Bachelors of Music (Honours) / Education (Secondary)
Overview
Music has the power to impact a students' life. Explore the rich and complex world of music education by becoming a music teacher.
Enhance the quality of student development - socially, emotionally and academically through music.
In the first two years of the program you will take practical study in your chosen instrument or the human voice, as well as courses in musicology, musicianship, and electives in music education, followed by a research project in your final year.
You'll explore how to teach and how people learn, in courses designed specifically for music educators. You'll then apply your knowledge in classrooms. Throughout your program you’ll be immersed in hands-on workshops, school visits and supervised placements, and gain a strong understanding of day-to-day life in a secondary school.
Specialist one-on-one tutoring and ensemble participation will help you excel in your chosen instrument or voice. To prepare for a teaching career, you'll extend your skills across a range of instruments, and learn techniques for teaching classroom music and directing music ensembles.
You'll graduate as a versatile professional, equipped to teach in schools and other educational contexts, create and perform music, and pursue further research.
Program highlights
- Learn from world-renowned educators who’ll teach you flexible and creative ways to cater for the diverse learning needs of children and young adults.
- Graduate with two degrees where you'll be equipped to teach, create music, and pursue further research.
- Gain early experience in classrooms, with placements available from your first year.
- Learn to teach in a range of professional settings.
How you'll learn
Your learning experiences are designed to best suit the learning outcomes of the courses you choose.
- Lectures
- Tutorials
- Work placements
- Fieldwork
- Seminars
- Workshops
Placements and work experience
Students must complete 80 days of supervised and assessed professional experience. Every effort is made to place students within a reasonable distance of their home base but they can be expected to travel up to 90 minutes due to public transport connections and incur costs associated with travel and possible lost income over this period. Students are generally placed at Ipswich, Brisbane, and southeast Queensland and are encouraged to explore the option of a rural placement. Financial assistance may be available to assist with travel and accommodation costs for rural placements.
Students are required to have a current Blue Card (Working with Children Check) before commencing practicum. Students can apply for a Blue Card through the School of Education and should do so three months before their practicum is due to commence. The Teacher Preparation Programs Handbook provides information about practicum and school experience requirements and is available from School of Education.
What you'll study
At UQ, degrees are called 'programs' and subjects are called 'courses'.
Career possibilities
Our programs prepare you for your first job and beyond. Here are some of the careers you could be on your way to:
- Secondary school music teacher
- Primary school music teacher
- Music ensemble director
- Private tutor
- Education advocate
- Education project or policy officer
- Musician
- Composer
- Conductor
- Music journalist
Next steps after graduation
Become a classroom music teacher, instrumental music specialist or an ensemble director to name a few.
You’ll be eligible to apply for registration as a teacher with the Queensland College of Teachers, and to work as a secondary or primary school teacher in state and independent schools in Australia and worldwide. 96 per cent of our secondary education graduates are offered teaching jobs.
Further study and experience can lead to roles as a head of department, principal, guidance officer, learning support teacher, or student adviser.
Other graduates choose to work with non-school-based education providers (such as tutoring companies), government agencies or education advocacy organisations.
With an Honours qualification, you'll stand out with in-depth knowledge and specialist skills, and have the option to pursue further research through a Master of Philosophy or PhD.
Professional memberships
When you graduate, you may be eligible for memberships with the following professional organisations. Contact the organisation to find out how to become a member.
- Queensland College of Teachers
Professional registration
When you graduate, you may be eligible for registration with the following professional organisations. Contact the organisation to find out how to register.
- Queensland College Of Teachers
Program accreditation
The Bachelors of Music (Honours) / Education (Secondary) is accredited by:
- Australian Institute For Teaching And School Leadership
Students receive practical experiences that will refine our worldview as teachers, such as running workshops with school students at Brisbane's ABC building, travelling to North Queensland to work with Indigenous students and working with partners like the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.
Students receive practical experiences that will refine our worldview as teachers, such as running workshops with school students at Brisbane's ABC building, travelling to North Queensland to work with Indigenous students and working with partners like the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.
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Entry requirements
Prerequisites
Applicants must arrange an audition with the School of Music, to take place between 1 September and 30 November of the year preceding admission. A program of no longer than 15 minutes must be prepared. Details must be provided to the School of Music when the applicant arranges the audition. For an audition to be at a competitive standard, the repertoire performed should be comparable to Grade 7 AMEB.
* Note: Selection is based on audition, interview and academic results.
For more information about the audition process (including closing dates and the application form) please visit the School of Music website
Prerequisites
Applicants must arrange an audition with the School of Music, to take place between 1 September and 30 November of the year preceding admission. A program of no longer than 15 minutes must be prepared. Details must be provided to the School of Music when the applicant arranges the audition. For an audition to be at a competitive standard, the repertoire performed should be comparable to Grade 7 AMEB.
* Note: Selection is based on audition, interview and academic results.
For more information about the audition process (including closing dates and the application form) please visit the School of Music website
Entry score threshold
| ATAR / Rank | IB |
|---|---|
| 75 | 26.5 |
These are the lowest adjusted scores we made an offer to in Semester 1, 2023. Entry scores are based on the most recent Semester 1 intake and are updated in April each year. Meeting the entry score threshold doesn't guarantee admission.
