Program Overview

If you have a passion for sports, and would love to inspire students in Years 7 to 12 to get active and healthy, then the four-year Bachelor of Secondary Education (Health and Physical Education) will arm you with the skills you need to be a qualified secondary teacher with a specialisation in PE and health. You’ll also study a second teaching discipline of your choice, such as English, mathematics, science, or a humanities or social science subject, to increase your versatility and employability.

This practical course will see you undertaking first-hand learning in the best way possible – by connecting with students in a classroom environment via a series of Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) units, and understanding the nuances of the education system thanks to ongoing direct experience with it. You’ll graduate with a thorough understanding of how young people aged 12 to 18 learn, and will be ready to improve the health and wellbeing of your students as a dedicated PE educator.

Study a Bachelor of Secondary Education (Health and Physical Education) at UC and you will:

• Gain appropriate scientific, literacy and numeracy knowledge
• Demonstrate specialised knowledge and skills in health and PE, and a second discipline area, across a range of classes and year groups within a secondary school environment
• Learn the theories and principles that are the foundation for educational practice in secondary settings
• Demonstrate an understanding of student needs and differences, and the relevance of these to learning in inclusive, indigenous, English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EALD) and mainstream settings
• Plan and develop appropriate teaching activities for students from a diverse range of backgrounds
• Develop and implement effective assessment strategies and carry out evaluation of teaching programs, resources and your own teaching
• Apply the required content knowledge for all secondary school curriculum areas to teaching, assessment and reporting methods, alternate/enhanced literacy and numeracy strategies, and the effective use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in teaching and learning
• Reflect on your practice and experiences, and engage in a process of continual improvement.

Work Integrated Learning

A teaching degree, by its very nature, is the embodiment of Work Integrated Learning (WIL), with its focus on compulsory professional teaching practice. During this course, you’ll undertake a minimum of 80 days of practical placement across a range of different secondary school levels and settings, including health and physical education-specific positions, culminating in a 30-day teaching placement in your final year.

In addition to this, the course content is developed by secondary education professionals, and kept relevant and up-to-date through consistent monitoring of, and engagement with, the industry. You’ll undertake authentic assessment tasks which are highly relevant to the day-to-day practice of teaching, and will take part in regular professional development activities, field trips to educational sites, lectures hosted by guest speakers from a range of education and teaching backgrounds, and more.

Breadth Major : Earth and Environmental Science for Secondary Teaching

This 6-unit major is designed for Education students wishing to satisfy the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) Subject Content Knowledge Requirements for a first teaching area of Earth and Environmental Science for Secondary Teaching.

This major may also be of interest for non-Education students wishing to undertake sequential discipline study in Earth and Environmental Science.