General information on Master of Education, Graduate Diploma and Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies
This program is for leaders and future leaders in education in a dynamic climate of educational change and innovation. It is intended for trained teachers or those who wish to better understand educational theory and research.
The faculty offers two forms of this program, with or without a designation/specialisation.
1) Designated degrees
Students can choose to complete the Master of Education, Graduate Diploma in Educational Studies or Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies with a designation/specialisation.
This means that candidates concentrate their studies in one of the designated areas within the program and graduate with the specialisation (in brackets) as part of their award name area, eg Master of Education (TESOL).
To qualify for a Master of Education, Graduate Diploma in Educational Studies or Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies, candidates need to complete the required number of core, elective and capstone units of study required for that designation.
Designations/specialisations
- Educational Management and Leadership
- Educational Psychology
- International Education
- Special and Inclusive Education
- Sports Coaching
- TESOL
2) General degrees
This approach is best suited to those students who have a broad range of interests and wish to select units of study from across the entire Master of Education program.
Master of Education without a designation
To qualify for the award of Master of Education, candidates are required to complete a total of 8 units of study (48 credit points), including
- a minimum of 3 units (18 credit points) from one specialisation; comprising:
- a minimum of 2 units (12 credit points) of core units of study; and
- a minimum of 1 unit (6 credit points) of elective unit from that specialisation; plus - a minimum of 1 unit (6 credit points) of capstone units of study; and
- a maximum of 4 units (24 credit points) of elective units from any designation within the Master of Education program.
3) Capstone Experience
A capstone unit is completed in the last semester of the award course. It provides an opportunity to integrate ideas and understandings drawn from units of study taken in the course. The capstone is a compulsory requirement and is undertaken by completing a special project or a dissertation with an upper limit of 12,000 words.
Students who intend on undertaking a higher degree by research (MPhil, PhD, Doctor of Education or Doctor of Social Work) in future should enrol in the Dissertation option (please note that entry requirements apply for this unit of study. Consult your Course Convenor for further details).
Graduate Diploma in Educational Studies without a designation
To qualify for the award of Graduate Diploma in Educational Studies, candidates are required to complete a total of 6 units of study (36 credit points), including
- a minimum of 2 units of study (12 credit points) of core units from one specialisation; and
- a maximum of 4 units of study (24 credit points) may be chosen from any specialisation within the Master of Education program.
Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies without a designation
To qualify for the award of Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies, candidates are required to complete a total of 4 units of study (24 credit points) from any specialisation within the Master of Education program.
Master of Education
These resolutions must be read in conjunction with applicable University By-laws, Rules and policies including (but not limited to) the University of Sydney (Coursework) Rule 2014 (the 'Coursework Rule'), the Coursework Policy 2014, the Resolutions of the Faculty, the University of Sydney (Student Appeals against Academic Decisions) Rule 2006 (as amended) and the Academic Board policies on Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism. Up to date versions of all such documents are available from the Policy Register: http://www.sydney.edu.au/policies.
Course resolutions
1 Course codes
|
Code |
Course title |
|---|---|
| GCEDUSTD-02 |
Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies |
|
GNEDUSTD-01 |
Graduate Diploma in Educational Studies |
|
MAEDUCAT-03 |
Master of Education |
2 Attendance pattern
0.
The attendance pattern for these courses is full time or part time according to candidate choice.
3 Master's type
0.
The master's degree in these resolutions is a professional master's course, as defined by the Coursework Rule.
4 Embedded courses in this sequence
(2)
Providing candidates satisfy the admission requirements for each stage, a candidate may progress to the award of any of the courses in this sequence. Only the longest award completed will be conferred.
5 Admission to candidature
(1)
Available places will be offered to qualified applicants based on merit, according to the following admissions criteria. In exceptional circumstances the Dean may admit applicants without these qualifications who, in the opinion of the faculty, have qualifications and evidence of experience and achievement sufficient to successfully undertake the award.
(2)
Admission to candidature for the Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies, the Graduate Diploma in Educational Studies and the Master of Education (excluding the Sports Coaching and Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages specialisations) requires:
(a)
a Bachelor of Education from the University of Sydney or equivalent qualification and either the completion of postgraduate studies, or professional experience equivalent to one year full-time, in a field considered by the Faculty to be appropriate to the program of studies; or
(b)
a bachelor's degree and either the Diploma in Education, or the Bachelor of Teaching or the Master of Teaching from the University of Sydney, or equivalent qualification; or
(c)
a bachelor's degree from the University of Sydney, or equivalent qualification, and either the completion of postgraduate studies, or professional experience equivalent to two years full-time, in a field considered by the Faculty to be appropriate to the program of studies; or
(d)
in the case of the Graduate Diploma, completion of the embedded Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies from the University of Sydney, in the same specialisation as that in which the applicant wishes to proceed; or equivalent qualification; or
(e)
in the case of the Master of Education, completion of the embedded Graduate Diploma in Educational Studies from the University of Sydney, in the same specialisation as that in which the applicant wishes to proceed; or equivalent qualification.
