*rUsTy* said:
Is it better, worse or the same as a BA/BEd.? I'm talking, in terms of gaining employment and pay rates.
I'm looking at Macquarie's BA DipEd because I've heard things about the Uni and am shying away from UNSW's BA/BEd. course because I've heard some bad things about it. Both are the same amount of years. I just don't know enough to tell them apart.
The only significant difference between a BA/BEd and a BA/DipEd is the content. BA/BEd programs balance the amount of Arts and Education units needed to complete the double degree, whereas a BA/DipEd focuses more on Arts than Education units. Regardless of which route you take, you'll be qualified to teach, and that's the main thing - it won't affect your employability or pay.
The problem with doing a dip.ed. is that most unis seem to be phasing them out, and converting them into a master of teaching or some such thing, which takes 18-24months, rather than the 12 months for a Dip Ed. at the moment.
You appear unaware that once you're enrolled in an MTeach degree, you can exit after one year with an award that qualifies you to teach.
Melbourne University's MTeach degree allows you to take out an accelerated PostGradDipTeach (a 1.5 EFTSL degree) in just one year of intensive overloading. Difficult, but possible. Every university website I've checked (Monash, Sydney and UNSW) mentions the alternative of exiting their MTeach degrees early, but whether they'll allow you to overload six units per semester is a question you'll need to ask the universities themselves. I only know that Melbourne allows it, so I can't see why the rest wouldn't. For now, I'd certainly recommend trying to fish out those 1.25 EFTSL DipEd degrees to earn your teaching qualification, but should these phase out completely in the coming years, the early exit option in the MTeach degrees is there if you can manage 1.5 EFTSL in one year.
If your only intention is to become a typical primary or secondary school teacher, you do not need to complete the final part of the MTeach program (2.0 EFTSL), but most institutions allow you to finish it off within five years of completing the PostGradDipTeach portion. The only reasons you may want to take out the MTeach fully is if you want a one-term internship (equivalent to 45-days as an aide, which is pointless if you find employment), the opportunity to specialise (e.g., disability education, TESOL) and/or to undergo research later on; what is available to you in the final semester will differ between institutions, so check them out.
It's certainly peculiar how SO many people here are convinced that one-year teaching qualifications are being phased out, yet it's not true at all; the early exit option in an MTeach degree is almost
the equivalent of a DipEd. Every university website that I've checked mentions the alternative exit, but admittedly, it's never in-your-face obvious. This is further complicated by the different names these early exit degrees go by. Take the University of Sydney and the University of Melbourne, for instance; by taking the early exit option at Sydney after one year, you'll be awarded the BTeach, whereas at Melbourne, you'll be awarded a PostGradDipTeach. They're both 1.5 EFTSL, and they'll still qualify you to register as a teacher in one year through intensive overloading.
I apologise if this post was a bit lengthy, but my intention was to completely iron out the MTeach mystery. Hopefully I succeeded!
