Teaching Degrees in Australia 2026: Which One to Pick

On this page (8 sections)

The main types of teaching degree
Early childhood, primary or secondary?
What accreditation means and how to check it
What every accredited degree includes
Bachelor or Master: how to decide
Study modes: online, part-time and regional
After the degree: registration and your first job
FAQs

The short answer

You need an accredited initial teacher education degree. Without a degree, that's a 4-year Bachelor of Education (or double degree) with at least 80 placement days. With a degree, it's a Master of Teaching, usually 2 years full-time with at least 60 placement days. Both require the LANTITE and a final-year Teaching Performance Assessment.

Specialise in early childhood, primary or secondary. Some degrees combine two.
Only programs accredited by a state or territory regulator lead to registration.
Education is the cheapest HECS-HELP band, so the debt is low.
Revised national accreditation standards apply to programs from 1 January 2027.

The main types of teaching degree

Australia has two main entry routes, and AITSL describes them the same way. If you don't have a degree, you take a 4-year teaching degree, usually a Bachelor of Education. If you already have a bachelor degree, you take a Master of Teaching (MTeach), which usually takes 2 years full-time. Some universities run accelerated MTeach programs that finish sooner by teaching through summer.

Teaching degree types compared

Degree	Entry	Full-time length	Minimum placement	Best for
Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood, Primary or Secondary)	Year 12 or equivalent	4 years	80 days	School leavers sure they want to teach
Double degree (e.g. BSc/BEd, BA/BEd)	Year 12 or equivalent	Usually 4 to 5 years	80 days	Future secondary teachers wanting deep subject study
Master of Teaching (Primary, Secondary or Early Childhood)	Any bachelor degree; secondary needs teaching-area units	About 2 years (some accelerated)	60 days	Graduates and career changers
Employment-based Master of Teaching	Bachelor degree, often in a shortage subject	Varies, often about 2 years	Paid school work counts	Career changers who need an income

Placement minimums are from the national accreditation standards. Many programs require more. AITSL notes that in combined programs (for example primary and secondary) the days are split across both areas.

Early childhood, primary or secondary?

Most programs specialise in one age range: early childhood (birth to 5), primary (about 5 to 12) or secondary (about 11 to 18). Some offer combined ranges such as birth to 12, or primary and secondary. Pick carefully, because your qualification decides what you can be registered to teach and which pay scale you start on.

Pay is identical; what differs is the work and how easy it is to get scholarships and jobs.

Primary

You teach all key learning areas to one class.
Some programs let you add a specialisation, such as maths or literacy.
Primary teachers can also work across any year from Kindergarten or Prep to Year 6.
Same government pay scale as secondary in every state.

Secondary

You teach two teaching areas, such as maths and physics.
Maths, science, technology and special education are shortage areas with the most scholarships.
Entry to an MTeach needs enough university units in each teaching area.
Same pay scale as primary. See primary vs secondary pay.

Early childhood teachers work under different pay arrangements, and since December 2024 migration skills assessment for early childhood moved from AITSL to ACECQA. If you want to keep both doors open, look for a birth-to-12 degree. See early childhood teacher pay.

What accreditation means and how to check it

All Australian ITE programs are accredited by state and territory teacher regulators, using the nationally agreed Accreditation of Initial Teacher Education Programs in Australia: Standards and Procedures. AITSL maintains those standards and keeps the national list of accredited programs. A degree that isn't on the list won't get you registered, however good it sounds.

The standards were first written in 2011 and revised in 2015, with updates in 2018, 2019, 2023 and 2025. The 2025 revision folds in the 2023 addendum on core content, cuts overlap and drops descriptors that added little. A 12-month transition began on 1 January 2026, and the revised standards take effect on 1 January 2027. If you start in 2027, your program will be accredited under the new version. For you as a student, the practical effect is more consistent core content across universities, especially in how students learn, effective teaching practice, classroom management and responding to student diversity.

What every accredited degree includes

Non-negotiables in every accredited program

Content mapped to the Graduate career stage of the 7 Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.
Supervised professional experience in schools: at least 80 days (undergraduate) or 60 days (postgraduate).
The LANTITE literacy and numeracy test, passed before graduation. Some providers require it for entry.
A Teaching Performance Assessment (TPA) in the final year, using evidence from your own placement teaching. It is a graduation requirement.
Subject or curriculum study for each teaching area or the primary learning areas.

