Graduate Diploma in Secondary Teaching
Already have a degree? Develop the skills to become a teacher and embark on a career that will inspire young people's lives with AUT's Graduate Diploma in Secondary Teaching.
Want to teach your favourite secondary school subjects to a new generation of New Zealanders? The Graduate Diploma in Secondary Teaching will give you practical techniques based on sound research to teach your curriculum subject(s) in secondary schools. This is a professional qualification with strong emphasis on practical experience and applied learning.
You can apply for TeachNZ scholarships to support your studies.
Download programme guides
Minimum entry requirements
- A bachelor’s degree in a subject considered relevant for teaching in a New Zealand secondary school. AUT will evaluate whether overseas qualifications meet the above entry requirements. An assessment of your overseas qualification by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) may be required for salary assessment purposes
- Attend a selection interview
- Must meet the “good character and fitness” criteria stipulated in the Teaching Council Registration and Certification policy
- Police Vetting (New Zealand and overseas if required)
- Satisfactory references
- Meet the Teaching Council of Aotearoa English language competency requirements (Teaching Council of Aotearoa website)
- Successfully complete the numeracy and literacy assessment
- Meet the safety check requirements as set out in Children's Act 2014
International student entry requirements
Application process for the Graduate Diploma in Secondary Teaching
- Apply to enrol at AUT
- Provide official academic transcripts of your qualifications to AUT. Students who are completing their degree should provide a transcript showing results of courses completed so far and currently enrolled courses
- You will then be requested to provide additional information to the School of Education through the online Initial Teacher Education Programme Entry Form.
- You will receive instructions on how to complete the online literacy and numeracy assessment after we have reviewed your completed Entry Form.
- Applicants will proceed to interview should they meet the required literacy and numeracy competency standard.
Admission to an Initial Teacher Education programme can take approximately 6 weeks to complete due to delays in police clearance procedures and the return of referee reports, therefore we would strongly recommend you consider this timeframe when applying.
Teaching subjects
- All applicants must have a senior (Year 11-13) and a junior (Year 9-10) teaching subject area supported by relevant courses in their degree
- Applicants must have at least one appropriate 300-level course in their senior area and one 200-level course in their junior area
- In practice applicants need a range of appropriate courses to teach in their subject areas. You are also expected to have good grades. We will work with applicants to identify appropriate teaching subjects.
Subject areas commonly available in secondary schools
Useful websites
The Graduate Diploma in Secondary Teaching includes taught courses, and 16 weeks of practicum placements in a secondary school, building your confidence and experience as a teacher in the classroom. During campus-based courses, you also need to attend curriculum studies workshops in your teaching subjects.
A variety of assessment is used - from academic essays and research presentations to the professional application of learning in complex unit plans and blogs. Due to the professional nature of the qualification, you're expected to demonstrate appropriate professional behaviour at all times. This includes dress, punctuality and attendance.
Complete the following courses
- EDST602 Practicum 1
- EDST707 Curriculum: Design for Learning
- EDST708 Curriculum: Applied Practice for Secondary Teaching
- EDST711 Education and Society
- EDST712 Assessment and Learning
- EDST713 The Emerging Professional A
- EDST714 Provocations in Educational Thinking
- EDST715 Mānaakitanga: Responding to Diverse Learning Needs
- EDST716 Practicum 2
- EDST717 The Emerging Professional B
The course EDST717 The Emerging Professional B requires a day trip to a marae. If you are unable to complete this component, you won't be able to pass the course and subsequently be unable to meet the requirements for the qualification.
Teaching placements
As part of this programme, you complete 16 weeks of practicum teaching placements in a secondary school where you’ll be placed alongside an associate teacher and gain experience as a teacher in the classroom. These teaching placements are connected to the Teaching Council - Standards for the Teaching Profession and help you become an effective, responsive and reflective teacher.
Skills you will develop
The outcomes for graduates of the Graduate Diploma in Secondary Teaching are outlined in the Graduate Profile below.
Student teachers who successfully complete the Graduate Diploma in Secondary Teaching are eligible to seek registration as a teacher and apply for teaching positions in secondary schools.
Find out more about industry trends, job descriptions and what employers may be looking for.
Secondary Teaching career guide
North Campus
($7,289 - $7,623 tuition fees + $1146 student services levy)
($31,600 tuition fees + $1146 student services levy)
- Fees shown are based on a full-time workload for the points indicated next to the fee. The exact fee charged will depend on which courses you select at the time of enrolment.
- Fees are subject to change year to year. If you are planning for study beyond the current year, fees may vary from those stated.
- There may also be other fees and charges you need to pay.
- International students' tuition fees reflect the full cost of tuition. Domestic students' tuition fees are less due to a proportion of the tuition fees being funded by the New Zealand Government.
The information on this page was correct at time of publication. For a comprehensive overview of AUT qualifications, please refer to the Academic Calendar.