Bachelor of Education Studies (BEdSt) and Graduate Diploma in Education and Teaching (GradDipEdTchg)

Note: New enrolments are currently suspended for the BEdSt degree. No new students will be accepted for this programme except for students permitted to transfer from a BTchg programme. For further details consult the University of Otago College of Education website at otago.ac.nz/education

• Overview
• Contact Details
• Subject Areas
• Professional Standards and Criminal Offences
• Regulations for the Degree of Bachelor of Education Studies (BEdSt)

Overview

The Bachelor of Education Studies endorsed with an area of specialisation and Graduate Diploma in Education and Teaching endorsed in Early Childhood, Primary or Primary Bilingual Education (Te Pōkai Mātauranga o te Ao Rua), together constitute a 4 year teaching qualification totalling 486 points. A year of advanced study and internship in a selected area of specialisation extends academic and professional knowledge, understanding and skills. Graduates of this qualification combination will be prepared for leadership roles within teaching and may apply for provisional teacher registration and entry into teaching at Q3+ salary status. As the first two years of the programme parallel the Bachelor of Teaching a student may opt to transfer to and exit on completion of 3 years with a Bachelor of Teaching degree.

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Contact Details

Tel 0800 TO TEACH (0800 868 3224)
Email education@otago.ac.nz

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Subject Areas

Every Bachelor of Education Studies (BEdSt) programme must satisfy the requirements for one of each of the following pathways and endorsements:

Degree Pathways

• Early Childhood Education
• Primary Bilingual Education (Te Pōkai Mātauranga o Te Ao Rua)
• Primary Education

  In addition, students must take papers in one of the following areas of specialisation:

  Endorsements (Areas of Specialisation)

  • Dance Education
  • Drama Education
  • English for Speakers of Other Languages
  • Family and Society
  • Health Education
  • Information and Communication Technologies
  • Language Teaching
  • Literacy
  • Literature
  • Māori Studies
  • Mathematics Education
  • Music Education
  • Physical Education
  • Religious Education
  • Science Education
  • Social Sciences Education
  • Technology Education
  • Visual Arts Education

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Professional Standards and Criminal Offences

See the Initial Teacher Education - Professional Standards and Criminal Offences Policy.

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Regulations for the Degree of Bachelor of Education Studies (BEdSt)

1. Admission to the Programme

   1. Admission to the programme shall be subject to the approval of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Humanities), on the advice of the Dean, College of Education, who must be satisfied that, in accordance with Section 224 of the Education Act 1989, the candidate satisfies the requirements for admission to an initial teacher education programme.
   2. Applicants whose first language is not English or Mäori must provide certified copies of IELTS (International English Language Testing System) results with a score of at least 7.0 in the academic version (with no individual component below 7.0), prior to admission.
   3. Students who hold or have completed the requirements for a degree enabling application for provisional teacher registration in New Zealand shall not be admitted to the programme.

   Note: The BEdSt degree does not in itself qualify graduates for provisional teacher registration (see regulations for Graduate Diploma in Education and Teaching (GradDipEdTchg)).

2. Structure of the Programme

   Every programme of study must satisfy the requirements for one of each of the pathways and endorsements in the schedules of requirements for the degree.

3. Duration of the Programme

   1. A candidate who has not been granted credit or exemptions from papers on the basis of previous study shall normally follow a programme of full-time study for three years.
   2. A candidate shall satisfy the requirements for the degree within five years of admission to the programme.

4. Prerequisites, Corequisites and Restrictions

   1. Every programme of study shall satisfy the requirements for prerequisites, corequisites, and restrictions set out in the Prescriptions (published in the Guide to Enrolment).
   2. Continuation in the programme shall be subject to a candidate’s achieving the required competency in Literacy, Information and Communication Technologies, and Mathematics, prior to enrolment in specified papers as listed in the Schedule of Education Papers.

5. Credits

   The Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Humanities) may grant such credits or exemptions as are deemed appropriate for work previously completed by a candidate.

6. Cross Credits

   A candidate who is enrolled for the degree concurrently with another degree, or who has completed one degree and is proceeding with the other, may cross credit 100- and 200-level papers which are common to both degrees up to 126 points where the other degree is a three-year degree and up to 180 points where the other degree is longer than a three-year degree.

7. Exclusion from the Programme

   A candidate may be excluded from further study towards the degree by the Associate Dean (Teacher Education), College of Education (clauses (a), (b) and (d)), or the Dean, College of Education (clause (c)), if the candidate:

   1. fails to make satisfactory academic progress (as defined by the Academic Progress Policy);
   2. fails to pass a professional practice paper for a second time:
      1. Early Childhood Education
         EDPR 101 or EDPR 201
      2. Te Pōkai Mātauranga o te Ao Rua (Primary Bilingual Education)
         EDPR 151 or EDPR 251
      3. Primary Education
         EDPR 131 or EDPR 231
   3. fails a component of the professional practice programme due to unprofessional or unethical behaviour, under which circumstances the candidate may be excluded from the professional component of the qualification.
   4. fails to pass any other compulsory paper in three attempts.

8. Examinations

   1. A candidate, who is enrolled for the Primary option or Primary Bilingual option for the degree and who has satisfied the internal assessment requirements for a compulsory curriculum studies paper but who has obtained a D grade in the final examination, may be permitted to sit a special examination for the paper or papers concerned, provided that the candidate has not failed more than half the total points for the year. In this event, the candidate will be required to repeat all the failed papers.
   2. Any candidate who is repeating a paper shall not normally be admitted to a special examination for that paper.

9. Withdrawal from and Readmission to the Programme

   1. A candidate who withdraws from the programme at any time and wishes to be readmitted at a later date shall be required to apply to the Associate Dean (Teacher Education), College of Education, for readmission.
   2. The period of temporary withdrawal from the programme shall not normally exceed one year following the year of withdrawal.
   3. Application for readmission must normally be received by the Associate Dean (Teacher Education), College of Education, no later than 1 November in the year preceding desired readmission.
   4. If a candidate withdraws permanently from the programme, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Humanities) will determine, on the recommendation of the Associate Dean (Teacher Education), College of Education, what credit may be granted towards another qualification.

10. Variations

    The Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Humanities) may in exceptional circumstances approve a course of study which does not comply with these regulations.

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This information must be read subject to the statement on our Copyright & Disclaimer page.

Regulations on this page are taken from the 2020 Calendar and supplementary material.