Highlights

  • Bring your passion for STEM to the teaching profession and inspire the next generation
  • A shortage of qualified STEM teachers means you’ll be in demand when you graduate
  • Specialise in an area of science in which you are most interested
  • Undertake professional experience placements in schools to prepare you to become a teacher.

Highlights

  • Bring your passion for STEM to the teaching profession and inspire the next generation
  • A shortage of qualified STEM teachers means you’ll be in demand when you graduate
  • Specialise in an area of science in which you are most interested
  • Undertake professional experience placements in schools to prepare you to become a teacher.

The Queensland College of Teachers (QCT) Board has recently announced changes for entry into Initial Teacher Education programs. These include the suspension of non-academic requirements for 2025 such as a teaching personal statement and online questionnaire, and the removal of the senior science prerequisite into early childhood and primary teaching programs.

Please review the requirements section for further information on 2025 entry.

Guarantee a place in your course

For this course, if you have completed an AQF certificate IV, diploma or higher, or receive an ATAR or selection rank of 70.00 or higher and satisfy all other admission requirements, you are guaranteed an offer for this course in 2025.

View our course offers

Why choose this course?

You may have heard the statistic – 75% of future careers will depend on STEM skills. To equip our future generations for those future careers, we need teachers to help impart the knowledge and provide the skills needed to succeed.

This course provides a unique opportunity to gaining a depth of understanding in biological sciences, before progressing to your teaching qualification. You'll learn how to think—not what to think. This will provide you with skillset, as a teacher, to encourage your students to question, explore and research throughout their studies and inspire the next generation of STEM leaders.

Real-world learning

Throughout our science course, we integrate theory and practice with a strong focus on experimental design, so you'll be equally skilled at the desk, in the laboratory and in the field. You'll start hands-on lab, research and fieldwork skills sessions in your first year. You will graduate with the critical-thinking and problem-solving skills needed as a scientist to thrive.

Throughout your Master of Teaching you’ll undertake Professional Experience placements in secondary schools, where you’ll put your study into practice under the guidance of mentor teachers.  These experiences could be across government, independent or catholic education school systems. You can choose to travel to other regions or even overseas.

Learn more about how the Master of Teaching prepares you for the real world.

Learn from the best

Gain experience in advanced laboratories and learn from science researchers at the top of their fields internationally. Guest lectures, site visits and work integrated learning opportunities provide industry connections.

In the Master of Teaching you learn from inspiring and innovative lecturers. Our expert teaching staff have real-world experience and a wealth of knowledge and experience to set you on the right path. They’ve been recognised with nine Australian university awards over the past decade.

Explore this course

What to expect

In your first year of your science studies, you’ll complete four core units—an introduction to the principles of science. You will learn by enquiry—experimental science units will give you the grounding in the fundamental methods of science practice, analysis, research and scientific presentation, as well as  hands-on experience. These are skills that will translate well into your teaching career.

In your biological sciences major, you will explore the science of living things through cell biology and evolution, animal biology, biological processes and ecology. You’ll continue your studies into plant biology, microbiology, population genetics and molecular biology.

The integrative biology project provides the valuable opportunity to showcase the skills and knowledge you have acquired throughout your degree.

As you progress to the Master of Teaching component, you’ll find the course is designed to ensure you can step into your teaching career with confidence. In curriculum units you’ll learn how to teach subjects in the Australian curriculum. Our expert lecturers will encourage you to be creative as you experiment with different teaching approaches to engage, excite and extend your learners. You’ll learn how to identify the best technologies to incorporate in your teaching. Everything you do will be based on a deep understanding of child and adolescent development.

Real-world facilities

You will be based at the Gardens Point campus for your science studies, where you will experience state-of-the-art laboratories, advanced scientific instruments, and high-performance computing and visualisation facilities, all mirroring real-world environments.

During the Master of Teaching you’ll experience the Education Precinct at the heart of Kelvin Grove campus. These contemporary learning spaces facilitate experimentation and innovation, preparing you to become an inspiring, confident and future-focussed teacher when you step into professional experiences in schools. The spaces strike the right balance of collaborative learning, interaction and quiet individual research.

