The following table is a guide to secondary subjects in the Master of Teaching and Learning at the University of Otago College of Education. These subjects are taken as components within Secondary Curriculum papers EDUC 477 and EDUC 577 and are linked closely with teaching subjects in schools.
In secondary curriculum, you will:
- work within one or two learning areas;
- choose three or four subjects;
- have met the prerequisites of your subjects;
- study to teach a range of subjects from Years 7 to 13.
In addition to the prerequisites below, competency in conversational Māori is desirable.
All listed subjects may not be available in any one year. The table is not indicative of the contact hours or timetabling of these subjects within the secondary curriculum papers.
Your subject pathway will be considered during selection and is subject to final approval by the Secondary Curriculum Coordinator. Three subjects is considered a full programme, and choosing four subjects needs to be approved at interview.
Learning areas
The main learning areas – see the tables below for details – are:
Science
| Subject | Year levels | Prerequisites | Required Corequisites | Recommended Corequisites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Science | 7-11 | A body of 100-level and 200-level science papers, or approved equivalent. | ||
| Biology | 11-13 | One 300-level paper in biologically relevant fields supported by a body of 100- and 200-level papers, or approved equivalent. | Science | |
| Chemistry | 11-13 | One 300-level Chemistry paper supported by a body of 100- and 200-level papers, or approved equivalent. | Science | |
| Physics | 11-13 | One 300-level Physics paper supported by a body of 100-level and 200-level papers, or approved equivalent. | Science or Mathematics & Statistics | |
| Senior Science (Specify specialism on application – Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Agriculture, Horticulture, Environmental Studies, Earth and Space Science.) | 11-13 | One 300-level Science paper supported by a body of 100- and 200- level papers, or approved equivalent. | Science |
Mathematics and Statistics
| Subject | Year levels | Prerequisites | Required Corequisites | Recommended Corequisites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics and Statistics | 7-11 | Two 100-level Mathematics papers (only one of which may be a Statistics paper), or approved equivalent. | ||
| Senior Mathematics and Statistics | 11-13 | One 300-level Mathematics or Statistics paper supported by a body of 100- and 200-level Mathematics and/or Statistics papers, or approved equivalent. | Mathematics and Statistics | |
| Specialist Mathematics and Statistics | 11-13 | One 300-level Mathematics or Statistics paper supported by a body of 100- and 200-level Mathematics and/or Statistics papers, or approved equivalent. | Mathematics and Statistics, Senior Mathematics and Statistics |
Health and Physical Education
| Subject | Year levels | Prerequisites | Required Corequisites | Recommended Corequisites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health and Physical Education | 7-13 | BPhEd or approved equivalent required. Health-related papers at 200-level, BPhEd, BSport and Rec, BNur, Community and Family Studies papers at 200-level, or approved equivalent required. It is recommended that students enrolling for this paper hold current Workplace First Aid Certification. | Specialist Health, Specialist Physical Education | |
| Specialist Health | 7-13 | Health-related papers at 200-level, BPhEd, BSport and Rec, BNur, Community and Family Studies papers at 200-level, or approved equivalent required. | Health & Physical Education | Specialist Physical Education |
| Specialist Physical Education | 7-13 | BPhEd or approved equivalent required. It is recommended that students enrolling for this paper hold current Workplace First Aid Certification. | Health and Physical Education | Specialist Health |
English
| Subject | Year levels | Prerequisites | Required Corequisites | Recommended Corequisites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | 7-13 | One 300-level English paper, supported by a body of 100- and 200-level papers, or approved equivalent. Postcolonial, Shakespearean, New Zealand literature, digital literature and critical theory papers are recommended. | Specialist English | |
