At The University of Notre Dame Australia, we pride ourselves on creating job-ready graduates who are in great demand in the workforce. This is especially true of our Education degrees, where you will be supported through in-depth mentoring by practising teachers and academics. Designed to be completed over four years of full-time study, the Bachelor of Primary Education is a comprehensive degree that combines crucial theory with approximately 27 weeks of practical supervised teaching experience.

Why study this degree?

Is your ambition to teach young children? If so, this four-year teaching degree from The University of Notre Dame Australia is the ideal choice, combining educational theory and classroom learning with considerable hands-on professional experience at prior to school/early childhood settings and primary schools across New South Wales and beyond. Over the four-year degree, you will be expected to complete approximately 27 weeks of supervised teaching.

Fully accredited by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA), your Bachelor of Primary Education will provide you with the opportunity to teach in all sectors of school including:  Catholic, Government, Independent and prior to school/early childhood settings throughout Australia and in many other parts of the world.

Notre Dame’s School of Education in Sydney has received recognition from International Baccalaureate (IB) to provide selected graduates with the prestigious IB certificate in teaching and learning qualification. Upon graduation, you will be eligible to apply to the IB Organisation for the IB certificate in teaching and learning.

Please note: Initial Teacher Education students must have achieved a standard of three Band 5 HSC results on admission, or must alternatively be admitted and successfully pass eight discipline (non-ITE) courses in their first full-time year of university study to be eligible to enrol in curriculum and pedagogy courses or undertake supervised professional experience. All teacher Education students in NSW are required to enrol, pay and sit the national Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education Students (LANTITE) and demonstrate the required minimum level of personal literacy and numeracy prior to their final professional experience. Students are encouraged to sit the test early in their degree

Year One

• Learning and Development
• Mathematics and Numeracy
• English Language and Literacy
• Digital Technologies and Academic Skills
• The Global Citizen
• Science and Technology
• 1 Specialisation course

Year Two

• Foundational Principles of Teaching
• Personal Development, Health and Physical Education
• Mathematical Foundations and Perspectives
• Reading, Viewing and Listening
• Visual Arts
• Australia and the World
• Reading and Literacy in the Early Years
• Professional Experience 1: Primary
• 1 Specialisation course

Year Three

• Mathematical Understanding and Fluency
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders: Culturally Responsive Connections
• Science and Technology: Curriculum and Pedagogy
• Music, Dance and Drama
• Inclusive Education
• Writing, Representing and Speaking
• Professional Experience 2: Primary
• 1 Specialisation course

Year Four

• Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment
• Professional Engagement
• 1 Elective
• Professional Experience 3: Internship
• 2 Specialisation courses

Core Curriculum

• CORE I: Foundations of Wisdom
• CORE II: Elective
  • Electives in philosophy and\or theology
  • Professional embedded electives that integrate studies in a profession with philosophy and\or theology
  • An option to undertake a pilgrimage embedded in the study of the philosophy and theology of pilgrimage, e.g., World Youth Day
  • An option to undertake a course that integrates philosophy & theology with community service and charity work
  • An option to undertake an elective in philosophy, theology, and the liberal arts contained within an international experience

More information regarding courses can be found at the course descriptions page.

Specialisation courses in Religious Education and Early Childhood Education, and course requirements relating to the International Baccalaureate Education pathway are undertaken across the four years of the program.

Full details of the program requirements are contained in the Program Requirements.

The following careers are open to graduates of this program:

• Catholic schools
• Independent schools
• Government schools
• Prior to school settings: Early Childhood Education & Care centres, and Family Day Care centres.

Furthermore, when gaining your International Baccalaureate Certification, you will have an edge when it comes to teaching at one of 4500 International Baccalaureate schools in over 100 countries.

Applicants must meet High school qualifications (or equivalent) to apply for undergraduate program. Academic minimum entry requirements for international applicants vary from country to count

A minimum overall score of 7.5 in IELTS Academic, with no score lower than 8.0 in speaking and listening, and no score lower than 7.0 in reading and writing.