Master of Arts (Religious and Values Education)

Why study this course?

Religious and Values Education is a recent but growing area of activity in Australian schools. Once confined to independent schools operated by religious organisations, Religious and Values Education is increasingly recognised as an important area of public (government) schools that operate on a secular model. In such contexts the emphasis falls on values education rather than religious education, although many schools would allocate the time already mandated for religious education to this area of activity.

CSU’s Master of Arts (Religious and Values Education) offers graduates with prior Education qualifications an opportunity to acquire knowledge and skills in religious and values education. The course is designed to offer a mix of learning opportunities such as policy and context, curriculum content, reflective professional practice, and a project tailored to the student’s own context.

The course offers a series of in-depth learning experiences, beginning with a study of recent national and international trends in religious and values education. A set of subjects then focus on recent developments in major curriculum areas within the broad field of religious and values education including teaching the Bible, teaching philosophy of religion, teaching religious ethics, and teaching world religions. Students complete a semester of reflective professional practice before proceeding to advanced studies in either philosophical and ethical enquiry, or in media, popular culture and the arts. The capstone subject for the course is an individual research project in religious and values education.

Graduate requirements

To graduate from CSU's Master of Arts (Religious and Values Education) students must satisfactorily complete 96 points. To graduate from the Graduate Diploma of Religious and Values Education students must satisfactorily complete 64 points. To exit with the Graduate Certificate in Religious and Values Education students must satisfactorily complete 32 points.

Academic expectations

All subjects in the Master of Arts (Religious and Values Education) and the Graduate Diploma of Religious and Values Education are offered online, and there are no on campus classes or residential requirements. The time required to complete each subject varies according to its weighting and the personal attributes of the student, but an 8 point subject would typically require 120 hours of study, while a 16 point subject may require 150 hours or more. The difference between 8 and 16 point subjects is not simply the quantity of work to be completed, but also the depth of engagement with the subject materials.

CSU provides an excellent range of support tools for distance education students with course materials designed to engage and promote active thinking and participation. The Master of Arts Religious and Values Education has been designed from the ground up as an online learning, and the teaching staff has several years experience teaching related Religious and Values Education subjects online.

Materials include online study modules, web-based forums for interaction with peers and lecturers, assessment tasks designed to test the mastery and application of subject materials, and links to supplementary resource materials containing interesting, practical or contentious views.

Lecturers are committed to ensuring they are readily available to assist students by direct telephone and email contact. Expectations relating to academic, workplace learning, time and cost requirements for specific subjects are provided in the subject abstracts and in course materials.

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