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Early childhood education

Discipline

Study early childhood education and put your creativity, energy and interpersonal skills to good use. With significant sector growth, there's high demand for qualified and passionate people to teach and nurture young children.

Choose an early childhood education course that will get you work ready

Get your career off to the best start by developing skills, knowledge and networks through work experience and a practical, hands-on approach to learning. Our connection to industry thought-leaders means you'll graduate with a well-recognised qualification that stands out to employers and is matched to current industry practice.

Undergraduate

Undergraduate (your first degree)

An undergraduate degree is generally completed between two to four years, depending on the pattern of study and any recognition of prior learning you may have. Associate degrees, bachelor and bachelor with honours are all undergraduate degrees.

Postgraduate

Postgraduate (further study)

A postgraduate qualification can be undertaken by students who have already completed an undergraduate degree or possess significant, demonstrable work experience. Postgraduate courses include graduate certificates, graduate diplomas, masters and PhDs, as well as specialist programs for industry professionals.

Research

Higher Degrees by Research (supervised research)

Research degrees are research based master’s or PhD programs that focus on a single area of expertise. They provide students the opportunity to carry out highly specialised research under expert supervision.

Career opportunities

Our graduates have found careers in Australian and international early childhood education settings, pre-schools and primary schools (where VIT registration is recognised) as teachers, coordinators and advisers.

Other graduates have gone on to roles in:

  • community services
  • government departments
  • health and welfare organisations
  • non-for-profit organisations
  • the media.

Discover the education and teaching course for you

Our education and teaching course finder tool makes it easy for you to find the right course. By answering just a few questions, the tool will provide you with the best options to match your career goals and interests.

Find your course

Top of the class

Our professional experience program is a critical part of every Deakin teaching student's course journey. With a choice of over 1400 schools across Australia you'll undertake at least 80 days of work experience, where the opportunities for professional and personal development are endless.

I was able to implement what I was learning in classes at university to my placements. The fast track allowed me to finish the course a year earlier.

Charlotte Rooney

Bachelor of Early Childhood Education graduate

#2 in Australia for education and educational research

Deakin is ranked #2 in Australia and #11 globally for education and educational research by U.S. News and World Report,* a global authority in education rankings. You can be assured that what you learn at Deakin is relevant to the sector and your career.

Early childhood scholarships

The Victorian Government is offering support to become an early childhood teacher. This includes for study in Deakin’s Bachelor of Early Childhood EducationGraduate Diploma of Early Childhood Education and the Master of Teaching (Early Childhood). Whether you’re starting your study, upskilling or already studying early childhood teaching, there is financial support available.

The Victorian Government Early Childhood Tertiary Partnership courses offer employment-based options for students to complete study online, while working in the sector. Visit Deakin’s Early childhood teaching employment-based pathway for details about the program including scholarships, mentoring and other financial incentives.

Learn more about government support

Inspire the next generation

Inspire the next generation

Our early childhood and education courses are designed to set you up for a successful career. Find out about the benefits of becoming an early childhood educator.

Postgraduate teaching at Deakin

Postgraduate teaching at Deakin

Learn how Deakin empowers you to make a difference in the lives of young people throughout your studies.

Research with us

Research at Deakin is making a difference, working to improve the field of education for future generations. Address the challenges of our time when you study a higher degree by research in our School of Education.

We have partnerships to help you develop innovative research. With links to schools, professional associations and government departments, we’ll help bring your ideas to life.

Education research in action

Early childhood science education: do Australian publishing trends represent world publishing trends? Coral Campbell finds, from a historical perspective, there was a distinctive approach evolving in early childhood science education.

Learn more about researching with us

Latest articles

Choosing an early childhood education or primary teaching course

Which Deakin early childhood education or primary teaching course is right for you? Whatever your career goals, consider the options when choosing a degree.

Read more

Footnotes

*Deakin references data from a range of government, higher education and reputable media sources. For more information, visit our list of sources.