Overview
This graduate certificate is designed for current qualified science teachers who would like to learn physics in order to be qualified to teach it. After taking this program teachers should be confident in their ability to present physics to high school students by being able to clearly explain core concepts … For more content click the Read More button below.
The program is fully online. The first course is a contextualized introductory, entirely online unit that will serve as a general introduction to physics. The remaining three courses focus on giving school teachers a more in-depth understanding of some of the different branches of physics: mechanics, electromagnetism, thermal physics and modern physics. Lecture material for these course will be delivered online.
The courses in this graduate certificate are designed to be taken sequentially at a rate of one per semester, to cater for teachers with a full time job. A good understanding of mathematics is needed for these courses including understanding of trigonometry and calculus.
Learning Outcomes
1.
Students will recognize the universality and applicability of the laws of physics, such as conservation laws, and will be able to use these laws to approach novel situations and solve problems.
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2.
Students will be able to write down equations and draw diagrams and graphs to represent physical problems or situations, they will be able to solve these equations to make predictions about the physical situation.
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3.
Students will recognize, that physics is an experimental science, they will be able to plan and carry out experiments, they will be able to present their results to these experiments with a numerical uncertainty.
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4.
Students will be able to recognize and explain the importance of physics to objects and phenomena in the world around us; they will be able to use this knowledge to make physics interesting and relevant to high school physics students.
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5.
Students will have an in depth understanding of the fields of mechanics, electromagnetism, thermal physics and modern physics. They will be able to use this understanding to solve problems and also to clearly explain concepts to high school level students.
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Program Structure
Students must complete 24 UOC when taken as a standalone program.
Core Courses24 Units of Credit:
Enrolment Disclaimer
Please note that this Handbook is a comprehensive catalogue of our offerings and includes courses that can be taken to satisfy program requirements irrespective as to their availability for a particular year. Availability of courses is best checked using filters on this site or on the class timetable site.
You are responsible for ensuring that you enrol in courses according to your program requirements and by following the advice of your Program Authority. myUNSW enrolment checks that you have met enrolment requirements such as pre-requisites for individual courses but not that you are enrolling in courses that will count towards your program requirements.
You are responsible for ensuring that you enrol in courses according to your program requirements and by following the advice of your Program Authority. myUNSW enrolment checks that you have met enrolment requirements such as pre-requisites for individual courses but not that you are enrolling in courses that will count towards your program requirements.
Sample Programs
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Admission Requirements
Entry Requirements
Minimum Entry Requirements
Program Requirements
Progression Requirements
For more information on university policy on progression requirements please visit Academic Progression
Professional Outcomes
Career Opportunities
Secondary School Teacher
Additional Information
In order to be qualified to teach physics in NSW mathematics teachers need to complete the subject content requirements (through 7440) and then complete the Graduate Certificate in teaching (7401) to add the teaching methodology and practicum.
Program Fees
At UNSW fees are generally charged at course level and therefore dependent upon individual enrolment and other factors such as student's residency status. For generic information on fees and additional expenses of UNSW programs, click on one of the following:
Pre-2019 Handbook Editions
Access past handbook editions (2018 and prior)