Teacher with primary school students and colourful pens
Areas of interest

Study education , Ākona te mātauranga

Study at Massey to get best-in-class teacher education, or explore areas such as educational psychology or speech-language therapy. Prepare for work in early childhood education, schools, kura and more.

Need help or know what you want to study?

Study with the experts

Massey has run successful full immersion Māori language teacher training qualifications since 1991.

He mātanga ngā Kaiako

Mai i te tau 1991 kua tū te kaupapa whakangungu tangata hei kaiako rumaki reo ki Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa.

Teaching and more

Get ready for life-changing work. Study education to become a teacher, a speech-language therapist, or a Kaiwhakaako Māori.

World-wide recognition

Be work-ready on a global scale. Many Massey qualifications are recognised around the world, as well as in New Zealand.

Overview

Learn about learning. How we learn. What to learn, and how best to teach it. For society to flourish, it needs great people teaching and supporting tamariki and adults as they learn.

Learn from world-class lecturers and researchers with a broad range of expertise in the field of education. Explore new ideas and approaches in a supportive environment. Hone your skills with supervised work experience, such as in schools, kura, early childhood centres or other placements suited to your specialisation.

Studying education is a good fit if you:

  • enjoy learning and sharing knowledge with others
  • want to support tamariki or adults as they learn and grow
  • like working with others, solving problems, and communicating with a wide variety of people.

Courses related to education may cover:

  • education studies, including education systems and learning in the digital age
  • human development, including cognitive and physical aspects of learning
  • culture and society, including digital technologies for learning
  • Māori-medium teacher education
  • teaching techniques, including how to plan learning experiences and support your students.

And for speech-language therapy students, courses may cover:

  • childhood communication development
  • communication disorders caused by brain injury
  • swallowing disorders.

How to study education

Discover what we offer if you’re interested in education – whether you’re coming to university for the first time, changing direction or returning to advance your study or career.

Undergraduate study

An undergraduate qualification is generally the first thing you’ll study at university.

Bachelor's degrees

Degrees are the standard qualifications you do at university – the most common is called a bachelor’s. Degrees give you enough time to explore your interests, and also focus on specific subjects.

Undergraduate bachelor's degrees with honours

An undergraduate honours degree is a four-year bachelor’s degree. We also offer postgraduate honours years.

Undergraduate certificates

If you want to study at university, but aren't sure if you want to commit to a degree, try an undergraduate certificate.

Graduate certificates

Graduate certificates let you study in a subject you're interested in without doing a second bachelor's degree. Or you can use it as a bridge to postgraduate study if you already have an undergraduate degree.

Undergraduate diplomas

Undergraduate diplomas let you try university study before you commit to a degree. They’re also useful if you need to advance your career.

Graduate diplomas

Graduate diplomas can help you advance to postgraduate study or research in a subject you haven’t majored in for your undergraduate study.

Relevant undergraduate subjects to major or specialise in

When you apply to study at Massey, for some undergraduate qualifications you can choose what subject you’d like to specialise in. You can usually change your mind after you get to university, depending on the courses you enrol in.

Postgraduate study

Once you’ve graduated with a bachelor’s degree – or have equivalent experience – you’ll be ready to take on postgraduate study.

Postgraduate bachelor's degrees with honours

Go deeper into a major subject from your undergraduate bachelor's degree, graduate certificate or graduate diploma; at a higher level of study.

Master's degrees

A master's degree normally builds on a main subject of study from your undergraduate degree.

Postgraduate certificates

Postgraduate certificates give you an introduction to postgraduate-level study. They’re shorter than postgraduate degrees. If you’re successful, you may be able to use the credits towards a postgraduate diploma

Postgraduate diplomas

Postgraduate diplomas are postgraduate-level qualifications that are longer than a postgraduate certificate. If you’re successful, you might be able to use the credits towards the longer master’s degree.

PhD and other doctoral degrees

Doctoral degrees, including PhDs, are the highest degrees we award. They’re very demanding and their entry criteria reflect this.

Relevant research areas at Massey

Discover research expertise, projects and initiatives relating to education at Massey.

Education research

What our students say

“I learned a great deal from completing this degree; it has helped immensely with my chosen career path.”
Victoria MaCann

Master of Education (Digital Education)

“Studying my PhD in New Zealand has been the best experience. The Massey Institute of Education has a strong reputation among New Zealand universities.”
Paweena Chatsungnoen

Doctor of Philosophy

“I enjoy acting in a supporting role to teachers and families and empowering them to feel stronger and more successful in their roles.”
Rachel Malins

Master of Educational Psychology

Speech-language therapy clinic

A teaching clinic offering therapy for children and adults with communication and eating difficulties.

Supervised by specialist staff, students provide assessment and intervention support at the clinic and in the community.

Location: Auckland campus

Speech-language therapy clinic

Jobs in education

Educators support people as they learn and develop. Some of our graduates train to be teachers, including specialist roles such as education leaders or teaching students with complex needs. Others go into counselling, policy work, or speech-language therapy.

Education careers include:

  • early childhood educators (ECE) or kōhanga reo kaiako
  • educational psychologists, who support children and their teachers and whānau
  • kaiwhakaako Māori, who teach in te reo Māori in kura or schools
  • speech-language therapists specialising in children's communication development
  • teachers in primary or secondary schools
  • teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL)
  • tutors.

Annual salary ranges for jobs

Teacher training

To be a registered teacher in ECE, primary or secondary schools, here are the steps to follow.

1

Get a bachelor's degree or higher, such as Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science.

2

Do a Graduate Diploma of Learning and Teaching, specialising in early childhood, primary or secondary teacher education.
These one-year courses — or two years part-time — include 16 weeks' supervised work in a school or early childhood centre.

3

Apply to the Teaching Council for registration or certification. Requirements vary for ECE, primary and secondary teachers.

Salary ranges disclaimer

Indicative pay rates are:

Which education qualification?

Examples of where our qualifications may take you.

Table showing jobs and what you could study to enter them.
Jobs Examples of what you could study
Counsellor Master of Counselling Studies
Early childhood educator Graduate Diploma of Learning and Teaching (Early Childhood Education)
Educational psychologist Master of Educational and Developmental Psychology
Kaiwhakaako Māori Te Aho Tātairangi: Bachelor of Teaching and Learning Kura Kaupapa Māori
Policy analyst Bachelor of Arts (Education)
Speech-language therapist Bachelor of Speech and Language Therapy with Honours
Teacher in primary or secondary school Graduate Diploma of Learning and Teaching (Primary)
Graduate Diploma of Learning and Teaching (Secondary)
Teacher (TESOL) Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Linguistics
Master of Applied Linguistics (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages)

Get an information guide

Download our guide to find out more about studying education at Massey.

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