The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a leading Australian research university and has an international reputation for excellence, innovation and enterprise. A member of the Australian 'Group of Eight' research universities, it is also among Australia's leading research universities. The University's Vice Chancellor is Professor Alan Robson supported by a five member Executive.
The University of Western Australia (UWA) is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia. Established in February 1911, it is the only university in the state to be a member of the prestigious Group of Eight, as well as the Sandstone universities. The University was established under and is governed by the University of Western Australia Act 1911
Sitting on the banks of the Swan River, the UWA Crawley campus is the oldest in Western Australia and among the most picturesque in the nation with its grand sandstone and terracotta buildings sitting among elegant heritage-listed gardens.
Graduates Prospects
UWA has the highest quality undergraduates of any university in Australia. This is underpinned by the fact that the proportion of UWA graduates accepted into full-time employment within five months of completing their course is the highest of all Western Australian universities and among the highest in Australia.
Coupled with this success is our high-quality intake of students. Western Australia's top-achieving school leavers choose to study at UWA as do high-calibre undergraduate and postgraduate students from around Australia and the world, particularly South-East Asia.
Education Standard
UWA is ranked second in Australia for the quality of its undergraduate programs. Our students benefit from the strong knowledge base and experience of teaching staff, many of whom have substantial international experience.
The University's strong foundation in research and teaching creates a scholarly environment which promotes the pursuit and rigorous critical interpretation of new information as well as the acquisition of knowledge.
Apart from regular delivery of information (lectures, tutorials, supervised research, field trips and student placements), the University also provides students with opportunities to apply their knowledge on collaborative projects with business, industry, government and the wider community.
UWA students are also involved in more than 75 student exchange or study abroad programs in north America, Asia and Europe
Faculties
The university offers comprehensive learning programs for undergraduates and postgraduates across nine faculties and the School of Indigenous Studies.
The faculties are:
- Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts
- Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
- Business School
- Education
- Engineering, Computing and Mathematics
- Law
- Life and Physical Sciences
- Medicine, Dentistry and Health Services
- Natural and Agricultural Sciences.
Our offshore teaching programs are attended by more than 700 students in Singapore, China (including Hong Kong) and the Philippines.
Research
UWA is one of Australia's leading research universities, ranked second for research in Australia (taking account of its size). Responsible for almost 70 per cent of the university-based research and development in Western Australia, UWA is committed to the achievement of the highest quality research and scholarship by international standards.
While research covers the full range of disciplines within the university, our specialist areas include:
exploration, production and exploitation of minerals, oil and gas
management of agricultural and natural ecosystems
the humanities and social sciences
health and bio-medicine
genetic epidemiology
indigenous issues
information technology, telecommunications and computer science and
international management and business studies.
Research
UWA is one of Australia's leading research universities, ranked second for research in Australia (taking account of its size). Responsible for almost 70 per cent of the university-based research and development in Western Australia, UWA is committed to the achievement of the highest quality research and scholarship by international standards.
While research covers the full range of disciplines within the university, our specialist areas include:
exploration, production and exploitation of minerals, oil and gas
management of agricultural and natural ecosystems
the humanities and social sciences
health and bio-medicine
genetic epidemiology
indigenous issues
information technology, telecommunications and computer science and
international management and business studies.
International Community
Our campus is a multi-cultural and multi-faith community which includes more than 3,000 international students from 80 nations. We actively promote a culture of inclusiveness and respect.
The University also participates in a number of international scholarship programs, principally through AusAID, which manages the Australian Government's overseas aid program.
Research strength and Rankings
As a result of its strong research culture, the University recently attracted more competitive research funding - on a per capita basis of staff involved in research - than any other Australian university.
Annually the University receives in excess of $71 million of external research income, expends over $117 million on research and graduates over 250 higher degree by research students, mostly doctorates.
The University has over 80 research centres, including the Crime Research Centre, the Centre for Forensic Science, the Centre for Water Research and the Centre for Oil and Gas Engineering.
A recently announced project is the Zadko Telescope. A local businessman, James Zadko, and his family contributed funds for the purchase of a robotically controlled 1-metre modified Ritchey-Chrétien telescope (F/4 equatorially mounted flat field). The telescope will be co-located with the UWA's Gravity Discovery Centre and Southern Cross Cosmos Centre 70km north of Perth on Wallingup Plain near the town of Gingin. Its operation will be harmonised with detection of major supernova events by some of the European Union's satellites.
The university consistently ranks among the top universities in the world. Newsweek ranked UWA 78th in the world in its 2005 global rankings and the THES ranked UWA 80th in the world,and in 2007 THES ranked UWA as 64th best university in the world.
The Academic World University rankings conducted by Shanghai Jiao Tong University ranked UWA's Life and Agricultural Science programs 34th in the world and the best in Australia, as well as being ranked between 51st-75th in the world and equal 1st in Australia in the Clinical Medicine and Pharmacy Category.
Its overall ranking in the Academic World University rankings compiled by Shanghai Jiao Tong University was between 101-150th in the world and equal 3rd in Australia.
University of Western Australia ranked 64th in the 2007 THES-QS World University Ranking
University of Western Australia ranked 83rd in the 2008 THES-QS World University Ranking
University of Western Australia ranked 84th in the 2009 THES-QS World University Ranking
University of Western Australia ranked 89th in the 2010 QS World University Ranking
University of Western Australia ranked 73rd in the 2011 QS World University Ranking