Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Teaching

Study to build your career in early childhood education

Become a highly qualified early childhood teacher with the University of Melbourne’s Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Teaching.

Suitable for both qualified educators and career changers, this early childhood teacher course prepares you to create inclusive learning environments that meet the needs of all children and promote Indigenous worldviews and sustainability.

Work in Australian early childhood education and care settings with children from birth to age five, or as an early childhood teacher for children up to age eight (additional registration required).

Key features

1. Become a qualified, skilled early years educator. Work in Australian early childhood education and care settings with children from birth to age five, or as an early childhood teacher for children up to age eight (additional registration required).
2. Gain unparalleled flexibility with online study. Learn from anywhere in Australia; balance study with work, family, and other responsibilities; and choose a pace that suits you with options to study over nine months, one year, or two years.
3. Receive financial support from the Victorian government. Support is available for existing educators seeking to upskill; eligible people commencing study; and for eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people seeking employment in early childhood education.

Why study early childhood education at Melbourne?

The Faculty of Education at Melbourne is a vibrant learning environment where you will join a community committed to changing lives through education.

The Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Teaching draws on the latest in education research and practice. You will learn from world-leading experts and complete 60 days of placement in multiple early childhood education settings. You will learn how to support young children to grow and thrive in meaningful ways:

1. Imparting and emphasising Indigenous worldviews. This early childhood course uses Indigenous ways of knowing and being to radically rethink how we learn and teach.
2. Teaching children to care for the planet. Learn how you can support children to build deep and caring relationships with their environment.
3. Supporting children to become active citizens. Explore how you can inspire and empower children to make a positive impact on the world around them.

Student support

Our carefully designed online learning environment offers an interactive and flexible student experience:

• Small group learning. Following the Collective Model, you’ll study in small groups with a Collective Mentor to guide your learning and facilitate discussion. You’ll build strong relationships with your mentor and fellow students, and enjoy a consistent support system.
• Support from enquiry to graduation. You’ll receive all the technical support you need from the moment you enquire through to graduation. Our student support team are available to answer all your questions, covering everything from enrolment and fees to online learning skills, workload management, and technical issues.
• State-of-the-art online environment. The online learning environment has been carefully devised by expert academics, alongside learning designers and technology specialists, to facilitate an interactive and flexible student experience.

What students say

If you are passionate about making change within the early childhood education sector, then this is the course for you. It will challenge your values and beliefs and provide you with the confidence to make impactful changes to children’s lives.

MaryRose Harrison, Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Teaching

Learn more about the Faculty of Education