Swinburne University of Technology
Public university in Hawthorn, Australia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Public university in Hawthorn, Australia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Swinburne University of Technology (or simply Swinburne) is a public research university in Melbourne, Australia. It is the modern descendant of the Eastern Suburbs Technical College established in 1908, renamed Swinburne Technical College in 1913 after its co-founders George and Ethel Swinburne. It has three campuses in metropolitan Melbourne: Hawthorn, where its main campus is located; Wantirna; and Croydon, as well the Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus in the East Malaysian state of Sarawak. It also offers courses online and through its partnered institutions in Australia and overseas.
| |
Other name | Swinburne University |
|---|---|
Former names |
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| Motto | Latin: Factum per Litteras |
Motto in English | "Achievement through learning" |
| Type | Public research university |
| Established |
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| Founder | George and Ethel Swinburne |
| Accreditation | TEQSA |
| Budget | A$834.13 million (2023) |
| Visitor | Governor of Victoria |
| Chancellor | John Pollaers |
| Vice-Chancellor | Pascale Quester |
Total staff | 2,720 (2023) |
| Students | 65,979 (2023) |
| Undergraduates | 24,186 (EFTSL, 2023) |
| Postgraduates | 3,864 coursework (EFTSL, 2023) 1,005 research (EFTSL, 2023) |
Other students |
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| Address | John Street , , , 3122 , Australia |
| Campus | Urban |
| Colours | Red Black[2] |
| Nickname | Razorbacks |
Sporting affiliations | |
| Mascot | Razor the Razorback |
| Website | swinburne.edu.au |
 | |
The university offers study programs in commerce, healthcare, teacher education, law, engineering, aviation, architecture, the performing arts and various other fields including in the arts and sciences. It also offers Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) research programs and courses in vocational education.
The university began in 1908 as the community-owned Eastern Suburbs Technical College on John Street, Hawthorn, to provide further education to residents of Melbourne's eastern suburbs.[3] George Swinburne MLA, with the backing of Premier Thomas Bent,[4][5] was the driving force behind its establishment, and its most generous benefactor, hence the name of the university. By 1913, £10,111 had been spent on its establishment, of which £3,718 came from private donations (including £1,000 each from George and Ethel Swinburne), and the remainder from the government.[6] The first director was the sculptor J. R. Tranthim-Fryer, who remained in the position until 1938.
In 1913 the institution was taken over by the State Government, and its name changed to Swinburne Technical College.[a] It later became known as the Swinburne Institute of Technical and Further Education (TAFE), eventually shortened to Swinburne Institute of Technology.
In the late 1980s, the Outer Eastern University Planning Council advocated for a new university to be established in outer eastern Melbourne.[7] The area had the second lowest university participation rate in Melbourne, after the Mornington Peninsula.[8] Partially in response to this advocacy, in 1990 Swinburne established its "Eastern Campus" in Mooroolbark (sometimes described as Lilydale), on the site of the recently closed MDA Grammar School. However, students could not attend until 1992 due to council planning negotiation,[7] and the campus was officially opened on 6 April 1992.[9][10] By 1993, it was known as the "Mooroolbark Campus".
The Dawkins reforms to Australian higher education in the early 1990s led to many tertiary colleges being merged or split-up, and many given university status.
On 1 January 1992, the university was given the Prahran Campus of Victoria College and the co-located Prahran College of TAFE,[11] both of which had evolved from the Prahran Mechanics' Institute (established in 1854).[citation needed] Swinburne attained university status on 1 July 1992 with the passage of the Swinburne University of Technology Act 1992.[12]
In 1997, Swinburne opened a campus at Lilydale, replacing its nearby one at Mooroolbark. In 1998, it merged with the Outer East Institute of TAFE and began operating from campuses at Croydon and Wantirna.[13]
In 1999, Swinburne established the National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA).[14]
In 2000, the university opened a campus in Sarawak, Malaysia, as a partnership between the university and the Sarawak State Government: Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus.[15]
In 2008, it collaborated with two other universities in forming The Centre for Social Impact. In February 2011, the university opened the Advanced Technologies Centre,[16] a 22,000 square metre building of modern architectural design at its Hawthorn campus,[17] known locally as "the cheese grater building".[18]
Following a series of funding cuts announced by the Victorian Government to vocational education in May 2012,[19] Swinburne announced that it would close its Lilydale and Prahran campuses.[20] Lilydale campus officially closed on 1 July 2013,[21] and was taken over by Box Hill Institute in 2016.[22] The university sold its Prahran campus to the Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE in 2014.[23] The site became the home of NICA,[24] and in 2022 was acquired by the Victorian Government, along with Melbourne Polytechnic on the same site.[25] NICA's degrees have been administered by the university and this will continue until the end of 2025, when they will be transferred to the Australian College of the Arts (Collarts).[26]