Placements are where most students struggle financially, because they run full-time for several weeks and are unpaid by the school. That's why the Commonwealth Prac Payment exists: $338.60 a week in 2026 for eligible students. Our LANTITE guide covers the test itself.

Bachelor or Master: how to decide

＋ Pros

Master of Teaching: 2 years instead of 4 if you already hold a degree.
Master of Teaching: same education HECS band, so the debt is still low for the length.
Master of Teaching: postgraduate Commonwealth Teaching Scholarship worth up to $20,000.
Bachelor: more time on placement (80+ days) and on subject content.
Bachelor: undergraduate scholarship cap is higher, up to $40,000.

− Cons

Master of Teaching: intense, with heavy placement blocks close together.
Master of Teaching: Commonwealth supported places are limited, so check you'll get one rather than paying full fees.
Bachelor: 4 years before you earn a teacher's salary.
Bachelor: changing your mind about level (primary to secondary) can add time.
Both: placements are unpaid by the school, so plan for lost income.

Worked example

Career changer with a science degree: two routes compared

Route A: full-time MTeach (Secondary): 2 years, 60+ placement days
Prac Payment on 12 weeks of placement: 12 x $338.60 = $4,063.20
Postgraduate Commonwealth Teaching Scholarship (if awarded): Up to $20,000
Route B: employment-based MTeach (e.g. Nexus in NSW): Paid part-time school work plus a $12,500 study allowance

Main trade-off Route A is cheaper on paper with more choice; Route B keeps an income but places you where the program needs teachers

Scholarship and program figures are from official program pages. Prac Payment eligibility is means-tested.

Study modes: online, part-time and regional

Many universities offer teaching degrees part-time and partly online. AITSL notes that part-time study is common but stretches your total time. Placements are always in person in a real school, so an online degree still needs blocks of full-time days. Regional and rural placements can attract extra money: Victoria's Pre-service Teacher Placement Grants pay $100 to $200 per placement day at eligible regional, remote or specialist government schools in 2026, and NSW's teach.Rural Scholarship includes up to $5,000 for rural placements.

Free calculator

Teacher HECS-HELP calculator

Enter your expected debt and graduate salary to see your repayments and how long it takes to clear.

Check my repayments

After the degree: registration and your first job

Graduating isn't the finish line. You then register with the regulator in your state (provisional or conditional registration), get any required working with children check, and look for work. Read teacher registration in Australia and the graduate teacher first-year guide next.

Frequently asked questions

How long is a teaching degree in Australia?

A Bachelor of Education takes 4 years full-time. A Master of Teaching usually takes 2 years full-time for people who already have a degree, and some accelerated versions are shorter. Part-time study takes longer.

Can I do a Master of Teaching with any degree?

For primary, most universities accept any bachelor degree. For secondary, you need enough university study in each subject you want to teach. Check each university's teaching-area rules.

How many placement days are in a teaching degree?

At least 80 days in an undergraduate degree and at least 60 days in a postgraduate one, under the national accreditation standards. Many programs require more.

Is an online teaching degree recognised?

Yes, if the program is accredited by a state or territory regulator. Check AITSL's accredited programs list. Placements are always done in person in schools.

What is the TPA in a teaching degree?

The Teaching Performance Assessment tests your practical teaching skills using evidence from your final-year placement. Your university assesses it, and you can't graduate without passing it.

Is a Bachelor of Education better than a Master of Teaching?

Neither is better for registration or pay. Both lead to the same registration and the same graduate salary. Choose by whether you already hold a degree and how quickly you need to start earning.

What changes for teaching degrees in 2027?

Revised national accreditation standards take effect on 1 January 2027, after a 12-month transition through 2026. They fold in the core content addendum and reduce overlap between program standards.

Sources we checked · last verified 2026-10-16

About this page

Written and fact-checked by the TeacherPay AU editorial team against the enterprise agreements, awards and official pages listed in the sources. It is general information, not personal financial, tax or legal advice. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it, usually within a day. See our editorial policy and how we calculate.

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