MEd

80 credit points

Duration                               1 year full-time or equivalent part-time

Available at                          Strathfield Campus NSW (Mount Saint Mary)

Overview

The Master of Education (Communities and Social Justice) program is designed for graduate students interested in pursuing their personal and professional interest in, Child Protection, Citizenship and Human Rights and Quality Ageing and Community. In addition to the opportunities that the course provides for students to develop knowledge and expertise in these areas, the course also focuses on the personal and professional development of course participants.

The course aims to meet the complex challenges of a Catholic university's social obligations, especially to educate future moral citizens. Graduates will:

• Gain a critical understanding of human rights and social justice and of the Church's educative mission in the social world;
  
• Analyse the roles and practices of government, Catholic and other non-government schools and community based educational services;
  
• Implement skills of qualitative and quantitative research in social analysis.
  

Mode of Study

This course is offered in on-campus mode. It may be offered at appropriate off-campus centres. Contact the Graduate Course Coordinator at the School of Education, New South Wales for further information.

Admission

Apply to UAC.

'Apply-by-Web' applications are available at www.uac.edu.au. Go to the postgraduate section then click on the Apply-by-Web under Login Access and follow the instructions provided. Application Forms (Form PG) and instructions are also available from the Student Centre or UAC. Applications through UAC do not require academic records as they are available electronically.

Applications are encouraged from persons who have a first degree in Education, including either completion of substantial components relevant to the program which the applicant wishes to follow or relevant work experience or a first degree in an area other than Education and a postgraduate Diploma in Education, including either completion of substantial components relevant to the program to be undertaken or relevant work experience

Special Admission

Applicants whose educational qualifications do not satisfy the requirements for admission to the course but who have a sound and sufficient basis for application supported by documentation may be granted admission if they satisfy special admission criteria determined by the Academic Board.

Credit

Credit may be given, at the discretion of the Selection Committee, for studies completed at another institution at the Master's level. Credit may also be given for completion of non-award programs, provided that the programs are conducted at a suitable level over a suitable length of time, are led by appropriately qualified leaders, and that assessment requirements are satisfied. Credit must be applied for when enrolling in the course and be accompanied by relevant documentation.

Course Structure

Unit Offerings

Unit offerings will vary subject to student demand and lecturer availability.
Elective units will also vary from year to year.

Students will pursue either a Research or Interdisciplinary Pathway. The Research Pathway allows students to develop their capacity in the area, including a practical research focus in the field.

The Interdisciplinary Pathway provides students with the option to examine issues, drawing upon the formal study of other disciplines such as educational leadership, philosophy, theology and social work. In the Interdisciplinary Pathway, two units need to be studied from other Master's level courses within the University. Students have the option of enrolling in the separate award of Postgraduate Certificate in Child Protection and Communities or Postgraduate Certificate in Citizenship and Human Rights which consist of a total of 4 units (40cp) comprising 3 compulsory units and 1 elective unit:

• Postgraduate Certificate in Child Protection and Communities
  
• Postgraduate Certificate in Citizenship and Human Rights
  
  

Core Units
Students select 3 units (30 credit points)

Combined Interdisciplinary and Research Pathway core units

EDAC625 Theories and Concepts of Human Rights and Social Justice

EDAC521 Human Relations and Group Processes OR

EDAC611 Designing and Implementing Child Abuse Prevention Programs

EDAC620 Social Research Methods and Community Contexts OR

EDFD632 Reading and Interpreting Research in Education

Research Pathwaycore units

EDFD633 Methods of Educational Research

EDAC604 Research Project OR

EDAC606 Cross-Cultural Immersion

Interdisciplinary Pathway core units

Students select two relevant and approved units from other Master's level courses at the University

Elective Units
Students select either 2 or 3 units depending on their preferred Pathway

EDAC522 Education, the Common Good and the Rule of Law

EDAC523 Indigenous Policies and Services

EDAC524 Quality Ageing and Communities

EDAC525 Citizenship and Human Rights

EDAC601 Advocacy and Negotiation

EDAC605 Independent Study

EDAC606 Cross-Cultural Immersion

EDAC610 Child Protection and Communities

EDAC611 Designing and Implementing Child Abuse Prevention Programs

EDAC617 Adult Learning and Community Education

EDAC626 Issues of Human Rights and Social Justice Educational Perspectives

EDAC627 Community Placement, Analysis and Research

Elective units from other Master's level courses (Interdisciplinary Pathway only)

CAUN607 Leadership and Human Service Organisations

CAUN609 Social Planning and Social Impact Assessment

EDLE601 Human Resource Management and Development

EDLE609 Policy Formation and Analysis

EDLE620 Values and Ethics for Leadership

NRSG607 Quality in Healthcare

SOCI609 Social Theory and Social Policy

SOCI610 Social Justice and Advocacy

THEO647 Issues in Christian Ethics

THEO652 Theology and Society

THEO665 Culture and the Sacred

THEO679 Political and Liberation Theologies

Requirements for Completion of Award

Satisfactory completion of 8 units comprising:

• 3 core units (30 credit points) from the combined Interdisciplinary and Research core units
  AND
  
• 2 core units (20 credit points) from the Interdisciplinary Pathway units OR
  
• 2 core units (30 credit points) from the Research Pathway units
  AND
  
• 3 elective units (30 credit points) OR 2 elective units (20 credit points) from the combined Interdisciplinary and Research elective units
  

Total of 80 credit points.