| Specialist English | 7-13 | One 300-level English paper supported by a body of 100- and 200-level papers, or approved equivalent. Postcolonial, Shakespearean, New Zealand literature, digital literature and critical theory papers are recommended. | English |
Technology
| Subject | Year levels | Prerequisites | Required Corequisites | Recommended Corequisites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technology | 7-13 | Two Technology-related papers at 100-level, or approved equivalent. It is recommended that students enrolling for this paper hold current Workplace First Aid Certification. | Another Technology subject | |
| Hard Materials Technology | 7-13 | BDes (Product), BEng, BE, BAppSc (Design-related major), or approved equivalent required. | Technology | |
| Soft Materials Technology | 7-13 | BCApSc, BAppSc (Clothing and Textile Science major), BDes (Fashion), or approved equivalent required. A knowledge and evidence of practical skill is essential. | Technology | |
| Food Technology | 7-13 | BCApSc, BAppSc (Food-related major), BCulArts (Otago Polytechnic), BSc (Human Nutrition or Food Science major), BFoodTech (Massey), or approved equivalent required. Knowledge of practical cookery is essential. | Technology | |
| Graphics and Design | 7-13 | Design Studies papers at 300-level, or New Zealand Certificates in Engineering, Building, Drafting, Survey Drafting, Town and Country Planning Drafting, Architectural Drafting, Quantity Surveying or Drafting (Architecture), BArch, BBS, or approved equivalent required. | Technology | |
| Digital Technology | 7-13 | A Bachelor of Information Technology degree or a 300-level Information Science or Computing paper supported by a body of 100- and 200-level papers, or approved equivalent. | Technology | |
| Specialist Technology (Specify specialism on application - Soft Materials Technology, Hard Materials Technology, Graphics & Design, Digital Technology) | 11-13 | As above, depending on Specialist area. | Technology and one other Technology subject |
Social Science
| Subject | Year levels | Prerequisites | Required Corequisites | Recommended Corequisites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Studies | 7-10 | A 200-level Social Science paper supported by 100-level papers (History, Geography, Anthropology and Economics papers recommended), or approved equivalent. | ||
| History | 11-13 | One 300-level History paper supported by a body of 100- and 200-level papers, or approved equivalent. | Social Studies or English | |
| Geography | 11-13 | One 300-level Geography paper supported by a body of 100- and 200-level papers, or approved equivalent. | Social Studies or Science | |
| Classical Studies | 12-13 | One 300-level Classics paper supported by a body of 100- and 200-level papers, or approved equivalent. | Social Studies | |
| Accounting | 11-13 | One 300-level paper in accounting supported by a body of 100- and 200- level papers in relevant disciplines, or approved equivalent. | Social Studies or Mathematics & Statistics | |
| Agribusiness | 12-13 | One 300-level paper in Agribusiness or Agricultural Innovation, supported by a body of 100- and 200- level papers in relevant disciplines, or approved equivalent. | Science | |
| Business Studies | 11-13 | One 300-level paper in marketing, management, or entrepreneurship supported by a body of 100- and 200- level papers in relevant disciplines, or approved equivalent. | Social Studies or Mathematics & Statistics | |
| Economics | 11-13 | One 300-level paper in economics supported by a body of 100- and 200- level papers in relevant disciplines, or approved equivalent. | Social Studies or Mathematics & Statistics | |
| Media Studies | 11-13 | A body of relevant film or media papers (including 200-level papers), in a degree, film or media analysis fields, journalism, or approved equivalent required. | Social Studies or English | |
| Religious Education | 7-13 | One 300-level Theology paper supported by a body of 100- and 200-level papers, or approved equivalent. | Social Studies |
Arts
| Subject | Year levels | Prerequisites | Required Corequisites | Recommended Corequisites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visual Arts | 7-13 | BFA, or approved equivalent. | ||
