Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education

This graduate diploma is for people who already hold a bachelor's degree and want to move into early childhood teaching. It runs for one year full time and sits at the graduate diploma level on the Australian Qualifications Framework, so it sits above a bachelor degree but below a master's. You'll study how young children learn, how to plan and teach across the early years, and how to work with families and communities. The course is built around curriculum and instruction, which means you spend your time on the practical craft of teaching: setting up learning experiences, observing and assessing children, and managing a room of three- to five-year-olds.

How the course is structured

Australian graduate diplomas are made up of units of study, each with a credit point value. A one-year full-time graduate diploma usually runs over two semesters or trimesters, and you'll need to pass a set number of credit points to graduate. Because this is an initial teacher education qualification, you should expect a supervised professional placement in an early childhood setting as part of the course. Placements are standard in Australian teaching degrees, you go into a real centre or preschool, work alongside a qualified teacher, and build up days of supervised teaching practice. Confirm the exact placement length and unit list on the official page before you apply.

What you'll actually learn

You'll cover child development and learning, early years curriculum frameworks, literacy and numeracy in the early years, play-based learning, and working with children who need extra support. You'll also look at the legal and ethical side of teaching, child protection, inclusion, and the national quality framework that governs Australian early childhood services. Assessment is a mix of essays, lesson planning tasks, practical demonstrations, and your placement reports. By the end you should be able to walk into a room, read where the children are at, and plan what comes next.

Who it suits

This suits career changers and graduates from other fields who want to teach young children. It also suits people already working in early childhood, educators, assistants, centre staff, who want to become qualified teachers. If you already have a degree and don't want to spend three or four years on another bachelor's, a one-year graduate diploma is the faster route. English requirements for teaching courses are higher than for most other fields. International applicants usually need IELTS Academic 7.0–7.5 overall, or an accepted equivalent such as TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, or Cambridge C1 Advanced. Ozford also accepts its own English programmes as evidence. The Department of Home Affairs sets a separate English threshold for the Student visa itself, so check both. On a Student visa you can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session. After you finish, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream may let you stay and work in Australia, check your eligibility with the Department of Home Affairs. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 120675C. Always confirm fees, intake dates, and entry requirements on the official page.

• Early childhood teacher, in long day care centres, preschools, and kindergartens across Australia.
• Kindergarten/preschool teacher, in state-funded and community preschool programmes.
• Early years educator, in integrated child and family services.
• Room leader or educational leader, in early learning centres, once you have some experience.
• Family day care educator or coordinator, running or supporting home-based care.
• Early intervention assistant, working with children who have developmental delays or disability, alongside allied health teams.

Most graduates work in the early childhood education and care sector, which employs people across every state and territory. Some go on to further study, such as a master's in education or a research degree, if they want to specialise in curriculum, leadership, or inclusive education.