In 2015, Swinburne launched its law school.[27] Through a partnership with Leo Cussen Centre for Law, Swinburne Law School is the only law school in Victoria accredited by the Victorian Legal Admissions Board (VLAB) to enable students to accelerate their admission to legal practice by completing their practical legal training during the final year of their studies.[28]
The Swinburne Film and Television School, which offered the first tertiary course in filmmaking in the country,[29] was founded in 1966 by filmmaker Brian Clark Robinson (1934–1991).[30][31] Part of what was the Graphic Art School became Film and Television, led by Robinson.[30][32] The first course offered, from 1966, was the Diploma of Art in Film and Television, which was the first such course to be offered in Australia.[33][34][35] In 1967 it was known as the Film and Television course of the School of Art.[36] In 1976, Swinburne formed a department of film and television, with Robinson was appointed its head.[37] Swinburne introduced a Graduate Diploma in Applied Film and Television, offering film, television, and animation courses. This was highly successful, with most of the graduates being employed in the industry afterwards.[33][34] By 1983, the school offered a three-year Diploma in Film an TV, for school-leavers, as well as the graduate diploma, with over 90% of graduates finding employment in the film and television industries.[33][34] In 1987, when Robinson was appointed dean of the faculty of arts at the university, Jennifer Sabine became head of the school, but Robinson continued to teach scriptwriting.[37]
In September 1991 Swinburne Film and Television School celebrated its 25th anniversary.[37] In 1992, the ownership and management of the school was handed over to the Victorian College of the Arts, becoming the VCA Film and Television School.[29][38][39] In 1996, Barbara Paterson published Renegades: Australia's first film school: from Swinburne to VCA,[40] based on her 1993 masters thesis,[41] "Portrait of a film school : the history of the Victorian College of the Arts School of Film and Television, formerly known as Swinburne Film and Television School".[42]
As of 2024[update] Swinburne School of Film and Television (SSFT) teaches filmmaking at Swinburne,[43] and is a full member of CILECT (the International Association of Film and Television Schools).[44]
The university is governed by the Swinburne University of Technology Act 2010, by which the Governor of Victoria is its visitor.[45] As of 2024[update] the vice-chancellor and president is Pascale Quester and the chancellor John Pollaers (appointed 2019). It is governed by the university council, run by the executive team, while the Academic Senate advises the council on the conduct and content of programs and courses.[46]
There were 2,720 total members of staff as of 30 June 2023, and its budget was A$834.13 million.[47]
As of 2024[update], Swinburne's higher education branch comprises six schools:[48]
Swinburne University of Technology also provides vocational education and training via five departments:[48]
Swinburne Student Life, which arranges O-week and provides support to students, is a controlled entity. Swinburne Sarawak (a campus in Sarawak, Malaysia) and Swinburne Online are associated entities, while Swinburne University is in partnership with six other universities in Open Universities Australia. It partners with UP Education running Swinburne College and Swinburne Open Education.[50]
Swinburne's research and innovation outputs are presented in the Swinburne Research Impact Magazine.[51] It has functioning partnerships with industry,[52] is known for its engineering-centered and catalytic revolvement educational spheres,[53] and is the only academic institution in Melbourne that offers pilot training as part of its aviation degrees.[54] Swinburne has its own cross-departmental innovation studio, which aims to speed up development and marketing of new ventures.[55]
Swinburne researchers participate in international partnerships.[56] It also has international academic partnerships/affiliations with US institutions, Stanford University's Hasso Plattner Institute of Design[57][58] as well as Purdue University.[59]
As of September 2021[update], Swinburne has six research institutes:[60]
The Swinburne Institute for Social Research formerly (until 2017)[68] existed within the Faculty of Health, Arts and Design,[69] It included the Public Interest Journalism Foundation (PIJ Foundation), which produced YouComm News.[70][71] As of 2020, PIJF has evolved into an independent organisation, now named Public Interest Journalistic Freedom,[72] which is partially crowd-funded.[73]
The Centre for Social Impact Swinburne (CSI Swin),[69] established in 2014,[74] is (was?) in the Faculty of Business and Law.[69] It is part of the national network that also includes the University of New South Wales, the University of Western Australia and Flinders University.[75] There are many other research centres, including the Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, the Centre for Mental Health, and the Centre for Human Psychopharmacology.[74]
In the 2021 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, Swinburne ranked in the top 200 for engineering and technology and in the top 250 for computer science and physical sciences.[88] Social Sciences ranked 301-400th, Business & Economics ranked 401-500th and Clinical, pre-clinical & health positioned at 501-600th in 2021.[88] In 2021, Swinburne has improved in the subject areas of physical sciences, business and economics, computer sciences and engineering and technology in the Times Ranking.[89]
In the 2020-2021 European Commission-sponsored global U-Multirank ranking, Swinburne ranked 10th in Australia.[90][91]