A centrepiece of the Precinct is the Sphere, a digital LED globe suspended over two floors with a changing menu of interactive visual content.

Work Integrated Learning

During this course, you will be required to complete 60 days (equivalent to 420 hours) of professional experience placements in the Master ot Teaching (Secondary) component.

Careers and outcomes

Careers and outcomes

As a secondary teaching specialist, you will be prepared to teach biological sciences in schools. You will also gain sufficient quantitative skills during your Science studies to prepare you to have a second teaching area in Mathematics.

Your qualification can also allow you to teach in other locations in Australia and overseas.

The masters qualification will position you to lead STEM teaching in a school, or to pursue other important roles in the education sector: in policy work; curriculum development; or community engagement projects to advance STEM.

Professional recognition

As a biological sciences graduate, you may be eligible for membership with the Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the Ecological Society of Australia, the Australian Society of Horticultural Science, and others.

The Master of Teaching meets professional teaching standards for the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership and Queensland College of Teachers. Graduates are eligible to apply for teacher registration. Applicants seeking teacher registration in Australia may be required to provide evidence of English Language proficiency levels. Further information is available from relevant registering bodies.

Possible careers

  • Biologist
  • Educator
  • Stem educator
  • Secondary school teacher

Details and units

This course is a vertical double degree, combining SV02 Bachelor of Science (Biological Sciences) with EU50 Master of Teaching (Secondary).

This course is a vertical double degree, combining SV02 Bachelor of Science (Biological Sciences) with EU50 Master of Teaching (Secondary).

Requirements

ATAR/selection rank threshold
70.00

These thresholds are the lowest adjusted scores to which QUT made an offer in Semester 1, 2024.

Don't have a ATAR/selection rank?

Find out other ways you can apply

Course code
SV02
QTAC code
409832
CRICOS code
103173M
Delivery
  • Gardens Point
  • Kelvin Grove
Delivery
  • Gardens Point
  • Kelvin Grove
Duration
4 years full-time
8 years part-time
Duration
4 years full-time
Entry
February
Entry
February
Deferment

You can defer your offer and postpone the start of your course for one year.

Assumed knowledge

Before you start this course, we assume you have sound knowledge of the subject/s listed below. If you don't have the subject knowledge, you can still apply for the course but we strongly encourage you to undertake bridging studies to gain the knowledge:

  • English, or Literature, or English and Literature Extension, or English as an Additional Language (Units 3 & 4, C)
  • Mathematical Methods, or Specialist Mathematics (Units 3 & 4, C)

More about assumed knowledge

Overseas qualifications

We will consider equivalent overseas qualifications for admissions purposes. If your previous studies were completed in a country other than Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Republic of Ireland, United Kingdom, or the United States of America or undertaken in a language other than English you must provide evidence of your English language proficiency.

English language proficiency

We require students to demonstrate they can speak, write, read and comprehend academic English to a specified standard.

Our English proficiency requirements for this course are:

  • IELTS (Academic): 7.5 or better overall with speaking and listening subscores of 8.0 or better and no other subscore below 7.0

The test must have been completed within 2 years prior to the proposed course start month.

Offer guarantee

If you achieve an ATAR or selection rank of 70.00 or higher (including any adjustments) and satisfy all other admission requirements, you are guaranteed an offer for this course.

VET guarantee

If you have completed an AQF certificate IV, diploma or higher, and satisfy all other admission requirements, you are guaranteed an offer for this course.

Advanced standing

If you have prior studies or work experience, you may be eligible for advanced standing (credit). You can apply for advanced standing once you've been accepted to QUT. If you're in your first semester of study, you must apply for advanced standing within 10 days of receiving your offer.

More about advanced standing

Deferment

You can defer your offer and postpone the start of your course for one year.

More about deferring your offer

Adjustments to your ATAR/selection rank

Any adjustments you receive to your ATAR or selection rank will be applied to this course.