English language requirements
IELTS score of 7.5 overall; speaking 8; listening 8, reading 7, writing 7. For other English Language Proficiency Tests and Scores approved for UQ.
TOEFL IBT, TOEFL PB, Pearsons, BE, CES, and OET are not accepted.
There are other ways to meet the English language requirements. For some programs, additional conditions apply.
Inherent requirements
To complete this degree, you have to meet its inherent requirements by demonstrating essential skills and attributes. Read the inherent requirements before you apply.
Student visas
International students who are accepted into full-time study in the Bachelors of Music (Honours) / Education (Secondary) are eligible to apply for an Australian student visa (subclass 500).
There are a number of requirements you must satisfy before a visa is granted, including the genuine temporary entrant (GTE) requirement.
Entry score range
This table shows the range of entry scores for recent secondary students offered a place in the B Music(Hons)/BEduc(Secondary) for Semester 1, 2023
| Without adjustments | With adjustments | |
|---|---|---|
| Highest | 93.4 | 93.4 |
| Median | 87.225 | 88.225 |
| Lowest | 80.95 | 80.95 |
Need help meeting the entry requirements?
Additional application information
The following advice has been provided from the Queensland College of Teachers (QCT):
Transferring students
If a student is admitted as a transfer student into an Initial Teacher Education (ITE) program at a new university and they enrolled in their original ITE primary program prior to the implementation of the non-academic selection tool pre-requisite, they are able transfer without meeting the requirement. If a student is being admitted into an ITE program as a new student, the prerequisite will need to be met.
Students accepted into an ITE program who defer the commencement of their study date post Semester 2 2017
A student who has already accepted a placement in an Initial Teacher Education (ITE) program and has deferred their study for a period no longer than one year will not need to submit documentation to address the requirements of the non-academic selection tool.
Additional application information
From 2018, all students are required to successfully meet the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education (LANTITE) standards prior to graduation. For more information on the test including sample tests, indicative fees, testing institutions and registration information, please visit the School of Education LANTITE website and the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) website.
Fees and Scholarships
Indicative annual fee
Approximate yearly cost of tuition (16 units). Your fees will vary according to your selected courses and study load. Fees are reviewed each year and may increase.
$7,450
2023
$7,450
2023
Approximate yearly cost of tuition (16 units). Your fees will vary according to your selected courses and study load. Fees are reviewed each year and may increase.
AUD $35,952
2023
AUD $35,952
2023
Additional costs
- Students are expected to fund travel and living expenses associated with placements, some of which may be outside the Brisbane metropolitan area.
- From 2018, all students are required to successfully meet the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education (LANTITE) standards prior to graduation.
- UQ committed to fund test costs to the end of 2018. From 1 January 2019 this is no longer available and students must cover this cost. The 2018 fee was $185 ($92.50 per test). ACER lists current fees.
- Please contact the School of Education for further details (education@.uq.edu.au) or visit the School of Education office.
- For more information on the test, including sample tests and registration information, please visit the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) website https://teacheredtest.acer.edu.au/
- Some courses may incur additional costs such as piano accompaniment.
Government assistance
Financial aid
As an international student, you might be eligible for financial aid – either from your home country, or from the Australian Government.
HECS-HELP
Domestic places in the Bachelors of Music (Honours) / Education (Secondary) are Commonwealth Supported. This means the cost of your education is shared between you and the Australian Government.
Instead of tuition fees, Commonwealth Supported students pay what are called student contribution amounts.
HECS-HELP is an Australian Government loan scheme to assist eligible students with the cost of their student contribution amounts.
Centrelink support
The Australian Government offers a number of income-support payments to eligible Australian university students.
Scholarships
You may be eligible for more than 100 scholarships, including:
How to apply
Applying online
If your senior schooling is from outside Australia, you can submit your application to UQ. Or, if you prefer, you can use an approved UQ agent in your country.
The program code for the Bachelors of Music (Honours) / Education (Secondary) is 2357.
Find out more about applying for undergraduate study
If your senior schooling is from Australia
Submit your application to the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre if you're an international student who is currently studying:
- Australian Year 12 (in Australia or another country), or
- the International Baccalaureate in Australia.
The QTAC code for the Bachelors of Music (Honours) / Education (Secondary) is 723202.
Applying through QTAC
All domestic applications should be submitted to the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC).
The QTAC code for the Bachelors of Music (Honours) / Education (Secondary) is 723202.
Important dates
If you’re studying Year 12 in Australia, go to the QTAC website to check the closing date for this program.
If you’re applying to UQ, the closing date for this program is:
- To commence study in semester 1 - November 30 of the previous year.
To learn more about UQ dates, including semester start dates, view the Academic Calendar.
Important dates
To check the closing date for this program, go to the QTAC website.
To learn more about UQ dates, including semester start dates, view the Academic Calendar.
Admissions schemes
Applying to university can be both exciting and daunting, which is why we’ve tried to make the process as simple as we can.
We have several schemes in place to improve your chances of getting a place at UQ.
Pathway options
A rank or score doesn’t determine your potential.
If you're not offered a place in your first-choice program – or if you don't meet the entry requirements – you still have a number of options.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants
For support with applying - or if you have any questions about Uni - get in touch with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit.
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