Fast Facts
Location
Commencing
- Townsville: February
- Cairns: February
Fees
$8,230.00+
+estimated annual Commonwealth Supported Fee for a full-time study load. Please note this estimate is variable and subject to fluctuation depending on choice of elective subjects.
Plus Student Services and Amenities fee
Fee deferral and scholarships available if eligible
Currently displaying fees for 2025, which are subject to change in following years.
Duration
4 years full-time
Entry Requirements
ATAR 65
English (Units 3/4,C), General Maths or Mathematical Methods or Specialist Maths (Units 3/4,C); or equivalent.
QTAC Codes
- 313111
- 323111
Course detail
Learn to establish positive and engaging learning environments for secondary 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.
Gain a full understanding of intercultural and ethical approaches to professional practice. Base your teaching on current research and policy that addresses social justice, diversity and sustainability.
Take part in 85 days of placements in practical settings from your very first year of study, and experience teaching in metropolitan, rural and remote locations. Make a difference in the lives of young people, and improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
Students choose two teaching areas to specialise in. Teaching areas offered at JCU include biology, business, chemistry, economics, English, French, geography, health and physical education, history, information communication technologies (ICT), Japanese, legal studies, mathematics, physics, industrial technologies and design, and food technologies and design.
Not all teaching areas are available at the JCU Cairns campus. View the handbook for more information.
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).
About JCU's Bachelor of Secondary Education
Develop young minds and build leaders of the future with a high school teaching degree. Teaching is a rewarding career path allowing you to contribute to shaping the minds of future generations. James Cook University’s Bachelor of Education (Secondary) graduates experience exceptional employment outcomes* teaching in Australia and around the globe.
A High School Teaching Degree with Holistic Focus
Your educational journey at JCU prepares you for your career goals and more. As you achieve your high school teaching degree, you will learn far more than just the fundamentals of education. Your secondary teaching courses give you a strong foundation in how education intersects with sustainability, diversity, and issues of social justice.
You care about developing society's intercultural understanding. You know that ethics will be important to you as a professional and a value you want to pass onto your future students. Gain the skills and knowledge to understand the learning strategies of pedagogy, create lessons plans and successfully manage a classroom with a Bachelor of Education (Secondary) from JCU.
Like a Bachelor of Secondary Education, this degree prepares you to apply your skills in high-school classrooms across Australia or internationally. Gain work experience in rural and remote environments and learn to tackle the challenges these areas present.
An Inclusive Environment
Like a Bachelor of Teaching (Secondary), this degree provides you with a supportive foundation to fuel your passion to teach the next generation. Begin your career with the knowledge to succeed and the skills to create a positive learning environment for students from a variety of backgrounds.
Develop specialised skills as you work with secondary school students from urban, rural and remote communities. Understand intercultural and ethical approaches to working with Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and create a beneficial learning environment for all students.
Learning is a lifelong process and curriculums need to be forward thinking. Build the skills to develop educational material that meets the learning objectives of new curriculums. Gain these necessary practical experiences with your secondary education degree from JCU.
Secondary Teaching Courses with Comprehensive Support
Inspire your students as they grow and learn from your teachings. Experience the support you need to learn how to teach and manage a classroom through your secondary pre-service teacher education courses from JCU. You will learn from lecturers who are committed to student success, they will help you integrate pedagogical and technical knowledge with critical reflection and real-world skills.
You can also take advantage of JCU’s Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS), one of our most popular resources. These sessions enable students from the same course to revise difficult material, consider different perspectives and discuss ideas together to gain a deeper understanding. Students who consistently attend PASS achieve higher marks and are more likely to pass assessments and classes.
Benefit from JCU's network of professional connections and interact with other professionals in your field. You will have a chance to watch experts modelling effective communication and the integration of theory and practice.
JCU's Secondary Education Degree Can Lead To A Fulfilling Career
A degree and a job are important, but a fulfilling career that satisfies your passions will equip you to make a positive difference. Like a Bachelor of Secondary Education, you can specialise in the subjects you are most interested in.
You will choose two teaching areas to specialise in during your studies. Complement your teaching skills and choose from languages, science, mathematics, history, health, law, or business. You can choose two complementary areas of focus or pursue diverse interests for a well-rounded skillset.
A Secondary Education Degree Will Open Futures
You will decide the course of your own future and your education at JCU will give you many options. With your Bachelor of Education (Secondary), you will be in high demand. Your specialist skills will make you ready to work in Australia or abroad, in a variety of schools, including state, independent, and Catholic schools.
Your career path is not limited by teaching in the classroom. Like a Bachelor of Teaching (Secondary), graduates of JCU’s Bachelor of Education (Secondary) work in education management, community development, and government roles. Whatever you choose, your education degree from JCU will position you as a leader in Australian education.
Hide additional information
Consult the handbook for teaching areas available at each campus.
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 (Secondary).