Find out if you’re eligible for an adjustment to your ATAR or selection rank

Offers we made to school leavers in Semester 1, 2024

The figures listed in the tables below reflect the offers that were made to recent ATAR students. The entry thresholds box at the top of this page shows the lowest adjusted ATAR/selection rank required to receive an offer for all applicants for the most recent January QTAC offer round.

Excluding adjustments Including adjustments
Highest ATAR/selection rank
to receive an offer
Selection rank 96.90
Selection rank 99.95
Median ATAR/selection rank
to receive an offer
Selection rank 83.95
Selection rank 87.60
Lowest ATAR/selection rank
to receive an offer
Selection rank 71.55
Selection rank 71.85

You can find out more about your fellow students’ backgrounds with this course’s student profile.

Other admission options

If you are of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent, you may be eligible for admission through our Centralised Assessment Selection Process (CASP).

I completed my studies outside of Australia

Select the country where you completed your studies to see a guide to the grades you need to apply for this course.

If your country or qualification is not listed, you can still apply for this course and we will assess your eligibility.

Assumed knowledge
  • Mathematical Methods, or Specialist Mathematics (Units 3 & 4, C)

I completed secondary school in Australia

Assumed knowledge
  • Mathematical Methods, or Specialist Mathematics (Units 3 & 4, C)

More about assumed knowledge

ATAR/selection rank
70.00
Offer guarantee

If you completed secondary school in Australia and achieve an ATAR/selection rank of 70.00 or higher (including any adjustments) and satisfy all other admission requirements, you are guaranteed an offer for this course.

VET guarantee

If you have completed an AQF certificate IV, diploma or higher, and satisfy all other admission requirements, you are guaranteed an offer for this course.

Minimum English language requirements

We accept English language proficiency scores from the following tests undertaken in a secure test centre. Tests must be taken no more than 2 years prior to the QUT course commencement.

English Test Overall Listening Reading Writing Speaking
IELTS Academic 7.5 8 7 7 8
Cambridge English Score
You must share your results with QUT through the Candidate Results Online website.
191 200 185 185 200
Pearson PTE (Academic) 73 79 65 65 79
TOEFL iBT 105 28 24 27 26

Don't have the English language score you need? We can help!

We offer English language programs to improve your English and help you gain entry to this course.

When you apply for this course, we will recommend which English course you should enrol in.

Course requirements

Literacy and numeracy

You will need to successfully complete the National Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education Students to graduate from the course. You are permitted three test attempts in total for each component as a student at QUT. If you fail three test attempts for each component, you will not be able to graduate. The test will assess your personal literacy and numeracy skills. 

Find out more information about additional course costs and requirements.

Blue card

You will need to apply for a blue card because you will be working with children or young people as part of Master of Teaching (Secondary) course. More information is available from the Blue card website.

Fees

Your actual fees may vary depending on which units you choose. We review fees annually, and they may be subject to increases.

2025 fees

2025: CSP $9,700 per year full-time (96 credit points)

2025 fees

2025: $49,700 per year full-time (96 credit points)

Fees

#N/A

2024 fees

2024: $47,000 per year full-time (108 credit points)

Student services and amenities fees

You may need to pay student services and amenities (SA) fees as part of your course costs.

Find out more about undergraduate course fees

HECS-HELP: loans to help you pay for your course fees

You may not have to pay anything upfront if you're eligible for a HECS-HELP loan.

Find out more about government loans

Scholarships

You can apply for scholarships to help you with study and living costs.

Browse all scholarships

QUT Excellence Scholarship (Academic)

QUT's premier offering for students with outstanding academic achievement.

Scholarship eligibility
Academic performance

Equity scholarships scheme

Scholarship eligibility
Struggling financially

QUT Elite Sport Scholarship

QUT's premier offering for students with outstanding sporting achievement.

Scholarship eligibility
Sporting excellence

International Merit Scholarship

Scholarship eligibility
Academic performance

QUT Real World International Scholarship

A scholarship to cover tuition fees, with eligibility based on your prior academic achievements.

Scholarship eligibility
Academic performance

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