. †NARTE: To meet non-academic entry requirements for progression to the Bachelor of Education, diploma graduates must demonstrate they have the key competencies outlined by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL); competencies that are considered reflective of the attributes and motivations common to effective teachers. To demonstrate this, students will complete an online questionnaire towards the end of your diploma. Your study and experiences within the Diploma of Educational Studies will enable you to reflect upon the personal and professional attributes and competencies necessary for a career in teaching, and your Program Convenor will provide you with all the guidance you need to complete the questionnaire. | |||||
| Degree code | Program | Campus | Credit granted* | Min. GPA requirements | Additional knowledge |
| 1567 | Bachelor of Education (Primary) | Gold Coast / Logan / Mt Gravatt | 60 CP | 4.0 | NARTE† |
| 1567 | Bachelor of Education (Secondary) | Gold Coast / Logan / Mt Gravatt | 70 CP | 4.0 | NARTE† |
| *Students must successfully complete the Diploma of Educational Studies to progress to the Bachelor of Education (Primary) with 60 credit points or Bachelor of Education (Secondary) with 70 credit points. 80 credit points is equivalent to one year of full-time study. Completion of degrees where students obtain less than 80 credit points of advanced standing in the degree, may take additional time. †NARTE: To meet non-academic entry requirements for progression to the Bachelor of Education, Diploma of Educational Studies graduates must demonstrate they have the key competencies outlined by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL); competencies that are considered reflective of the attributes and motivations common to effective teachers. To demonstrate this, you will complete an online questionnaire towards the end of your diploma. Your study and experiences within the Diploma of Educational Studies will enable you to reflect upon the personal and professional attributes and competencies necessary for a career in teaching, and your Program Convenor will provide you with all the guidance you need to complete the questionnaire. | |||||
The Diploma of Educational Studies is designed to transition seamlessly into the highly-regarded Bachelor of Education at Griffith University, majoring in either Primary or Secondary Education.
The course offers students a broad introduction to the skills involved in acquiring information and in displaying knowledge to others. It includes the basic knowledge and skills required to successfully participate in an undergraduate degree program and to operate effectively in a professional context.
The course places the learning and developmental needs of preservice teachers in primary and secondary education settings within the broader frame of lifelong learning which promotes self-directed learning across the lifespan, including the self-directed learning of preservice teachers.
Assessment plan:
This is a core first year course and has no pre-requisite, co-requisite or prior-assumed course requirements. This course enables students to examine, understand and develop theoretical perspectives and practical applications of professional and personal communication in educational environments.
Students will identify, examine, apply and evaluate the principles and practices of curriculum design, programming and the selection of pedagogical strategies for quality teaching and learning. The course emphasises theory/practice connections and balances internationally recognised theoretical principles with practical, constructive applications.
Teaching and learning in the digital age demands that all teachers have more than a casual familiarity of the relationships between their content area knowledge, pedagogical (teaching skills) knowledge, and their technological knowledge. This course focuses on introducing a variety of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools and strategies that teachers can utilise to effectively engage students and diversify their learning opportunities across subject areas. Lectures, in conjunction with 1:1 computer activities, will provide opportunities for you as a pre-service teacher to develop and demonstrate your technical skills as well as time to investigate contemporary issues mandated by employing bodies.
This course focuses on teaching as a profession of choice (considering intrinsic, extrinsic, and altruistic factors) and the role of the teacher in the 21st Century. It investigates contemporary viewpoints and socio-cultural perspectives on teacher-learner interactions. Critically, the classroom as the dominant context for learning and teaching is considered alongside contemporary perspectives about authentic learning experiences and opportunities for contextual learning.
This course is designed for students who require a general mathematics background suitable for studies in business, health sciences, IT and engineering. It includes basic arithmetic, algebra, functions and their graphs, logarithms, growth and decay, finance and trigonometry.
Education and the work of teachers is shaped by historical and cultural contexts. Over time, beliefs about what it means to be a 'good student' and 'good teacher' change and evolve. This course examines the ways in which social beliefs and attitudes influence the design and delivery of different forms of education, and the way these beliefs shape students' educational experiences and outcomes. We study issues relating to the education of Australia's diverse student population. We emphasise the importance of educators having a detailed and informed knowledge base relating to diversity and social justice which they can draw upon when responding to their students' needs and emphasis the crucial role that reflective practice plays in helping educators understand their own attitudes.
This course introduces philosophy generally and the philosophy of education in particular. Content is examined through the lens of practical applications to ethical and critical reasoning in and about education.
The course focuses on the development of a broad scientific knowledge of the living world as well as focusing on concepts relating to concepts relating to biological structure, function, diversity, distribution, genetics, and interactions of living organisms.
*FND001 is recommended for a Bachelor of Education (Primary) pathway.
This course provides students with an introduction to the molecular basis of physical properties of materials, the reasons chemical reactions occur, and the energy changes involved.
†FND002 is recommended for a Bachelor of Education (Primary) pathway.
| Secondary Teaching Area required course is recommended for a Bachelor of Education (Secondary) pathway as follows: | |
| Secondary Teaching Areas | Required course |
| Biology | 1041SCG Biological Systems |
| Food and Nutrition | 1021SCG Chemistry 1 |
| Geography | 1043SCG Introduction to Environmental Sustainability |
| Mathematics | 1012SCG Mathematics 1B |
| Visual Arts | 1216QCA Introduction to Western Art |
| Chemistry | 1021SCG Chemistry 1 |
| English | 3404EDN Gender and Literacy |
| History | 1007LHS Understanding the Social World |
| Psychology | 1001PSY Introductory Cognitive and Biological Psychology |
Depending on your choice to pursue a major in Primary or secondary schooling will influence the total credit you will receive for the Bachelor of Education. This is due to the Primary major requiring English, Maths and Science as pre-requisites for entry whereas the Secondary major requires English and Maths.
The award of Diploma of Educational Studies requires successful completion of 100 Credit Points (CP): or ten (10) courses made up of 9 core and 1 elective.
Students wishing to take full advantage of available credit on articulation to a Bachelor of Education major should follow the recommendations below in choosing the program elective:
FND001 Biology OR FND002 Chemistry is recommended for a Bachelor of Education (Primary) pathway.