JCU Education (Secondary) graduates are in high demand for their specialist skills with rural and remote communities.
Graduates pursue careers both in Australia and overseas, in public, independent, and Catholic schools.
You could find employment as a secondary teacher, or pursue roles in education management, government departments, or community development.
Entry score threshold
These are the lowest adjusted scores we made an offer to in Semester 1, 2024. Entry scores are based on the most recent Semester 1 intake and are updated in June each year. Meeting the threshold doesn't guarantee admission.
ATAR/Selection Rank: 65.00
Entry score range
This table shows the range of entry scores for recent secondary students offered a place in the Bachelor of Education (Secondary) for Semester 1, 2024. The table includes offers deferred to Semester 1, 2024 which may have been assessed using the entry score threshold of an earlier year.
JCU Townsville
Without adjustments | With adjustments* | |
|---|---|---|
Highest | 97.90 | 99.90 |
Median | 73.80 | 75.90 |
Lowest | 62.35 | 66.35 |
JCU Cairns
Without adjustments | With adjustments* | |
|---|---|---|
Highest | 97.55 | 99.55 |
Median | 79.15 | 82.15 |
Lowest | 67.60 | 67.60 |
Notes:
<5 – indicates less than 5 OP/ATAR-based offers made.
* Refer to Adjustment Factors
Find out more about who you might study with by viewing this course’s student profile.
Adjustment factors
James Cook University applies bonus ranks under the Regional Preference Scheme and QTAC’s Educational Access Scheme (EAS). Learn more about JCU’s adjustment factors.
Commonwealth Teaching Scholarships
Full-time domestic students in this course are eligible to apply for the Australian Government’s Commonwealth Teaching Scholarship. These consist of yearly payments of $10,000, for the expected full-time duration of your degree. For undergraduate students, this is four years, or a total of $40,000, and postgraduate students receive $20,000 over two years. If you choose to complete your final professional placement in a government school located in a remote area, you may also be eligible for an additional $2000 payment.
Successful applicants are required to make either a four-year (undergraduate) or two-year (postgraduate) commitment to teaching in a government school. You must fulfil this commitment within 10 years.
Fees
Estimated annual Commonwealth Supported fee: $AUD8,230.00
A variety of Scholarships are available to suit different student types.
JCU Prep provides a pathway into this course. Enrolling in this flexible program will enable you to meet entry requirements including subject pre-requisites and ATARs. Introductory academic subjects are also available to prepare you for tertiary study.
*Excludes entry into the Bachelor of Advanced Science, Bachelor of Dental Surgery, Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Marine Science, Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, Bachelor of Nursing Science – Bachelor of Midwifery, Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours), Bachelor of Physiotherapy, and Bachelor of Veterinary Science (Honours).
Note the course QTAC code for the location you've chosen. You'll need to enter it as part of your QTAC application.
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.
All applicants for initial teacher education courses (pre-service teachers) must satisfy both academic and non-academic entry criteria.
Important application update
Applications to study the Bachelor of Education (Secondary) for 2025 and beyond no longer require the completion of a Teacher Personal Statement (NARTE).
English Language Requirements
Applicants from non-English speaking backgrounds must also meet minimum English language proficiency requirements.
You can check the requirements for this course in the Course and Subject Handbook.
If you do not meet the English language requirements you can apply to study a University-approved English language program.
ATAR score is indicative only. Entry scores will be finalised in the major offer round.
Real stories
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Student
Kent Nielsen
Bachelor of Education (Secondary)
A highlight has been the workshops in the Bachelor of Education (Secondary). We get to collaborate and bounce back ideas and topics. The lecturers are so passionate. They really try and help you however they can, whether by email or asking them a question as I'm walking by.
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Student
Destiny Guteridge
Bachelor of Education (Secondary)
The Secondary Education course at JCU is amazing. It's practical, applicable and hands-on. I have already completed four Professional Experience placements in just two years of university. A Vice Chancellor’s Scholarship enabled my relocation from the Sunshine Coast and I can work less to concentrate on study.
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Alumni
Damon Green
Bachelor of Education (Secondary)
I love seeing the kids at my school understand and apply something I’ve taught them and their excitement around that. I made a lot of great friendships at JCU that have continued through into the workplace. Although we’re all working at different schools now, we still collaborate and help each other out.
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Lecturer
Dr Kelsey Lowrie
Senior Lecturer, Coordinator Bachelor of Education (Secondary)
JCU Secondary Education pre-service teachers choose their specialisations from a wide range of teaching areas. They enter the teaching profession in-demand, with the knowledge, skills and practical experience to inspire and shape the future pathways of young people.
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Employer
Stephen Baskerville
Head of Campus, Kirwan State High School
We find that JCU graduates have highly developed professional knowledge and an openness to continuous learning. The level of practical experience they gain in their degrees helps them to transition quickly to full time teaching. JCU graduates have a strong understanding of teaching in a regional or remote context.