How good is the reputation of Swinburne University in Victoria, Australia?
a. Swinburne has a background as a technical college, so traditionally had a focus on teaching technical and trade skills. In terms of the ‘man on the street’ reputation, it is probably third tier (based on its trade background, the fact that it has become a university in relatively recent times by Australian standards), but in its specialised areas (technical), it probably has a good reputation in the field. b. Ranks very highly for teaching (look for the Good Universities Guide online, but be aware that they change the focus of their award for the top university each year, so you need to read what it was actually for!!). c. Hawthorn is a great place to live. It is perhaps 15 minutes by train into the centre of the city and generally good public transport links. The area is fairly well to do (major hub of private high schools), but also does have the international students attending Swinburne. The main shopping strip near the university (Glenferrie Road) has great shops, restaurants a
I studied psychology at Swinburne and enjoyed it immensely. At the time (>10 years ago) it seemed a more practical course than the ones at Monash or Melbourne Uni. The teaching staff came from a range of (psychology) disciplines so there was a great range of informed teaching. Socially, it’s not the greatest place. It doesn’t have the same range of social (or political) activities for students that the other unis seem to have. IIRC, there is a higher proportion of mature-age students at Swinburne than at the main unis. The area surrounding the uni has improved dramatically since I was there so there’s lots of shopping, cafes, bookshops, pubs, etc. within easy reach of the uni (and there’s a really great Malaysian place – can’t remember the name of it unfortunately – on Burwood Road). Hawthorn’s a lovely suburb – as AnnaRat noted. It’s really close to the city and transport and there are lots of lovely parks and bike tracks. Parts of Hawthorn are not cheap though.
I’m a current Swin student also… 🙂 my final semester of Multimedia Software Development. Hawthorn is a pretty nice suburb, lots of good shops, easy to get to, 10 minute train ride from Flinders St Station and the trains leave about every 10 minutes or so in peak hour. The campus itself is pretty nice – it’s really close to Glenferrie shopping strip which has some really nice cafes, Mario’s, for instance… There are heaps of international students at Swinburne – funding for Aussie students from the government is such that Uni’s here HAVE to take on lots of international students for funding, pretty much. Swinburne has a fantastic reputation for IT, Design, and Multimedia… I’m not as sure about the other departments, not having looked into it… It’s far smaller than Melbourne Uni, but still is highly regarded. The focus is on creating employable students, so work experience – including a year long optional placement within a company – is highly encouraged and promoted. If you don’
