Graduate Diploma of Teaching (ECE)

Upgrade your undergraduate degree and your career with our Graduate Diploma of Teaching (ECE).

This level 7 programme is designed to explore, apply, and build your skills in professional teaching, leadership, te reo me ōna tikanga Māori, early childhood curriculum and children’s learning and development.

Bring your inquiry skills, focus, and commitment to develop a strong understanding of bicultural teaching and learning, and grow into a culturally responsive and reflective ECE teacher.

Note: Overseas qualified teachers seeking a New Zealand qualification can study this programme. International students are required to be in New Zealand to study this programme.

Teacher Registration Pathway

Upon completing this program, students will be eligible to apply for Teacher Registration and a Practicing Certificate from the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand.

• Full-time or part-time
• Online
• Field-based
• Face-to-face
• Block Course - Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch

This programme can be undertaken full-time for one year or part-time over two years.

A blend of online, face-to-face, and field-based learning will be used to deliver teaching and learning.

In addition to supervised practice in your home early childhood service, you will need to complete two 5-week teaching practicum placements in a different setting during the programme.

In-person support is available to you at our 11 Regional Education Centres. Simply locate the one nearest to you.

Assessment

This programme is assessed by internal assessment. Assessments are varied and include online conversation participation, essays, reports, PowerPoint presentations, multimedia presentations and other assessment types.

To be eligible for programme admission, you must:

• Hold an equivalent NZQA Level 7 Bachelor’s Degree or higher (if gained overseas you may be required to have this assessed by NZQA).

• Be at least 17 years of age if you are a domestic student; or 18 years of age if you are an international student.

• Provide 2 written confidential referee reports.
  Reports from family members or friends will not be accepted.

• Complete and pass a Children’s Worker Safety Check as required under the Children’s Act 2014.

• Consent to and pass a Police Vetting check as required by the Children’s Act 2014.

• Show proficiency in English as per the Teaching Council’s language competency requirements.
  See: Language Competency Requirements
  Applicants applying for the Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes and teacher registration can now use primary, secondary and tertiary schooling completed while living in the Pacific region, as evidence for demonstrating English language competency. 
  See: English Language Competency Pathway (ELCP) for Tagata o le Moana | Pacific Peoples

• Arrange to work or volunteer at a licensed Early Childhood Centre, supervised by a registered teacher with a full practising certificate, for a period of at least:

  • 13 hours a week over 2 days

What is a verified copy?
A verified copy is a photocopy of your original document signed as being a true and accurate copy by a Justice of the Peace (JP), solicitor, church minister, kaumātua, police officer, school principal, Member of Parliament or Te Rito Maioha teaching staff member. You can find a list of Justices of the Peace in the Yellow Pages of the telephone book or at Royal Federation of NZ Justices’ Associations

Documents required to submit an application

1. Primary ID
You must supply a verified copy of one of the documents below:

• New Zealand Birth Certificate issued on or after 1 January 1998 carrying a unique identification number
• New Zealand Passport
• Overseas passport (must include relevant visa/residency permit)
• New Zealand Emergency travel document
• New Zealand refugee travel document
• New Zealand certificate of identity (issued under the Passports Act 1992 to non-NZ citizens who cannot obtain a passport from their country of origin)
• New Zealand certificate of identity (issued under the Immigration Act 1987 to people who have refugee status)
• New Zealand citizenship certificate

2. Secondary ID
You must supply a verified copy of one of the documents below:

• New Zealand Driver’s licence
• 18+ Card
• Community services card
• NZ student photo identification card – from another tertiary institution
• NZ employee photo identification card
• NZ electoral roll record
• Inland revenue number
• NZ utility bill, issued not more than six months earlier.

3. Evidence of qualification

This programme consists of 2 (30-credit) courses and 6 (15-credit) courses as follows:

Fees cover all tuition costs, student guides, readings and Noho Marae.

All fees shown are for domestic students studying in 2025*:

*Fees may be subject to late payment fees after the due date.

Enrolling as an international student, you will be subject to international fees.

Kahurangi Scholarship

Our scholarship aims to reduce barriers and help you to achieve your full qualification.

The Kahurangi Scholarship will cover your course fees for the full duration of the Graduate Diploma of Teaching (ECE) programme.

Discover other scholarships, grants and loans to finance your studies