Graduate diploma · university
Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education
A Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education is a one year full-time course for people who already hold a degree in another field and want to teach young children before school.
- How long it takes
- 1 year
- full time
- Level
- Graduate diploma
- University
- Leads on to
- Early Childhood Teacher
- $99,100 median pay, In demand
- Taught by
- 7 providers
- 4 states and territories
Is this course right for you?
What the Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education asks of you, and what you might want to check first.
Before you start
Each provider sets its own entry requirements, so check the ones you are considering.
Where this course can take you
Jobs this qualification is a recognised route into, and the study that can follow it.
Jobs you can do with it
Early Childhood Teacher
Early childhood teachers plan and run play-based learning programs for children from birth to about five, in the years before formal school starts.
What else you need
Choose an ACECQA approved early childhood teacher qualification for the intended age range and state. Complete placements, screening checks and any teacher registration requirements; the course alone does not confer registration. Check the chosen provider, program and intake; the family level link is not confirmation that every offering is approved.
Median pay$99,100
In demand
Pay is the median for everyone in the job, and “In demand” means the job is on the national shortage list.
Where you can study this course
There are 7 places you can study this course. When you compare them, check they teach it the way you want to study, how far you'd be from a campus, what it will cost you and what past students say about the teaching and support. They're listed by how often people search for them, and none of them pays to be here or to move up.
Victoria University
Victoria University City Campus (City Tower), Victoria University Footscray Nicholson, VIC
3.9from 1,562 Google reviews
Victoria University
Victoria University Brisbane, Victoria University Sydney City Centre, NSW, QLD
3.9from 1,562 Google reviews
- Website for La Trobe University (opens in a new tab)
La Trobe University
Melbourne (Bundoora), VIC
4.3from 1,101 Google reviews
What students like
- Lecturers are friendly and supportive
What to weigh up
- Admin and support can be slow to respond
- Some find courses light on practical content
- Website for Ozford Institute of Higher Education (opens in a new tab)
Ozford Institute of Higher Education
333 Queen Street, Melbourne VIC 3000, 433 Boundary Street, Spring Hill, Brisbane QLD 4000, QLD, VIC
4.0from 81 Google reviews
Australia Advance Education Group
4 campuses, NSW, VIC
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
Bundoora Campus, Plenty Road, Bundoora Vic 3083, RMIT University - 124 Latrobe Street, Melbourne, VIC
Southern Cross Education Institute (Higher Education)
14-16 Grote Street, 41 Boundary Road, 530-538 Victoria Street, North Melbourne, Victoria 3051, SA, VIC
What you’ll learn
The main topics covered in the Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education.
- Child development and learning
- Play based curriculum planning
- Inclusion and diverse learners
- Working with families and communities
- Supervised professional placements
Questions to ask before you enrol
Providers run this course differently, so the answers change from one to the next.
- When is the next intake, and how many are there each year?
- What is the total cost, including materials, checks and any placement costs?
- Can I study part time or online, and how does that change the length?
- Who arranges the work placement, and how many hours does it involve?
- Do the units count towards a higher qualification if I go on to study further?