Hey there...
my degree is slightly different to the B ed/b Arts course. Where you guys do the second teaching subject, I do psychology.
lets back-track a little.
the B Ed/B Arts enables you to complete two degrees - one in education and one in arts. In first year for example, you choose 6 arts subjects and you are given 2 education subjects over the whole year. so that's 4 subjects a semester. With this degree, you end up being able to teach the humanities/art: english, history (ancient and modern), drama, economics, religion, art, i think you can do music, and you can also teach languages. You major in one subject and your second subject is your minor. Thus, you are qualified to teach two subjects.
Practicals for you guys start in year 3 (correct me if I'm wrong) although I think you may do a small bit of practical in second year.
Whats it like?
It's a great degree. Ed is really fun. lol the B Arts allows u to be very flexible in the subjects you choose. I know someone doing an Anthropology subject but they're not going to teach it! You can do subjects purely out of interest. You can do a semester of Italian and not teach it. B Arts is fantastic. Plus, if you don't like the ed, you can drop it and you have the arts degree.
How come it is 5 years when other uni's have similar at only 4 years.
I think USYD does a lot more pracs...and our pracs are more spread out. I know 5 yrs may seem like a drag, but hey, why does one extra year differ?
Has anyone completed it and actually teaching english/history now? That's what i want to end up doing and still looking at my options.
well i haven't completed it
i've just finished my first year. to be honest, i doubted my decision. i contemplated doing law, and then physio, and then psychology, and then law again, and settled back into teaching. i feel like ive left my options wide open by doing this degree. Just because you do an ed/arts degree, it doesn't mean you have to be a teacher! It's great to have degrees up your sleeve, incase you decide at any stage in ur life. The best part about teaching is holidays! lol it's very flexible, you can go on maternity leave etc haha
Is sydney the place for me?
i also doubted this. my brother, cousins and all my friends from high school went to Macquarie, and I went on my lonesome self to USYD. I hated it. it was terrible. but now, man i LOVE it! i don't even wanna have holidays lol usyd is bloody fantastic - well Uni is what YOU make of it. so if u dont wanna get involved with the social life, then uni is going to drag on forever. but if u get involved, u have the time of ur life.
yes there are other unis who do the b arts/ b ed. i know UNSW has nida, so u can focus on drama if thats what u want to teach. go to the uni open days and ask them why u should attend their uni. they'll sell their uni like it's a friggin car, but that's ok. get a feel of all the unis. i havent been to new south so i can't tell u why usyd is better. i heard from the grapevine that usyd has the better education faculty. my mum works in the school system, and she's been told that usyd graduates are more likely to get jobs first year out of uni than any other uni.
if u want to ask any other questions, go for it.
jhakka does your exact degree (and i think a few other members on the forum) so they might be able to help you out a bit more, as my degree differs
