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Graduate Certificate of Education (GCED) - GradCertEd

This program is offered only to continuing students. No new admissions will be accepted. Students who are interested in this study area should consider the Graduate Certificate of Education which will be offered from Semester 2, 2016.

 On-campusOnline
Start:No new admissionsNo new admissions
Campus:Toowoomba -
Fees:Domestic full fee paying place
Domestic full fee paying place
International full fee paying place
Standard duration:1 semester full-time (student-led pathway only), up to 2 years part-time 
Program articulation:

To: Graduate Diploma of Education (Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP)) or Graduate Diploma of Education (Full Fee Paying (FFP)) or ; Master of Education (Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP)) or Master of Education (Full Fee Paying (FFP))

Notes

This program does not qualify students for teacher registration in Queensland. To qualify for teacher registration in Queensland, please refer to the Graduate Diploma of Learning and Teaching and Master of Learning and Teaching.
Not all courses are available in every mode in every semester or year. Students are advised to check the course and mode offer listings for each semester/year.
All modes of study are supported with the USQ ¾«¶«´«Ã½appDesk. It is possible to complete the program via a combination of delivery modes.
Minimum enrolment numbers apply to all courses. Should enrolments not meet the minimum number required, students may be transferred to a different mode or offering and advised of this change prior to semester start.

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Contact us

Future Australian and New Zealand students  Future International students  Current students 

Freecall (within Australia): 1800 269 500
Phone (from outside Australia): +61 7 4631 5315
Email: study@usq.edu.au  

Phone: +61 7 4631 5543
Email: international@usq.edu.au 

Freecall (within Australia): 1800 007 252
Phone (from outside Australia): +61 7 4631 2285
Email usq.support@usq.edu.au 

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Professional accreditation

The Career Development specialisation meets the professional learning needs of professionals working in teaching, counselling, training, employment, community development, or information management roles who support the career planning and development of students, clients, and organisations. The Career Development specialisation addresses core and selected specialist competencies from the Professional Standards for Australian Career Development Practitioners, and it has been officially endorsed by the as a qualification for the status of professional career development practitioner under the Professional Standards.

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Program objectives

Students who successfully complete the Graduate Certificate of Education will have acquired advanced knowledge and understanding of key issues and trends within contemporary education and/or of a specialised area of 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.


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Program aims

The aim of this program is to provide professionals in education, training and development with graduate-certificate 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-oriented approaches

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


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Admission requirements

To be eligible for admission, applicants must satisfy the following requirements:

A tertiary qualification at bachelor degree or equivalent (AQF level 7) from a recognised institution.

For applicants who have a Bachelor degree or equivalent (AQF level 7) in a non-related discipline from a recognised institution, the Graduate Certificate of Education provides a pathway into the Master of Education. Upon completion and achievement of a minimum GPA of 4.0, students will be eligible for entry into the Master of Education.

Students who complete the Graduate Certificate of Education and maintain satisfactory academic standing (GPA 3.5) but do not achieve a GPA of 4.0 can articulate into the Graduate Diploma of Education. On successful completion of the Graduate Diploma of Education, students can articulate into the Master of Education provided other program entry requirements are met.

All students are required to satisfy the applicable .

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

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Program fees

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. Students 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. Students are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the .

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Program structure

The Graduate Certificate of Education consists of 4 units of postgraduate study in an education-related field.

Specialisations

The following specialisations are available in the Graduate Certificate of Education:

  • Adult, Professional and Workplace Learning

  • Applied Linguistics

  • Career Development

  • Digital Learning Environments

  • Early Childhood

  • Educational Leadership

  • Guidance and Counselling

  • Special Education

  • Tertiary Teaching

  • TESOL.


A Student-Led Pathway is also available.

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Program completion requirements

To be awarded a Graduate Certificate of Education, a student must have completed four approved units at postgraduate level. To be awarded a named specialisation, a student must have completed the four courses in the required enrolment pattern.

Students will enrol in the Graduate Certificate of Education on either a full-time or a part-time basis. International on-campus students must be enrolled full-time.

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Required time limits

Students have a maximum of two years to complete this program.

