Quality Australian education

AUSTRALIAN universities have always been known for the quality of the education they provide. So it comes as no surprise why many parents prefer to have their children educated Down Under.

With the establishment of Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus in Kuching in 2000, Malaysian students need not leave the country to pursue quality Australian education.

As a foreign branch university campus, Swinburne Sarawak offers a range of courses in business, engineering, science, computing and design from foundation to postgraduate studies. These courses are the same as those offered at its home campus in Melbourne, and graduates are awarded the same internationally recognised Australian testamu r.

In Australia, Swinburne is renowned for its practical, career-oriented courses and for producing graduates that are employment-ready. The Good Universities Guide 2008 placed it as the best university in Melbourne for teaching quality, generic skills and graduate satisfaction, and one of the top three for research intensivity.

"A Swinburne education emphasises the development of the skills graduates need to gain employment or go out and set up a new venture to provide selfemployment and eventually to employ others," says Professor Helmut Lueckenhausen, pro vice-chancellor and chief executive of Swinburne Sarawak.

The courses offered are designed to prepare graduates to live and work in a world in which professionals need to be capable of high levels of international interaction," he adds.

From foundation to postgraduate courses, tertiary education at Swinburne Sarawak is only a fraction of the cost of studying in Australia.

Although the degrees can be completed at the Sarawak campus, students may transfer to complete them at Swinburne ’s other campuses in Melbourne, too.

Undergraduates may participate in an exchange programme where they may spend a semester in Melbourne at Malaysian fees, giving them an enriching university experience.

"As quality mechanisms ensure that the same high standards are maintained, a Swinburne degree has the same high standards whether you study in Kuching or Melbourne," says Lueckenhausen.

By next year, the university expects to have over 3,000 students on campus and 5,000 students in three years.

On its staff are highly qualified and experienced academics from Australia, India, Iraq, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Britain and the United States.

The diversity of its staff and student population makes Swinburne Sarawak a truly international university.

The recent RMllOmiI expansion of the campus gives students access to more technologically advanced facilities.

Funded by the Sarawak Government, a major shareholder of the Sarawak campus, the expansion sees the addition of eight new buildings to the city campus. More than RMIOmil worth of cutting-edge equipment for engineering and science courses are being added to its range of labs and workshops.

Another impressive feature is its lecture theatre which is equipped with the latest audio-visual technology and sound-proofed walls and sits 350. Its new library accommodates 700 students, providing learning resources and services to support the university ’s teaching, learning and research programmes. The library has been specially designed to integrate modern digital technology with traditional information resources.

The university awards scholarships to its new students who have done well in secondary education and those who achieve good results in their respective programmes at Swinburne Sarawak.

Scholarships include those from Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam, Tunku Abdul Rahman Scholarship Foundation, and Samling scholarship schemes.

The university assists students apply for PTPTN and Mara Study Loan schemes.

The Star,
Malaysia