| Music | 7-13 | One 300-level Music paper supported by a body of 100- and 200-level papers in theory and performance or approved equivalent, e.g., Grade VII Theory and Grade VIII Performance (Royal Schools of Music or Trinity College, London). Keyboard skills are desirable. | ||
| Drama | 7-13 | A body of Drama papers within a degree including 200-level papers, or approved equivalent. | ||
| Dance | 7-13 | At least two papers within a degree that include Dance as a component – including 200-level papers, or approved equivalent. | ||
| Art History | 11-13 | One 300-level Art History paper supported by a body of 100- and 200-level papers, or approved equivalent. | ||
| Specialist Arts (Specify specialism on application – Visual Art, Music, Drama, Dance) | 7-13 | As above. | Visual Arts, Music, Drama and/or Dance |
Learning Languages
| Subject | Year levels | Prerequisites | Required Corequisites | Recommended Corequisites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Languages (Specify specialism – Te Reo Māori, Spanish, Chinese, French, German, Japanese) | 7-13 | A body of 100- and 200-level papers, or approved equivalent in the relevant language. | ||
| English for Speakers of Other Languages | 7-13 | One 300-level paper in a TESOL relevant field, such as Linguistics or Second Language Acquisition, supported by a body of 100- and 200-level papers, or approved equivalent. Preference will be given to applicants who have ESOL/EFL teaching experience in NZ or overseas, or have experience working with bilingual students in educational settings. |
Mapping Curriculum Subjects onto Teaching Subjects in a School
NB: Schools can choose what to call their subjects, so there are a range of possibilities.
| Learning Area | Curriculum Subject | Teaching Subject | Year Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Science | Science | Science | 7-11 |
| Biology | Biology | 11-13 | |
| Chemistry | Chemistry | 11-13 | |
| Physics | Physics | 11-13 | |
| Senior Science | Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Agriculture, Horticulture, Environmental Studies, Earth and Space Science. | 11-13 | |
| Mathematics & Statistics | Mathematics & Statistics | Mathematics & Statistics | 7-11 |
| Senior Mathematics & Statistics | Calculus, Statistics, Mathematics | 11-13 | |
| Specialist Mathematics & Statistics | Calculus, Statistics, Mathematics | 11-13 | |
| Health & Physical Education | Health & Physical Education | Health, Physical Education, Outdoor Education | 7-13 |
| Specialist Health | Health | 7-13 | |
| Specialist Physical Education | Physical Education, Outdoor Education | 7-13 | |
| English | English | English | 7-13 |
| Specialist English | English | 7-13 | |
| Technology | Technology | N/A | 7-13 |
| Hard Materials Technology | Hard Materials Technology, Workshop Technology | 7-13 | |
| Soft Materials Technology | Soft Materials Technology, Fabric Technology | 7-13 | |
| Food Technology | Food Technology | 7-13 | |
| Graphics & Design | Graphics & Design, Design & Visual Communication | 7-13 | |
| Digital Technology | Digital Technology | 7-13 | |
| Specialist Technology | Soft Materials Technology, Hard Materials Technology, Graphics & Design, Digital Technology | 11-13 | |
| Social Science | Social Studies | Social Studies | 7-10 |
| History | History | 11-13 | |
| Geography | Geography | 11-13 | |
| Classical Studies | Classical Studies | 12-13 | |
| Accounting | Accounting | 11-13 | |
| Agribusiness | Agribusiness | 12-13 | |
| Business Studies | Business Studies | 11-13 | |
| Economics | Economics | 11-13 | |
| Media Studies | Media Studies | 11-13 | |
| Religious Education | Religious Education | 7-13 | |
| Arts | Visual Arts | Visual Arts | 7-13 |
| Music | Music | 7-13 | |
| Drama | Drama | 7-13 | |
| Dance | Dance | 7-13 | |
| Art History | Art History | 11-13 | |
| Specialist Arts | Music, Drama, Dance, Performing Arts, Visual Arts, Painting, Sculpture, Photography, Drawing | 7-13 | |
| Learning Languages | Languages | Te Reo Māori, Spanish, Chinese, French, German, Japanese | 7-13 |
| English for Speakers of other Languages | English for Speakers of other Languages | 7-13 |
