Master of Teaching (Secondary)

The Master of Teaching (Secondary) contains 60* days of professional experience in a secondary school setting which are embedded in the units PREX201, PREX302 and PREX303.

All professional experience placements in a school setting must meet the following requirements to be counted for placement. The school must:

  • Assess teacher proficiency against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers;
  • Use NESA approved syllabuses or equivalent Australian syllabuses;

All placements must be in a mainstream classroom unless otherwise specified.

For the secondary components of the course, Teacher Education Students will be required to teach both junior and senior classes.

*Candidates who elect to complete an extra 20 days of placement will do so in PREX304 as a separate unit provided it meets the course rules on the Course and Units Catalogue.

Before undertaking the final placement, all Teacher Education Students in this degree must complete and pass both components of the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education Students.


Please select a unit from the list below for more in-depth details about placement:

PREX201

Specific Requirements

This is a 20 day block placement in a secondary school setting where the pre-service teacher will be assessed against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. The pre-service teacher will work towards being responsible for a minimum of 8-10 hours* of teaching per week** by the end of their placement in their curriculum area(s) of study.

*Depending upon timetables of the school, the pre-service teacher may have to adjust this to accommodate.

**As this is the first placement, this face-to-face teaching time may vary according to the ability of the pre-service teacher and the supervising teacher's judgement.

PREX201 Specific Requirements


Placements that can be accepted

  • Mainstream secondary school classrooms in the pre-service teacher's curriculum area(s) of study
  • Distance Education settings in the pre-service teacher's curriculum area(s) of study

Pre-service teachers may only complete one placement in an RFF, Distance Education, library or Special Education setting in PREX201 or PREX302.


Placements that cannot be accepted

  • Placement in a primary school classroom
  • Placement solely in an area not being studied by the pre-service teacher
  • Work in a tutoring agency
  • Work as an au pair
  • Employment as a governess (or equivalent position)
  • Employment as teacher's aide (or equivalent position such as a Learning Support Officer).
  • Special Education settings

PREX302

Specific Requirements

This is a 20 day block placement in a secondary school setting where the pre-service teacher will be assessed against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. The pre-service teacher will be responsible for a minimum of 12 hours* of teaching per week in their curriculum area(s) of study.

*Depending upon timetables of the school, the pre-service teacher may have to adjust this to accommodate.

PREX302 Specific Requirements


Placements that can be accepted

  • Mainstream secondary school classrooms in the pre-service teacher's curriculum area(s) of study.

Placements that cannot be accepted

  • Placement in a primary school classroom
  • Placement solely in an area not being studied by the pre-service teacher
  • Work in a tutoring agency
  • Work as an au pair
  • Employment as a governess (or equivalent position)
  • Employment as teacher's aide (or equivalent position such as a Learning Support Officer)
  • Distance Education setting
  • Special Education settings

PREX303

Specific Requirements

This placement must be completed in a 20 day block in a secondary school setting where the pre-service teacher will be assessed against all of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. The pre-service teacher will be responsible for a minimum of 14 hours* of teaching per week in their curriculum area(s) of study.

*Depending upon timetables of the school, the pre-service teacher may have to adjust this to accommodate.

PREX303 Specific Requirements


Graduate Level Placements

This is the final placement where the pre-service teacher is assessed against all of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers at the Graduate Level as per BOSTES requirements.


Placements that can be accepted

  • Mainstream secondary school classrooms in the pre-service teacher's curriculum area(s) of study.

Placements that cannot be accepted

  • Placement in a primary school classroom
  • Placement solely in an area not being studied by the pre-service teacher
  • Any placement type that varies from a mainstream classroom setting

PREX304 (20 days) - Elective or Special Requirement

Information regarding this placement

This placement is the unit PREX304 and is an elective unit. Consult the Courses and Units Catalogue or relevant study plans to ascertain whether or not you can complete PREX304.

If PREX304 is elected, this unit will become the Graduate Level placement.


Specific Requirements

This placement must be completed in a 20 day block in a secondary school setting where the pre-service teacher will be assessed against all of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. The pre-service teacher will be responsible for a minimum of 14 hours* of teaching per week in their curriculum area(s) of study.

*Depending upon timetables of the school, the pre-service teacher may have to adjust this to accommodate.

PREX304 Elective or Special Requirements


Graduate Level Placements

This is the final placement where the pre-service teacher is assessed against all of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers at the Graduate Level as per BOSTES requirements.


Placements that can be accepted

  • Mainstream secondary school classrooms in the pre-service teacher's curriculum area(s) of study.

Placements that cannot be accepted

  • Placement in a primary school classroom
  • Placement solely in an area not being studied by the pre-service teacher
  • Any placement type that varies from a mainstream classroom setting

A Placement in a Distance Education setting may be acceptable in EDIT501 as long as it meets the requirements of the pre-service teacher's curriculum method(s) of study. Acceptability will need to be assessed by the Office for Professional Learning.