In 2019, Swinburne was placed in the top 200 for computer science engineering, mechanical engineering, and civil engineering in Shanghai Ranking's Global Ranking of Academic Subjects.[92] According to the 2020 CWTS Leiden Ranking, Swinburne ranked 2nd in the world for mathematics and computer science.[93] In 2021, Swinburne was ranked top 100 in the fields of computer science and engineering, automation and control and civil engineering by the Academic Ranking of World Universities.[94]
Swinburne was ranked 19th in Australia and in the top 100 in the world for art and design in the 2022 QS World University Rankings, making it one of the top art and design schools.[95] It was listed in the top 50 for art and design subject area by the 2020 QS World Rankings of Universities by Subject.[96]
Swinburne Business School is a Member of The Centre for Social Impact.[97] Swinburne won the 2019 Australian Business Award on Business Innovation[98] of the World Business Awards.[99] Swinburne's Faculty of Business and Law[100] (Swinburne Business School) ranked in the top 25% Economists and Institutions in Australia and 272nd Business School in the world as of October 2019.[101][102]
Australia's only Graduate School of Entrepreneurship (AGSE) is located in Swinburne.[103] Swinburne Business School issues the quarterly Australian Leadership Index.[104] Swinburne ranked 351-400th in the Business & Management Studies in 2019 by QS World University Rankings,[105] 301-400th in Business and Economics in the 2020 Times Higher Education World University Rankings[106] and Business Administration ranked 201-300th by Shanghai Ranking in 2019.[107] There were four Swinburne master programs that ranked in top 200 worldwide by Eduniversal in 2019.[108] Swinburne's online MBA ranked in the top 35 (Tier One) internationally by the CEO Magazine 2019 ranking.[109] Swinburne is affiliated with Globally Responsible Leadership Initiative[110] and accredited by AACSB[111] and Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME).[112] Swinburne also incepted the Xi Sigma[113] standing in the Beta Alpha Psi international honour society for accounting, finance, and information systems students attending universities accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business or the European Quality Improvement System. Swinburne Business School's Social Startup Studio won AACSB's "Innovations That Inspire Award" in 2020.[114]
In the 2020 Student Experience Survey, Swinburne was ranked equal 1st place in Victoria for the "entire education experience" for undergraduate students, with an overall satisfaction rate of 80 per cent. The survey showed that 69.7% of all Swinburne graduates found full-time jobs 4 months after graduation.[115]
The Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus is located in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia.[120][121]
The Parramatta campus, west of Sydney in New South Wales, is located in a public library building as a tenant.[122]
Swinburne offers study programs in business administration, computer science, communication and media studies in Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City through its partnership with FPT University.[123]
 | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Established | 2011[124] |
| CEO | Denice Pitt |
Administrative staff | >200[125] |
| Students | 7,859[126] |
| Location | Melbourne , Victoria |
| Campus | Online learning |
| Website | www |
Swinburne Online is the online arm of the university. Swinburne Online was founded in 2011 after a 50-50 joint venture between Swinburne University of Technology and SEEK Learning seeking to capitalise on increasing demand for off-campus education.[124][127]
Swinburne Online was originally created under the name Swinburne Direct, with an initial $10 million investment.[128] It was formed to maximise the Federal Government's decision to lift caps on Commonwealth-supported university places from 2012, a policy which intended to increase the number of 25- to 34-year-olds with bachelor's degrees to 40 per cent by 2025.[124]
Swinburne Online originally provided higher education degrees at both bachelor and masters level. As of April 2015, it offered over twenty courses in business, communication, design, education, and social science.[129] However, as of September 2015, Swinburne Online has begun offering vocational education.[126]
In April 2015, CEO Denice Pitt expressed a public desire to expand internationally to offer degrees to international students.[129]
In 2014 Swinburne Online was ranked fourth in Australia's 100 fastest growing companies.[130] Its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation grew by 48% to $29.8 million in 2014–15.[126]
Swinburne Student Union (SSU) is the independent student representative body of Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. Membership is opt-in for all students.[131]
| Member | Executive team | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Pascale Quester | Vice-Chancellor | 2020- |
| Chris Pilgrim | Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic) | |
| Tara Magdalinski | Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education and Quality) | |
| Sarah Maddison | Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic Innovation and Change) | |
| Bronwyn Fox | Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) | |
| Beth Webster | Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Policy and Impact) | |
| Qing-Lon Han | Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Quality) | |
| Alan Kin-Tak Lau | Pro Vice-Chancellor (International Rsearch Development) | |
| Blair Kuys | Dean of the School of Design and Architecture [SoDA] | |
| Matthew Bailes | Director of the Data Science Research Institute and ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery | |
| Karl Glazebrook | Laureate Fellow of the Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing | |
| Alan Duffy | Director of the Space Technology and Industry Institute |
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