Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood and Primary)

This is a dual-qualification degree: graduates come out eligible for registration to teach both early childhood settings and primary school classrooms, which broadens job options in a way a single-sector teaching degree doesn't. VU runs the course through its College of Sport, Health, Engineering (education sits within VU's broader teaching college structure) with mandatory professional experience placements spread across multiple year levels rather than backloaded into the final year.

Students complete placements in both long day care/kindergarten settings and primary classrooms, which means the practical component runs longer in total than a primary-only degree, offset by the broader employment scope it opens up afterward. VU has increasingly focused its teaching pathways on the acute teacher shortages in Melbourne's growth corridors to the west, and a fair number of placement partnerships sit in those newer school communities rather than established inner-city schools.

Coursework covers child development, literacy and numeracy pedagogy, curriculum planning, and inclusive education, with a research or capstone project in the final year addressing a self-chosen classroom practice question.