University of Western Sydney, Australia

In a short span of time, UWS has acquired an excellent reputation for its accredited study programmes, industry-savvy faculty and fine balance between academic and practical learning

Spread across six campuses in the Greater Western Sydney region, in a short span of time the University of Western Sydney (UWS, estb.1989) has acquired an excellent reputation for offering professionally accredited study programmes, well-qualified industry-savvy faculty, and tertiary education finely balanced between academic and practical learning. In a recent audit conducted by the Australian Universities Quality Agency, UWS has been commended for its flexible teaching programmes and for producing graduates “very well-prepared to enter professional roles”. With a reputation for having established strong research and industry links, UWS course content is reputedly up-to-date and relevant to industry requirements.

“Many of our courses are developed with industry cooperation and taught by people who are leaders in their fields, keeping students in touch with real world needs and best practices. Employers often comment on the practical approach and flexibility of UWS graduates, who are known to ‘hit the ground running’. The success of our students is testimony to the quality of a UWS education,” says Prof. Janice Reid, vice-chancellor of UWS.

With an aggregate enrollment of 35,000 students (including 3,600 from overseas) and 2,000 academic staff, UWS is one of the largest universities in Oz. It was established in 1989 following the amalgamation of three colleges of advanced education, the oldest of which has a history dating back to 1891. Today the amalgamated six-campus university offers internationally recognised undergraduate and postgrad programmes in more than 100 academic disciplines.

Sydney. The capital of the state of New South Wales, Sydney (pop. 4 million) is Australia’s commercial hub and its most multi-cultural city. It boasts world-class cultural and educational institutions, iconic structures such as the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, sprawling parklands and beaches, international standard sporting venues, world-class shopping facilities and restaurants, and hip night bars and clubs. The city is flanked on three sides by large wilderness areas, including the World Heritage listed Blue Mountains National Park.

Greater Western Sydney (GWS) region, the home of UWS, stretches from Parramatta (just 30 minutes from downtown Sydney) to Blue Mountains National Park on the western edge. Nearly 2 million people live in GWS, which is one of the largest manufacturing hubs of Oz and hosts 150 of the top 500 companies in the country. While central Sydney offers apartment style living, GWS has a more suburban lifestyle. A mild climate enables Sydneysiders to soak up the sun all year round. Temperatures rarely fall below 10ºC and, while summer temperatures may touch 40ºC, average temperatures are ambient.

Campus facilities. UWS comprises six self-contained campuses — Bankstown, Blacktown, Campelltown, Hawkesbury, Parramatta and Penrith — in the Greater Western Sydney region. The Bankstown campus hosts 6,424 students and boasts modern, spacious buildings amid landscaped gardens. It also houses an early childhood research centre, and some of Australia’s most advanced language and nursing labs. Specialising in the social sciences, most learners on campus are psychology, sociology, nursing, arts and linguistic students. The Blacktown campus offers its 3,155 students state-of-the-art teaching facilities, a pool, gym, bar and cafes. It is essentially a single-discipline campus, offering business study programmes which are also taught at other UWS campuses.

Hosting the university’s specialist medical teaching and training facilities, the Campelltown campus architecturally resembles a Tuscan village supplemented with modern buildings and courtyards, spacious gardens and sports fields. Adjacent to the world famous Blue Mountains National Park, the Hawkesbury campus houses the oldest agriculture education institution in New South Wales and boasts an impressive vineyard and boutique winery. Sited on the scenic Parramatta river, the Parramatta campus houses heritage buildings, cafes and the UWS College, while the Penrith campus with a student enrollment of 7,708 hosts three multi-track recording and design studios, computing and photographic labs, and an industrial design centre.

UWS boasts seven libraries in its six campuses housing 902,545 volumes, journals, audio-visual materials and internet/databases. An inter-campus request service allows students to borrow books from any of the seven libraries. Moreover there are 50 general purpose computer labs, with over 1,400 computers strewn across the six campuses providing wireless internet access. Sports and recreation facilities are aplenty on all campuses.

Accommodation. UWS offers international students a choice of campus and off-campus accommodation. On-campus students have a choice of high-quality, affordable and self-catered housing including residential halls, townhouses, cottages and apartment units. These are available in Bankstown, Blacktown, Campelltown, Hawkesbury, and Penrith. At the Parramatta campus, university officials offer students help and guidance in finding suitable private accommodation. University owned housing offers access to shared kitchens, laundry and lounge areas. For those wishing to live off campus, the Greater Western Sydney region has affordable options.

Admission. The minimum eligibility criterion for admission into UWS’ undergrad programmes is a first class Plus Two certificate. Additionally applicants must submit proof of proficiency in the English language. A TOEFL or IELTS score of 6.5 and 575 is acceptable. International students who don’t meet the university’s admission criteria have the option of enrolling in the one-year University Foundation Studies programme offered by UWS. For postgrad courses, a first class bachelor’s degree and a minimum TOEFL score of 600 or IELTS score of 7.0 are prerequisites of admission.

The completed application form should be accompanied with certified copies of academic records, English language test scores and an application fee of A$ 100 (Rs.3,801). Admissions for the semester beginning February, 2009 are open now.
For further information contact UWS International, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith South DC NSW 1797, Australia. Tel: +61 2 9852 5499; e-mail: internationalstudy@uws.edu.au; website: www.uws.edu.au

Degree programmes. UWS offers bachelor and Master’s programmes in more than 100 academic disciplines (see box). All study programmes include practical components, with students given opportunity to acquire hands-on experience in real-life situations through case studies or practical work in the university’s state-of-the-art labs and studios.

Summiya Yasmeen