Bachelor of Education (Primary)

Learn to establish positive and engaging learning environments for primary school students. Benefit from a wide range of placement opportunities across your degree in regional, rural and remote areas. Develop skills to improve Indigenous education outcomes and leverage a world-class education into a career that will change lives, including your own.

Focus on the curriculum for children from Prep to Year Six. You’ll learn methods for engaging students through creative activities and strategies, establishing routines and patterns, and maintaining positive, respectful learning environments. Develop skills for leading a classroom, including inclusive teaching methods that ensure the success of each of your students.

Experience relevant workplace learning in primary school settings. Gain professional experience from your first year of study in state, Catholic, and independent schools. Over the course of your Bachelor of Education (Primary) degree, you’ll undertake 85 days of placement. In your final year, you will complete a mandatory five-day intensive Professional Orientation Program, ensuring that you’re ready to take on your career in education with confidence.

Study online

The Bachelor of Education (Primary) Online is built for students with busy lives. You will study one subject at a time, up to six times a year. Each subject goes for six weeks, allowing you to focus on a single area of study each time.  It also spreads your study load across the year, and you still get 10 weeks of breaks.

By completing six subjects per year, you can complete a Bachelor of Education (Primary) in 5 years.  There are also options to accelerate completion in 4 years.

Study via the RATEP pathway

The Bachelor of Education (Primary) is also part of the Remote Area Teacher Education Program (RATEP) pathway to teacher education. RATEP's aim is to increase the number of registered Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teachers in Queensland by offering courses in communities where students live, through a partnership between JCU, TAFE Queensland and the Queensland Department of Education. RATEP centres are based in numerous school communities, where teacher coordinators will support you in your study.

All students enrolled in an Initial Teacher Education course must achieve the required standard for both the Literacy and Numeracy Tests for Initial Teacher Education (LANTITE).

Additional information

Inherent requirements

Inherent requirements are the identified abilities, attributes, skills, and behaviours that must be demonstrated, during the learning experience, to successfully complete a course. These abilities, attributes, skills, and behaviours preserve the academic integrity of the University’s learning, assessment, and accreditation processes, and where applicable, meet the standards of a profession. For more information please review the inherent requirements for the Bachelor of Education (Primary).

Majors

As part of the Bachelor of Education (Primary), you can choose one of the following specialisations:

• English/literacy
• Mathematics/numeracy
• Science
• Health and Physical Education

Consult the handbook for specialisations available at each campus.

Work Integrated Learning

This course requires work-integrated learning (WIL) activities, such as placements, fieldwork, internships or industry-partnered projects. During the course, you will be required to complete a minimum of 530 hours of WIL.

JCU Education (Primary) graduates are equipped to become teachers who can meet the diverse needs of primary school children from Prep to Year Six.

Graduates pursue careers in state, Catholic, and independent schools across Australia and overseas, particularly the United Kingdom.

You will be well positioned to find employment as a primary school teacher in metropolitan areas and throughout rural and regional Australia. As a graduate, you will be particularly qualified to meet the education and care needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

Courses are charged per year of full-time study. International course fees are reviewed annually and subject to change.

A Student Services and Amenities Fee is payable per subject up to a maximum amount per year.

Student Visa holders must have Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the duration of their Student Visa (except Norwegian, Swedish and Belgian citizens). Costs depend on the length of study and the number of dependants accompanying the student. For more information see Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC).

Scholarships and financial aid are also available for international students.

What you need to know before you apply

All applicants for initial teacher education courses (pre-service teachers) must satisfy both academic and non-academic entry criteria.

Your application must include a written statement that outlines:

• Why you want to be a primary school teacher, and
• If you have any involvement in personal learning and leadership activities.

Please submit your written statement to admissions@jcu.edu.au as soon as possible.

You will need to supply the following with your application:

• Previous and current certificates and academic transcripts
• Grading Scale used at the institution/s you have undertaken your studies
• English proficiency test results (if required and available at time of application)
• Passport to confirm your name and citizenship (if available at time of application)

Advanced Standing (credit for prior learning)

If you wish to seek credit for previous studies, you can submit the course syllabi (subject outline) for each relevant subject you have already studied. You will need to ensure that previous subjects, that you wish to gain credit for, correspond to a similar JCU subject. View JCU subject outlines and Course Enrolment Planners to assist in this process.

Certified copies and original documents

Posted, faxed, scanned or uploaded copies can be used during the assessment process. However once your application is approved you will need to supply original certified documents. These may be posted to:

James Cook International
James Cook University
Townsville QLD 4811, AUSTRALIA

If documents are written in a language other than English you will need to provide certified translations and a certified copy of the original document.

An acceptable certified document is a photocopy of an original document that has been certified as a true copy and signed by the certifier - public notary, registered agent of James Cook University or a representative of the institution. The certification must be original; photocopies or facsimiles of certified copies are not acceptable.

Entry requirements

All applicants for initial teacher education courses (pre-service teachers) must satisfy both academic and non-academic entry criteria.

As well as having studied the subjects listed in the prerequisites for this course, you must also meet necessary minimum academic entry scores and requirements.

Applicants of non-English speaking backgrounds must meet the following English language proficiency requirements:

• An overall score of 6.5 in Academic IELTS (or equivalent) with no sub-score less than 7.0 for Speaking and Listening and no sub-score less than 6.0 for Reading and Writing.

The cost of the testing will be met by the applicant. English test results must be no more than two years old.

If you meet the academic requirements for a course, but not the minimum English requirements, you will be issued a JCU degree offer conditional upon achieving the required scores in an approved English test. You may consider undertaking an English program at JCU in order to improve your skills prior to sitting your English test. If you are interested in doing so please email internationaladmissions@jcu.edu.au.

Application dates vary between courses, whether they're delivered in semester, trimester or carousel study modes. View our Application due dates page for more information.

Gather the documents you need to apply and submit an application via JCU's online application portal.