Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary)
The Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary) is a one-year professional graduate diploma (level 7) and prepares graduates to meet the Code and Standards for the Teaching Profession. Such graduates have a robust understanding of secondary teaching and learning, reflection and research as a teacher. The delivery of the degree is site-based with modes: face to face delivery, school-based learning and practicum. This qualification will suit people who are excited by the idea of working alongside teenaged students, who show a disposition to teach, and already have a Bachelor’s degree qualification or higher.
Zero Tuition Fees in 2027
We are delighted to offer Zero Tuition Fees* in 2027 for our Initial Teacher Education programmes!
The Zero Fees Tuition is applicable to the first year of the Bachelor of Education (Primary) and the Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary) programmes at our Auckland and Christchurch campuses in 2027.
*Terms and Conditions apply.
*Terms & Conditions Enquire Now Apply Now
Objectives
Laidlaw College seeks to prepare students for the teaching profession through a programme that centres on a theological foundation of hope that meaningfully integrates and orients with values, commitments and quality practice that are consistent with The Code and Standards for the Teaching Profession in a supported environment. The qualification seeks to produce graduates who are relational, critically reflective practitioners who can design high-quality learning experiences from a place of curiosity about the learner, the world and a professional understanding of the goals, scope and nature of education. Graduating students will be qualified to register as teachers in New Zealand for secondary teaching in public, integrated and private schools.
Programme Summary
| LEVEL | 7 - 135 credits |
| DURATION | One year full-time, part-time options may be available |
| STARTS | January |
| PLACES | Open - 1 June 2026 |
| CAMPUS | Henderson and Christchurch |
Career Opportunities
Graduating students of the Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary) are outstanding teachers. Graduates are eligible for registration with the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand and can work in intermediate, middle, secondary and area schools, from the state, state-integrated and private schooling sectors throughout New Zealand and around the world.
Programme Overview
The Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary) is a one-year full-time (or part-time equivalent) programme, comprising 135 credits.
The programme covers the following areas:
Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment
Engages with the stages of human development in order to understand how learning happens. Students will learn to develop curriculum, planning, pedagogy, and assessment for the needs of their specific learners.
Professional Practice
Prepares students to the practices of teaching, beginning with a professional immersion phase, in which they analyse learner needs, learning environments, and contextual factors, and moving towards assuming sustained responsibility for planning, teaching, and assessment. Throughout, students integrate their knowledge with their practice and professional judgement.
Biblical Theology for Teaching
Engages students in why they teach, and how they will grow in their vocation as a teacher. Grounded in Biblical understandings of human dignity, theological understandings of vocation and formation, and how to develop critical thinking and practice in the ethics and philosophies of the classroom and profession.
Teaching Identity, Inclusion and Inquiry
Prepares future teachers to design learning environments that support the participation, wellbeing, and achievement of all learners, including an examination of evidence-based teaching practices in Aotearoa New Zealand. Students will also engage with research-informed approaches and inquiry models to inform commitments to learner outcomes. This supports the development of evidence-based professional decision-making aligned with the Standards for the Teaching Profession.
Mātauranga Māori
Explores Mātauranga Māori and its application to education in Aotearoa New Zealand. Ākonga are equipped to articulate biblical understandings in relation to a Māori worldview. The course will require a deep engagement with, and ability to explain beyond surface level, aspects of te ao Māori and the history of education in Aotearoa New Zealand. Ākonga will be challenged to articulate a personal philosophical position of what it means to be a teacher in Aotearoa New Zealand and their own cultural identity.
*Subject to NZQA approval
Programme Lead GradDipEd (Secondary)
Email: [email protected]
Key Dates
Applications open for Semester 1, 2027, on 1 June, 2026.
Please click here, to view all important dates.
If you would like to discuss your study options or become a “Student for a Day” please contact our Admissions office: [email protected] or call 0800 999 777