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Electives/Approved courses

Education Postgraduate Discipline Courses*   Discipline Focus  Projected Semester Offers  
EDR8000   Research  1,2,3 
EDR8001   Research  1,2,3 
  TESOL  1,2 
EDU5010   Early Childhood 
EDU5112   ICT 
EDU5221   Adult, Professional and Workplace Learning 
  Special Education  1,3 
EDU5322   Special Education 
  Special Education  1,3 
  Guidance and Counselling; Special Education 
EDU5601 Designing for Flexible Learning Environments*  Online and Distributed Learning, Adult, Professional and Workplace Learning 
   
EDU5703   Curriculum and Pedagogical Leadership 
EDU5705   Curriculum and Pedagogical Leadership 
EDU5713   Curriculum and Pedagogical Leadership; Adult, Professional and Workplace Learning  1,3 
^  Adult, Professional and Workplace Learning; Early Education; TESOL; Applied Linguistics  1,2 
EDU8007   Early Childhood 
EDU8011   Early Childhood 
EDU8111   Online and Distributed Learning 
  Online and Distributed Learning 
EDU8117   Online and Distributed Learning 
EDU8311   Leading and Managing Education Organisations 
EDU8312   Curriculum and Pedagogical Leadership 
EDU8314   Leading and Managing Education Organisations  1,3 
  Guidance and Counselling; Special Education; Career Development 
EDU8318   Leading and Managing Education Organisations 
EDU8319 Marketing Your Educational Organisation  Leading and Managing Education Organisations 
  Special Education 
  Special Education 
  Career Development; Guidance and Counselling; Special Education  2,3 
  Guidance and Counselling; Career Development 
  Guidance and Counselling; Career Development 
  Guidance and Counselling 
  Special Education 
  Adult, Professional and Workplace Learning; Curriculum and Pedagogical Leadership; Leading and Managing Educational Organisations 
EDU8406   Curriculum and Pedagogical Leadership; Adult, Professional and Workplace Learning 
EDU8415    
EDU8500 Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ Education and Issues  Multicultural Education 
EDU8501   Special Education 
EDU8502 Cultural Diversity Challenges in the Classroom  Multicultural Education 
EDU8503   Multicultural Education 
EDU8504   Guidance and Counselling  2,3 
EDU8505   Special Education 
EDU8506   Adulty, Professional and Workplace Learning; Curriculum and Pedagogical Leadership 
EDU8508 Engaging with Indigenous Communities  Multicultural Education 
  Special Education 
  Curriculum and Pedagogical Leadership; Leading and Managing Educational Organisations 
EDU8511   Special Education 
EDU8512 Pasifika Education  Multicultural Education 
EDU8513   Early Education 
EDU8605   Online and Distributed Learning; Adult, Professional and Workplace Learning 
  Adult, Professional and Workplace Learning; Career Devlopment 
EDU8701   Adult, Professional and Workplace Learning 
EDU8704 New Pedagogies  Multicultural Education 
EDU8705 Personal Pedagogy in Context  Multicultural Education 
EDU8712   Curriculum and Pedagogical Leadership 
EDU8719 Contemporary Issues Conference   
LAW8710 Australian Law for Educators  Leading and Managing Educational Organisations 
  Applied Linguistics; TESOL  1,2 
  Applied Linguistics; TESOL 
  Applied Linguistics; TESOL  1,2 
  TESOL 
  Applied Linguistics; TESOL  
  Applied Linguistics; TESOL  1,2 
  Applied Linguistics  1,3 
LIN8015   Applied Linguistics  2,3 
  Applied Linguistics; TESOL 
  Applied Linguistics; TESOL  
PRL8007 Community Participation    

Footnotes
*Subject to approval of the Program Coordinator and provided necessary pre-requisites are met.
^Professional Experience is a required component of this course, please refer to the Course Specification regarding sector specific requirements..

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Professional experience

Professional experience is required in the Early Childhood and the Adult, Professional and Workplace Learning specialisations.

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IT requirements

Students must have reliable and ready access to e-mail and the Internet. See for more information.

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Articulation

Upon successful completion of the Graduate Certificate of Education with a minimum GPA of 4.0, a student may articulate into the Master of Education, Master of Education (Full Fee Paying), , and Master of Applied Linguistics.

