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This program will accept no new admissions from semester 1, 2016. The information relating to this program is applicable to currently enrolled students and students intending to enrol prior to semester 3, 2015. Students who are interested in this study area should .

Notes

For students commencing in 2015, Commonwealth Supported places are only available to students majoring in Early Childhood, for all other areas please refer to MLDB Master of Learning and Development (Full Fee Paying) .
Both modes of study are supported through the USQ ¾«¶«´«Ã½app Desk.
This program does not qualify students for teacher registration with relevant teaching authorities. To qualify for teacher registration in Queensland, please refer to the Graduate Diploma of Learning and Teaching .

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Program aims

The aim of the Master of Learning and Development is to provide professionals in education, training and development with Master level coursework that will engage with educational issues that are relevant and meaningful to them and help to sustain their communities and fulfil their lives. The program aims to:

• facilitate the development and consolidation of knowledge and skills in teaching and learning in community, professional and workplace learning settings that are informed by contemporary learning theory and futures-orientated approaches

• support the application of these knowledge and skills through learner-centred design, flexible delivery and individualised and authentic assessment to enhance quality of services for their learners.

Program objectives

Students who successfully complete the Master of Learning and Development will have acquired advanced knowledge and understanding of key issues and trends within contemporary early childhood education. Graduates will be able to demonstrate:

• advanced theoretical and technical knowledge in one or more disciplines or areas of practice

• the ability to analyse critically, evaluate and transform information to complete a range of activities

• the ability to analyse, generate and transmit solutions to complex problems

• the ability to transmit knowledge, skills and ideas to others

• the ability to apply knowledge and skills to demonstrate autonomy, well-developed judgement, adaptability and responsibility as a practitioner or learner

• the ability to plan and execute a substantial research-based project, capstone experience and/or professionally focused project.

Australian Qualifications Framework

The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is a single national, comprehensive system of qualifications offered by higher education institutions (including universities), vocational education and training institutions and secondary schools. Each AQF qualification has a set of descriptors which define the type and complexity of knowledge, skills and application of knowledge and skills that a graduate who has been awarded that qualification has attained, and the typical volume of learning associated with that qualification type.

This program is at AQF Qualification Level 09. Graduates at this level will have specialised knowledge and skills for research, and/or professional practice and/or further learning.

The full set of levels criteria and qualification type descriptors can be found by visiting .

Admission requirements

A tertiary qualification at Bachelor degree or equivalent (AQF level 7) in a related discipline from a recognised institution.

For candidates who have a Bachelor degree or equivalent (AQF level 7) in a non-related discipline from a recognised institution, USQ’s Graduate Certificate of Education provides a pathway into the Master of Learning and Development.

Domestic and International Applicants from a non-English speaking background are required to satisfy .

If you do not meet the English language requirements you may apply to study a ¾«¶«´«Ã½app-approved . On successful completion of the English language program, Applicants may be admitted to an Award Program.

Program fees

Commonwealth supported place

A Commonwealth supported place is where the Australian Government makes a contribution towards the cost of your higher education and you as a student pay a , which varies depending on the courses undertaken. You are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the .
Commonwealth Supported students may be eligible to defer their fees through a Government loan called .

Domestic full fee paying place

Domestic full fee paying places are funded entirely through the full fees paid by the student. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken. You are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the
Domestic full fee paying students may be eligible to defer their fees through a Government loan called provided they meet the residency and citizenship requirements.
Australian citizens, Permanent Humanitarian Visa holders, Permanent Resident visa holders and New Zealand citizens who will be resident outside Australia for the duration of their program pay full tuition fees and are not eligible for .

International full fee paying place

International students pay full fees. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken and whether they are studied on-campus, via distance education/online. You are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the .

Program completion requirements

Students are required to follow the recommended enrolment pattern for their selected specialisation.

Program structure

The Master of Learning and Development is a 12-unit program. Three guidelines shape the program structure.

• The Early Childhood specialisation consists of eight compulsory specialisation units.

• Three mandatory research courses must be taken (which equates to 4 units of work). Students can choose from either the Applied Research Pathway or the Research Higher Degree Pathway.

  • Students who complete the Research Higher Degree Pathway as part of their program will be eligible to apply for entry to the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) subject to achieving a minimum GPA of 5.75 in the four research units and meeting other PhD entry requirements.

  • The Applied Research Pathway does not qualify students for direct entry to the PhD program.

  
  

• Please refer to MLDB Master of Learning and Development (Full Fee Paying) for alternative specialisations or a Student-Designed Customisation.

Professional experience

Professional experience is required and recommended in the Early Childhood specialisation. Irrespective of level of academic performance achieved by students in this specialisation, no student will be eligible to graduate from this specialisation without satisfactorily demonstrating current professional competence against the performance criteria identified in the nominated courses.

Eligibility to undertake professional experience in Queensland Educational Settings

Under the terms of the Commission for Children and Young People Act (Qld. 2000), students undertaking professional experience are considered to be volunteers engaged in regulated employment. As such, all students working with children must apply to the Commission to be issued with a notice that they are suitable to work in child-related employment. As part of this application, the student must consent to the Commission conducting a criminal history check as the key element of the process of determining suitability. All applications for a suitability notice must be made at the local campus of the university at the commencement of their program. Students who do not make application, or who do apply but are subsequently deemed unsuitable, will not be able to undertake the professional experience components of the program.

Further information, including a list of serious offences which could lead to a child care student being deemed unsuitable, are available from the .

Students undertaking professional experience outside of Queensland will need to check the requirements for professional experience in their state or country.

IT requirements

Students must have reliable and ready access to email and the Internet. See for more information.

Recommended enrolment pattern - Early Childhood specialisation

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, external or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.

The Early Childhood specialisation is designed to meet the needs of early childhood professionals and other multi-disciplinary practitioners involved in work with young children and their families. It is expected that these students will normally hold an undergraduate degree (or equivalent post-compulsory qualifications) in a discipline other than Early Childhood Education and are keen to enhance their skills, knowledge and ability in relation to the Early Childhood sector. This qualification will also meet the needs of experienced educators who are seeking to further develop their knowledge and skills to gain a specialisation in Early Childhood Education and Care.

Students will complete 60 days of professional experience in an Early Childhood Education and Care setting. Up to 25 days may be completed in the work setting if the student is currently employed. The remaining days must be completed in a different setting with a different age group.