Bachelor of Early Childhood Education

VU course code: | Level of study:

Fees

Fee type for this course: Full fee

Location

Applications closed

Overview

Become an in-demand early-childhood teacher, equipped with effective skills and practical experience, with a Bachelor of Early Childhood Education at Victoria University (VU).

Be part of the massive future growth expected in early childhood education, with over 10,600 new jobs expected to be added in the next five years.

Now’s the time to kickstart your career as a kindergarten teacher or other early-childhood educator, with Victorian Government scholarships and financial incentives available to early childhood students and teachers.

Your Bachelor of Early Childhood Education will prepare you for a rewarding career nurturing the development and wellbeing of children from birth to five years. As a degree-qualified early childhood teacher, you’ll:

support young children with the important foundations to set them up for success in life
develop techniques for involving families as important contributors to the learning process
set children up for effective transitions to school.

At VU, you will learn to support children to feel capable and confident. You’ll build a strong sense of social justice, understand child development in the early years and develop ethical professional teaching practice that includes Indigenous perspectives.

Please note: Our online delivery mode intakes are only available to students who completed a Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care, and are eligible to start in the second year of this course. Please select a City Campus intake if you're starting in the first year of this course.

: Studying at VU means taking advantage of our strong connections with community centres, local councils, childcare settings and kindergartens.
Your 80 days of supervised teaching experience includes:
10 days in the unique VU playgroup program
15 days with infants and toddlers in a childcare centre
55 days with 3–5 year olds in a childcare centre or funded kindergarten.
In our ‘VU Play’ pop-up play spaces, you’ll create and maintain play spaces that encourage children to engage in self-directed play, using loose parts and various materials. You’ll work within the concept of ‘playwork’ to observe, reflect and analyse the children playing and intervene or make changes when needed. This program runs permanently at Footscray Nicholson campus and many other suitable locations.
Find out more about our practical programs in early childhood education.
: Experience a range of cultures, histories and early childhood teaching styles to broaden your perspective. As a VU student, you’ll have access to our:
Study tour to Malaysia: complete a three-week placement in a Malaysian early childhood centre, enjoying a rich cultural immersion experience to learn different approaches to early childhood education.
Student exchange with Karlstad University in Sweden: spend six months in Sweden studying and completing practical placements that count towards your course, learning European approaches to early childhood education and broadening your cultural awareness.
Placements in the Northern Territory: spend four weeks in a remote Indigenous community in the Northern Territory, experiencing a rich culture and perspectives to inform your approach to early childhood teaching.
: If you have already completed a Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care, enjoy guaranteed entry into the second year of this course and skip first year.
If you’re eager to finish your degree even sooner after your diploma, join our accelerated program to study continuously over summer and winter and graduate in just 18 months. The accelerated program is available in online real-time, so you can study at night after work.
: As soon as you graduate from this course, you’ll meet the requirements to register as a teacher with Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) and Victorian Institute for Teaching (VIT), the Victorian body for Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL).

Entry requirements

When assessing your application, we consider your educational achievements and work experience, as well as your skills and personal attributes (where relevant).

Applicants for this course will need to meet the entry criteria outlined below. If you don’t meet the entry criteria, you may be able to gain entry by first completing a related course or unit(s). We call this a ‘pathway’.

You may also be eligible for course ‘credits’, where you are granted a unit or units towards your qualification for equivalent previous study or work experience, so you can graduate sooner.

Entry criteria

Credit & Entry pathways into this course

Victoria University is committed to providing a transparent admissions process. Find out more about how to apply for our courses, and our commitment to admissions transparency. Meeting the minimum admission criteria does not guarantee entry into this course. Past academic performance may be considered.

Course structure

Course delivery

For your first year of bachelor-level study, you’ll enjoy the supportive experience of our VU First Year College® program in the heart of Melbourne in-person at our City Campus.

For years two and three, you can choose from three flexible study options:

in-person at Footscray Nicholson campus
online in real-time via Zoom, three nights per week
online self-paced, with one weekly support session.

Summer & winter block intakes for 'fast-track' students

Our accelerated program for students who have completed a Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care allows you to study continuously over summer and winter and graduate in just 18 months. The summer block in January and winter block in June/July is only open to our 'fast-track' students.

After you are accepted into your course, you will need to enrol in your course units.

During enrolment, use your course delivery plan to understand the structure and requirements of your course.

Fees & scholarships

Commonwealth supported place

A Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) is subsidised by the government, reducing it to the amount listed here. Australian citizens, permanent residents and New Zealand citizens will qualify for a CSP place. If your course is not Commonwealth supported, or you don't qualify, you'll pay full fees.

Learn more about Commonwealth Supported Places

Fees

Scholarships

Victorian Government incentives

Placement payment

The Commonwealth Practicum Payment (CPP) provides a cost-of-living payment to ease financial pressure during placements.

The Government payment is available to domestic students undertaking mandatory placements who meet income and placement criteria.

Check my eligibility

Careers

Take advantage of the high demand for bachelor-qualified early childhood teachers with funded three-year-old kindergarten rolling out across Victoria and an expected 21.6% growth in childcare jobs by 2026. With this nationally accredited degree, you can work around Australia in:

public or private kindergartens
long day care centres
early childhood centres in Australia
policy development with government bodies.

Thanks to the essential experience you’ll get from teaching in childcare settings and kindergartens during your placements, you’ll be ready to register as a teacher as soon as you graduate.

Enjoy the rewards that come with nurturing the next generation and expect to earn above-average wages.