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Credit

The maximum credit granted will be no more than half of the program units (two units). Within this limit, credit will be granted for relevant studies successfully completed at postgraduate level in the last five years and may be considered for studies successfully completed in the last 10 years. In consideration of these guidelines, the following points warrant particular consideration:

  • transfer of credit from other incomplete USQ award programs may be permitted where there is similar or appropriate content

  • advanced standing for other formal awards from recognised educational institutions will be assessed using the Recognition of Prior Learning principles

  • other completed and assessed professional development and workplace learning may credit into the program when assessed by the Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts as equivalent to a full USQ course.


Students should contact the Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts before applying for credit, and follow the guidelines for .

Recommended enrolment patterns

In this section:

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Student-Led Pathway

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.

Students may choose any four of the courses listed in the .

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Adult, Professional and Workplace Learning

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.


CourseYear of program and semester in which course is normally studiedEnrolment requirementsComments
On-campus
(ONC)
External
(EXT)
Online
(ONL)
YearSemYearSemYearSem
EDU8701 11
EDU5713 1311,3
1,2Professional Experience is a required component of this course, please refer to the Course Specification regarding sector specific requirements.

Complete one of the following approved courses:

     EDU5221 12
     EDU5601 Designing for Flexible Learning Environments11This course is offered in odd-numbered years.
     EDU8406 12
     11
     EDU8605 11

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Applied Linguistics

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.


CourseYear of program and semester in which course is normally studiedEnrolment requirements
On-campus
(ONC)
External
(EXT)
Online
(ONL)
YearSemYearSemYearSem
11,211,2
11,211
1111,2
LIN8015 1212,3

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Career Development

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 Career Development specialisation meets the professional learning needs of professionals working in teaching, counselling, training, employment, community development, or information management roles who support the career planning and development of students, clients, and organisations. The Career Development specialisation addresses core and selected specialist competencies from the Professional Standards for Australian Career Development Practitioners, and it has been officially endorsed by the as a qualification for the status of professional career development practitioner under the Professional Standards.


CourseYear of program and semester in which course is normally studiedEnrolment requirements
On-campus
(ONC)
External
(EXT)
Online
(ONL)
YearSemYearSemYearSem
11
12
11

Complete one of the following approved courses:

     EDU8406 12
     EDU8605 11
     12,3

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Digital Learning Environments

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.


CourseYear of program and semester in which course is normally studiedEnrolment requirements
On-campus
(ONC)
External
(EXT)
Online
(ONL)
YearSemYearSemYearSem
EDU5112 13
EDU8111 12
11
EDU8117 12

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Early Childhood

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.


CourseYear of program and semester in which course is normally studiedEnrolment requirementsComments
On-campus
(ONC)
External
(EXT)
Online
(ONL)
YearSemYearSemYearSem
EDU5010 12
EDU8000 Early Childhood Principles and Practices1 15 days professional experience.
EDU8007 11
EDU8011 12

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Educational Leadership

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.


CourseYear of program and semester in which course is normally studiedEnrolment requirements
On-campus
(ONC)
External
(EXT)
Online
(ONL)
YearSemYearSemYearSem
EDU5221 12
EDU8312 11
EDU8314 11,3
EDU8318 12

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Guidance and Counselling

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.


CourseYear of program and semester in which course is normally studiedEnrolment requirements
On-campus
(ONC)
External
(EXT)
Online
(ONL)
YearSemYearSemYearSem
12,3
11
12Pre-requisite:

Complete one of the following approved courses:

     11,3Enrolment is not permitted in if has been previously completed.
     12Enrolment is not permitted in if has been previously completed.

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Special Education

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.


CourseYear of program and semester in which course is normally studiedEnrolment requirements
On-campus
(ONC)
External
(EXT)
Online
(ONL)
YearSemYearSemYearSem
11,3
12,3
EDU5322 13

Complete one of the following approved courses:

     12
     11

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Tertiary Teaching

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.


CourseYear of program and semester in which course is normally studiedEnrolment requirementsComments
On-campus
(ONC)
External
(EXT)
Online
(ONL)
YearSemYearSemYearSem
12Students require access to learning and teaching environments in a higher education setting.
EDU5713 1311,3
EDU5705 11
EDU8701 11

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Teaching English Language to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

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.


CourseYear of program and semester in which course is normally studiedEnrolment requirements
On-campus
(ONC)
External
(EXT)
Online
(ONL)
YearSemYearSemYearSem
11,211,2
11,211
11,212
211,3