The following table is a guide to secondary subjects in the Master of Teaching and Learning at the University of Otago College of Education. These subjects are taken as components within Secondary Curriculum papers EDUC 477 and EDUC 577 and are linked closely with teaching subjects in schools. Your subject pathway will be considered during selection and is subject to final approval by the Secondary Curriculum Co‑ordinator.
In secondary curriculum, you will:
- work within one or two learning areas;
- choose three subjects (see note below);
- have met the prerequisites of your subjects;
- study to teach a range of subjects from Years 7 to 13.
In addition to the prerequisites below, competency in conversational Māori is desirable.
Three subjects is considered a full programme, and choosing four subjects needs to be approved at interview. Students with fewer than three subjects can apply for a further Special Topic (only available in Mathematics, Science, Technology, te reo Māori, and Visual Art).
All listed subjects are subject to change annually. The table is not indicative of the contact hours or timetabling of these subjects within the secondary curriculum papers.
Learning areas
The main learning areas are listed below. A body of 100- and 200-level papers means at least one paper at each level.
Arts
| Subject | Year levels | Prerequisites | Required Corequisites | Recommended Corequisites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dance | 7–13 | At least two papers within a degree that include Dance as a component – including 200-level papers, or approved equivalent. | ||
| Drama | 7–13 | A body of Drama papers within a degree including 200-level papers, or approved equivalent. | ||
| Music | 7–13 | One 300-level Music paper supported by a body of 100- and 200-level papers in theory and performance or approved equivalent, e.g., Grade VII Theory and Grade VIII Performance (Royal Schools of Music or Trinity College, London). Keyboard skills are desirable. | ||
| Te Ao Haka | 7–13 | At least two papers within a degree that include Te Ao Haka as a component – including 200-level papers, or approved equivalent. | ||
| Visual Arts | 7–13 | BFA, or approved equivalent. |
English
| Subject | Year levels | Prerequisites | Required Corequisites | Recommended Corequisites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | 7–13 | One 300-level English paper, supported by a body of 100- and 200-level papers, or approved equivalent. Postcolonial, Shakespearean, New Zealand literature, digital literature and critical theory papers are recommended. | Specialist English | |
| Specialist English | 7–13 | One 300-level English paper supported by a body of 100- and 200-level papers, or approved equivalent. Postcolonial, Shakespearean, New Zealand literature, digital literature and critical theory papers are recommended. | English |
Health and Physical Education
| Subject | Year levels | Prerequisites | Required Corequisites | Recommended Corequisites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health | 7–13 | Health-related papers at 200-level, BPhEd, BSport and Rec, BNur, Community and Family Studies papers at 200-level, or approved equivalent required. | Physical Education | |
| Outdoor Education | 7–13 | BPhEd or approved equivalent required. It is recommended that students enrolling for this paper hold current Workplace First Aid Certification. | ||
| Physical Education | 7–13 | BPhEd or approved equivalent required. Health-related papers at 200-level, BPhEd, BSport and Rec, BNur, Community and Family Studies papers at 200-level, or approved equivalent required. It is recommended that students enrolling for this paper hold current Workplace First Aid Certification. | Health, Outdoor Education |
Learning Languages
| Subject | Year levels | Prerequisites | Required Corequisites | Recommended Corequisites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English for Speakers of Other Languages | 7–13 | One 300-level paper in a TESOL relevant field, such as Linguistics or Second Language Acquisition, supported by a body of 100- and 200-level papers, or approved equivalent. Preference will be given to applicants who have ESOL/EFL teaching experience in NZ or overseas, or have experience working with bilingual students in educational settings. | ||
|
Languages (State specialism – Te Reo Māori, Spanish, Chinese, French, German, Japanese) | 7–13 | A body of 100- and 200-level papers, or approved equivalent in the relevant language. |
Mathematics and Statistics
