University of South Australia

Overview

Founded in 1991 through the merger of the South Australian College of Advanced Education and the South Australian Institute of Technology, the University of South Australia (UniSA) quickly became one of the top universities that are under 50 years old. However, it can trace its heritage back to 1856 to the South Australian School of arts. In its modern form, the university quickly earned a reputation as a top higher education institution in South Australia offering a wide variety of courses and degrees.

Today, UniSA’s course offerings include those in the fields of Creative Industries, Design, Defense, Social Work, Property, Health Science, Aviation, and Communication, among many others. These are provided for by its seven Academic Units entrusted with providing both learning services and research support.

The seven academic units are the (1) UniSA Allied Health and Human Performances, (2) UniSA Business, (3) UniSA Clinical and Health Sciences, (4) UniSA Education Futures, (5) UniSA STEM, (6) UniSA Creative, and (7) UniSA Justice and Society. These academic units are spread out across the university’s six campuses. Two campuses are located at the Adelaide city center while two metropolitan campuses are at Mawson Lakes. Furthermore, there are two regional campuses in South Australia as well.

UniSA engages in many research activities in various different disciplines. Research projects are actively pursued in fields like information and computing sciences, law and legal studies, environmental sciences, creative arts and writing, mathematical sciences, and psychology, among many. University research is supported by its 30-plus research institutes alongside the respective academic units.

The university has three flagship research institutes. They are (1) the Center for Cancer Biology, (2) the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science, and (3) Future Industries Institute. Furthermore, the university also cooperates closely with affiliate organizations. They include Engineers Australia, the Australian Technology Network, and Open Universities Australia, to name a few.

Currently, the University of South Australia positions its research to tackle six themes. These are (1) An Age-Friendly World, (2) Cancer, (3) Transforming Industries, (4) Healthy Futures, (5) Scare Resources, and (6) Transforming Societies.

Furthermore, the university’s prestige allows it to connect with external partners. In fact, it has partnered with more than 2,500 industry players. Leveraging its partnerships with industry entities, the university makes sure that teaching and research are updated to be relevant to current industry standards and practices. Also, with these close partnerships, university research and academic efforts are encouraged with the aim of developing new ideas and knowledge to solve contemporary global challenges.

Today, the university has set its eyes on becoming known as Australia’s University of Enterprise on the global stage. This is to ensure that students will be better equipped to face contemporary challenges after graduating. Also, this thrust is further emphasized by the university’s end-user centered approach to teaching where students are given an active role in their education.

With regard to learning and teaching services, the university advocates a digital learning future. It has invested in equipment for blended and online learning delivery. It has invested in facilities like high-quality video lecture recording equipment, green screen rooms, and even data analytics dashboards for educational programs.