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Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (Birth to Five Years)

Bachelor

The Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (Birth to Five Years) prepares students for teaching in early childhood settings, emphasizing curriculum and pedagogy. It is suitable for diploma graduates or as a standalone course.

Key details

Degree Type

Bachelor

Duration

4 years full-time

Intake Months

Feb, Jul

Domestic Fees

$4,736 per year

About this course

Overview

The Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (Birth to Five Years) is aimed at those students dedicated to a career teaching in a birth to five setting.

Developed in response to workforce needs in the early childhood sector, the course can be undertaken as a natural progression for graduates of the Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care or as a standalone course. Graduates of the course will have a strong grounding in early childhood curriculum and pedagogy.

We also recognise that an early childhood educator is likely to teach a diverse range of students across the course of their career. Our students will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to respond to this diversity.

Entry requirements

An applicant must also comply with the Admission to Coursework Programs Policy that includes meeting a minimum ATAR requirement.

To be eligible for admission to the course, an applicant must meet any additional prerequisite requirements imposed by state jurisdictions.

International applicants need to refer to the English Language Requirements section available here.

To be eligible for admission to the course, an applicant must have completed at year 12 level, or equivalent:

State Australian Capital Territory
- Prerequisites: Nil
- Assumed Knowledge: Major in English (T), Major in Mathematics (T)
State New South Wales
- Prerequisites: Nil
- Assumed knowledge: Two units of English (Any), Two units of Mathematics (Any)
State Queensland
- Prerequisites: English (Units 3 & 4, C)
- Assumed Knowledge: General Mathematics
State Victoria
- Prerequisites: English: Units 3 and 4 - a study score of at least 30 in English (EAL) or 25 in any other English
- Recommended Studies: Mathematics: Two units of Mathematics (any)

Disclaimer: The course entry requirements above are for 2026 Admission. Refer to your relevant Tertiary Admission Centre website for future years' entry requirements.

International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic

Overall score: 6.5. Individual score of 6.5 in all bands.

PTE Academic

58 with a minimum of 58 in all four communicative skills.

TOEFL

Internet based total of 79, with a minimum of 24 in writing, 19 in reading, 20 in listening and speaking.

C1 Advanced

A minimum score of 176 with a minimum of 176 in all tests.

ACU English Language test; or ACU EAP

B (65-74%)

What you will learn

Overview

The Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (Birth to Five Years) is aimed at those students dedicated to a career teaching in a birth to five setting. Developed in response to workforce needs in the early childhood sector, the course can be undertaken as a natural progression for graduates of the Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care or as a standalone course. Graduates of the course will have a strong grounding in early childhood curriculum and pedagogy. We also recognise that an early childhood educator is likely to teach a diverse range of students across the course of their career. Our students will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to respond to this diversity.

Career pathways

Our graduates have pursued careers in:

early childhood education
kindergarten teaching
policy development

Course structure

Course details

To complete the Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (Birth to Five Years), a student must complete 320 credit points (cp).

Year 1 Semester 1

EDEC100 Health, Family and Young Learner Wellbeing in the Early Years 10 cp
EDEC101 Infant and Toddler Studies 10 cp
EDEC112 Young Childrens Social and Emotional Learning in Early Childhood Contexts 10 cp
EDEC200 Environments for Learning in the Early Years 10 cp

Year 1 Semester 2

EDES103 Understanding Learners and Their Contexts 10 cp
EDES106 Contemporary Learning Cultures and Contexts 10 cp
EDEC150 Play-based Learning 10 cp
EDAR164 Nurturing Creativity in Young Children 10 cp

Year 2 Semester 1

EDES100 Understanding Learning and Teaching 10 cp
EDEN100 Foundations of Literacy 10 cp
EDSI168 Science, Inquiry and Sustainability 10 cp
EDTE261 Technologies in Early Childhood Education 10 cp

Year 2 Semester 2

EDET112 Effective Teaching 1: Early Years Curriculum and Pedagogies (Professional Experience: 20 days) 10 cp
EDEN102 Children's Literature for Early Reading 10 cp
EDMA151 Exploring Mathematics and Numeracy in the Early Years 10 cp
EDEC201 Diverse Learning and Inclusive Education in Early Years 10 cp

Year 3 Semester 1

EDES206 Social Justice and Community Engagement for Educators 10 cp
EDES105 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledges, Histories and Cultures 10 cp
EDAR460 Arts as Meaning in Early Childhood 10 cp
Core Curriculum Unit 1 10 cp

Year 3 Semester 2

EDET212 Effective Teaching 2: Curriculum Planning and Pedagogy in Early Childhood (Professional Experience: 20 days) 10 cp
EDET300 Effective Teaching 4: Students with Disability and Inclusive Education 10 cp
EDMA290 Mathematics Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment 1 (B-12) 10 cp
EDEC300 Partnerships and Learning Transitions with Families and Communities 10 cp

Year 4 Semester 1

EDET312 Effective Teaching 3: Understanding and Guiding Behaviour to Engage Young Learners (Professional Experience: 20 days) 10 cp
EDEN290 English Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment 1 (B-8) 10 cp
Core Curriculum Unit 2 10 cp
EDEC401 Leadership, Management, Administration and Advocacy in Early Childhood Contexts 10 cp

Year 4 Semester 2

EDET460 Effective Teaching 5: Understanding and Implementing Assessment and Data Informed Practice 10 cp
EDET461 Effective Teaching 6: Professional Engagement and Reflection (Professional Experience: 20 days) 10 cp
EDEC301 Child Protection in Early Childhood Education 10 cp
EDEC400 Professional Identities in Early Childhood 10 cp

Credit for prior study or work

Students who hold a Diploma of Children's Services (or equivalent) may be granted credit for one year of the course (80 credit points), enabling them to commence directly into the second year of the course. This means diploma holders will enter into the second year of the course.

How to apply

Apply now

We are happy to accept your application to this course. Remember, Victorian applicants can apply direct to ACU only if

you have not yet commenced a VTAC application and
you are not currently studying Year 12, and
you are applying to only one course only.

Graduate outcomes

Graduate satisfaction and employment outcomes for Teacher Education courses at Australian Catholic University (ACU).

77.6%

Overall satisfaction

79.1%

Skill scale

59.3%

Teaching scale

83.8%

Employed full-time

$67k

Average salary

Data source