| Subject | Year levels | Prerequisites | Required Corequisites | Recommended Corequisites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics and Statistics | 7–11 | Two 100-level Mathematics papers (only one of which may be a Statistics paper), or approved equivalent. | ||
| Senior Mathematics and Statistics | 11–13 | One 300-level Mathematics or Statistics paper supported by a body of 100- and 200-level Mathematics and/or Statistics papers, or approved equivalent. | Mathematics and Statistics |
Science
| Subject | Year levels | Prerequisites | Required Corequisites | Recommended Corequisites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biology | 11–13 | One 300-level paper in biologically relevant fields supported by a body of 100- and 200-level papers, or approved equivalent. | Science | |
| Chemistry | 11–13 | One 300-level Chemistry paper supported by a body of 100- and 200-level papers, or approved equivalent. | Science | |
| Physics | 11–13 | One 300-level Physics paper supported by a body of 100-level and 200-level papers, or approved equivalent. | Science or Mathematics & Statistics | |
| Science | 7–11 | A body of 100-level and 200-level science papers, or approved equivalent. |
Social Science
| Subject | Year levels | Prerequisites | Required Corequisites | Recommended Corequisites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catechetical Studies | 7–13 | One 300-level Theology paper supported by a body of 100- and 200-level papers, or approved equivalent. | ||
| Classical Studies | 12–13 | One 300-level Classics paper supported by a body of 100- and 200-level papers, or approved equivalent. | Social Studies or History | |
| Commerce | 11-13 | One 300-level paper in economics, agribusiness, agricultural innovation business studies and/or accounting supported by a body of 100- and 200- level papers in relevant disciplines, or approved equivalent. | Social Studies, Science, or Mathematics & Statistics | |
| Geography | 11–13 | One 300-level Geography paper supported by a body of 100- and 200-level papers, or approved equivalent. | Social Studies or Science | |
| History | 11–13 | One 300-level History paper supported by a body of 100- and 200-level papers, or approved equivalent. | Social Studies or English | |
| Media Studies | 11–13 | A body of relevant film or media papers (including 200-level papers), in a degree, film or media analysis fields, journalism, or approved equivalent required. | Social Studies or English | |
| Religious Education | 7–13 | One 300-level Theology paper supported by a body of 100- and 200-level papers, or approved equivalent. | Social Studies | |
| Social Studies | 7–10 | A 200-level Social Science paper supported by 100-level papers (History, Geography, Anthropology and Economics papers recommended), or approved equivalent. |
Special Topic
| Subject | Year levels | Prerequisites | Required corequisites | Recommended corequisites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics, Science, Technology, or Visual Art | Students without three subjects can apply to take a further Special Topic in their existing learning area(s). |
Technology
| Subject | Year levels | Prerequisites | Required Corequisites | Recommended Corequisites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital Technology | 7–13 | A Bachelor of Information Technology degree or a 300-level Information Science or Computing paper supported by a body of 100- and 200-level papers, or approved equivalent. | Technology | |
| Food Technology | 7–13 | BCApSc, BAppSc (Food-related major), BCulArts (Otago Polytechnic), BSc (Human Nutrition or Food Science major), BFoodTech (Massey), or approved equivalent required. Knowledge of practical cookery is essential. | Technology | |
| Graphics and Design | 7–13 | Design Studies papers at 300-level, or New Zealand Certificates in Engineering, Building, Drafting, Survey Drafting, Town and Country Planning Drafting, Architectural Drafting, Quantity Surveying or Drafting (Architecture), BArch, BBS, or approved equivalent required. | Technology | |
| Hard Materials Technology | 7–13 | BDes (Product), BEng, BE, BAppSc (Design-related major), or approved equivalent required. | Technology | |
| Soft Materials Technology | 7–13 | BCApSc, BAppSc (Clothing and Textile Science major), BDes (Fashion), or approved equivalent required. A knowledge and evidence of practical skill is essential. | Technology | |
| Technology | 7–13 | Two Technology-related papers at 100-level, or approved equivalent. It is recommended that students enrolling for this paper hold current Workplace First Aid Certification. | Another Technology subject |