(3)
Admission to candidature for the Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies (Sports Coaching), the Graduate Diploma in Educational Studies (Sports Coaching) and the Master of Education (Sports Coaching) requires:
(a)
a bachelor's degree from the University of Sydney or equivalent qualification and either the completion of relevant postgraduate studies or a minimum of two years’ coaching/sporting experience at an elite level; or
(b)
Level 2 National Coaching Accreditation Scheme (NCAS) accreditation or the equivalent and either the completion of relevant postgraduate studies or a minimum of four years' coaching/sporting experience at an elite level; or
(c)
in the case of the Graduate Diploma in Educational Studies (Sports Coaching), completion of the embedded Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies (Sports Coaching) from the University of Sydney, or equivalent qualification.
(d)
in the case of the Master of Education (Sports Coaching), completion of the embedded Graduate Diploma in Educational Studies (Sports Coaching) from the University of Sydney, or equivalent qualification.
(4)
Admission to candidature for the Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies (Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages), the Graduate Diploma in Educational Studies (Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages) and the Master of Education (Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages) requires:
(a)
a bachelor's degree from the University of Sydney or equivalent qualification and either a postgraduate English language teaching qualification or at least two years’ full-time English language teaching experience; or
(b)
a bachelor’s degree in English language teaching or equivalent qualification and at least one year’s full-time English language teaching experience.
(c)
in the case of the Graduate Diploma in Educational Studies (TESOL), completion of the embedded Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies (TESOL) from the University of Sydney, or equivalent qualification.
(d)
in the case of the Master of Education (TESOL), completion of the embedded Graduate Diploma in Educational Studies (TESOL) from the University of Sydney, or equivalent qualification.
6 Requirements for award
(1)
The units of study that may be taken for these courses are set out in the Faculty of Education and Social Work Graduate Certificate/Graduate Diploma in Educational Studies and Master of Education Table of units of study.
(2)
Candidates may complete the Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma or Master's degree with or without a specialisation. Candidates who intend to undertake these courses with a specialisation must complete the requirements specified in the Specialisations section below.
(3)
To qualify for the award of the Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies without a specialisation a candidate must complete 24 credit points of units of study, chosen from any units listed in the Table.
(4)
To qualify for the award of the Graduate Diploma in Educational Studies without a specialisation a candidate must complete 36 credit points of units of study, comprising:
(5)
To qualify for the award of the Master of Education without a specialisation a candidate must complete 48 credit points of units of study, comprising:
(a)
18 credit points of units of study from one specialisation, including a minimum of 12 credit points of core units and remaining of elective units; plus
7 Specialisations
(1)
The completion of a specialisation is optional for these courses. The award of a specialisation is dependent on the units of study completed.
(2)
A specialisation in the Graduate Certificate requires the completion of the required core and elective units of study listed in the Table for the relevant specialisation.
(3)
A specialisation in the Graduate Diploma requires the completion of the required core and elective units of study listed in the Table for the relevant specialisation.
(4)
A specialisation in the Master of Education requires the completion of a minimum of 30 credit points chosen from units of study specific to the relevant specialisation, including the specified number of core and elective units for that specialisation; and a minimum of 6 credit points of capstone units.
0.0.
* This specialisation is only offered at the Graduate Certificate level. Candidates completing this specialisation can progress to the Graduate Diploma or Master's degree; however will be awarded with no specialisation.
8 Course transfer
0.
A candidate for the master's degree or graduate diploma may elect to discontinue study and graduate with a shorter award from this embedded sequence, with the approval of the Dean, and provided the requirements of the shorter award have been met.
9 Transitional provisions
(1)
These resolutions apply to students who commenced their candidature after 1 January, 2015 and students who commenced their candidature prior to January, 2015 who elect to proceed under these resolutions.
(2)
Students who commenced prior to 1 January, 2015 may complete the requirements in accordance with the resolutions in force at the time of their commencement, provided that the requirements are completed by 1 January, 2020 and provided that there is no suspension of candidature, in which case the candidature for any period shall proceed under the by-laws and resolutions in force at the time of re-enrolment. The Faculty may specify a later date for completion or specify alternative requirements for completion of candidatures that extend beyond this time.