Swinburne University of Technology

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Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use Australian English Template:Infobox university

The Swinburne University of Technology (or simply Swinburne) is a public research university in Melbourne, Australia. It is the modern descendant of the Eastern Suburbs Technical College established in 1908, renamed Swinburne Technical College in 1913 after its co-founders George and Ethel Swinburne. It has three campuses in metropolitan Melbourne: Hawthorn, where its main campus is located; Wantirna; and Croydon, as well the Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus in the East Malaysian state of Sarawak. It also offers courses online and through its partnered institutions in Australia and overseas.

The university offers study programs in commerce, healthcare, teacher education, law, engineering, aviation, architecture, the performing arts and various other fields including in the arts and sciences. It also offers Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) research programs and courses in vocational education. Template:Toc limit

History

File:Swinburne University - Administration Building - panoramio.jpg
The Old Administration Building (1908)

The university began in 1908 as the community-owned Eastern Suburbs Technical College on John Street, Hawthorn, to provide further education to residents of Melbourne's eastern suburbs.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> George Swinburne MLA, with the backing of Premier Thomas Bent,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> was the driving force behind its establishment, and its most generous benefactor, hence the name of the university. By 1913, £10,111 had been spent on its establishment, of which £3,718 came from private donations (including £1,000 each from George and Ethel Swinburne), and the remainder from the government.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The first director was the sculptor J. R. Tranthim-Fryer, who remained in the position until 1938.

In 1913 the institution was taken over by the State Government, and its name changed to Swinburne Technical College.Template:Efn It later became known as the Swinburne Institute of Technical and Further Education (TAFE), eventually shortened to Swinburne Institute of Technology.

In the late 1980s, the Outer Eastern University Planning Council advocated for a new university to be established in outer eastern Melbourne.<ref name="autogenerated1352">Template:Cite journal</ref> The area had the second lowest university participation rate in Melbourne, after the Mornington Peninsula.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Partially in response to this advocacy, in 1990 Swinburne established its "Eastern Campus" in Mooroolbark (sometimes described as Lilydale), on the site of the recently closed MDA Grammar School. However, students could not attend until 1992 due to council planning negotiation,<ref name="autogenerated1352"/> and the campus was officially opened on 6 April 1992.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> By 1993, it was known as the "Mooroolbark Campus".

The Dawkins reforms to Australian higher education in the early 1990s led to many tertiary colleges being merged or split-up, and many given university status.

On 1 January 1992, the university was given the Prahran Campus of Victoria College and the co-located Prahran College of TAFE,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> both of which had evolved from the Prahran Mechanics' Institute (established in 1854).Template:Citation needed Swinburne attained university status on 1 July 1992 with the passage of the Swinburne University of Technology Act 1992.<ref name="Swinburne Act">Template:Cite web</ref>

File:Swinburne Techincal College 1940.jpg
Swinburne Technical College (1940s)

In 1997, Swinburne opened a campus at Lilydale, replacing its nearby one at Mooroolbark. In 1998, it merged with the Outer East Institute of TAFE and began operating from campuses at Croydon and Wantirna.<ref name=About>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1999, Swinburne established the National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA).<ref name="NICA History">Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2000, the university opened a campus in Sarawak, Malaysia, as a partnership between the university and the Sarawak State Government: Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus.<ref name="31 October 2013">Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2008, it collaborated with two other universities in forming The Centre for Social Impact. In February 2011, the university opened the Advanced Technologies Centre,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> a 22,000 square metre building of modern architectural design at its Hawthorn campus,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> known locally as "the cheese grater building".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Following a series of funding cuts announced by the Victorian Government to vocational education in May 2012,<ref name="TAFE cuts May 2012">Template:Cite web</ref> Swinburne announced that it would close its Lilydale and Prahran campuses.<ref name="Swinburne to shut Lilydale">Template:Cite web</ref> Lilydale campus officially closed on 1 July 2013,<ref name="Lilydale campus officially closed">Template:Cite web</ref> and was taken over by Box Hill Institute in 2016.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The university sold its Prahran campus to the Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE in 2014.<ref name="Swinburne NMIT Prahran">Template:Cite web</ref> The site became the home of NICA,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and in 2022 was acquired by the Victorian Government, along with Melbourne Polytechnic on the same site.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> NICA's degrees have been administered by the university and this will continue until the end of 2025, when they will be transferred to the Australian College of the Arts (Collarts).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2015, Swinburne launched its law school.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Through a partnership with Leo Cussen Centre for Law, Swinburne Law School is the only law school in Victoria accredited by the Victorian Legal Admissions Board (VLAB) to enable students to accelerate their admission to legal practice by completing their practical legal training during the final year of their studies.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Template:AnchorSwinburne Film and Television School

Template:Main The Swinburne Film and Television School, which offered the first tertiary course in filmmaking in the country,<ref name=tiley2016>Template:Cite web</ref> was founded in 1966 by filmmaker Brian Clark Robinson (1934–1991).<ref name=oa1/><ref name=vcaarchive/> Part of what was the Graphic Art School became Film and Television, led by Robinson.<ref name=oa1>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The first course offered, from 1966, was the Diploma of Art in Film and Television, which was the first such course to be offered in Australia.<ref name=evans1/><ref name=evans2/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1967 it was known as the Film and Television course of the School of Art.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1976, Swinburne formed a department of film and television, with Robinson was appointed its head.<ref name=oa2/> Swinburne introduced a Graduate Diploma in Applied Film and Television, offering film, television, and animation courses. This was highly successful, with most of the graduates being employed in the industry afterwards.<ref name=evans1>Template:Citation </ref><ref name=evans2>Evans, T. (1983) "Swinburne Film and Television School", Media Information Australia. St Lucia, QLD. (27), pp. 19–24 .</ref> By 1983, the school offered a three-year Diploma in Film an TV, for school-leavers, as well as the graduate diploma, with over 90% of graduates finding employment in the film and television industries.<ref name=evans1/><ref name=evans2/> In 1987, when Robinson was appointed dean of the faculty of arts at the university, Jennifer Sabine became head of the school, but Robinson continued to teach scriptwriting.<ref name=oa2>Template:Cite web</ref>

In September 1991 Swinburne Film and Television School celebrated its 25th anniversary.<ref name=oa2/> In 1992, the ownership and management of the school was handed over to the Victorian College of the Arts, becoming the VCA Film and Television School.<ref name=tiley2016/><ref>Template:Citation</ref><ref>Template:Citation</ref> In 1996, Barbara Paterson published Renegades: Australia's first film school: from Swinburne to VCA,<ref>Template:Citation</ref> based on her 1993 masters thesis,<ref name=lowenstein1996>Template:Citation</ref> "Portrait of a film school : the history of the Victorian College of the Arts School of Film and Television, formerly known as Swinburne Film and Television School".<ref>Template:Cite thesis</ref>

Template:As of Swinburne School of Film and Television (SSFT) teaches filmmaking at Swinburne,<ref name=ssft>Template:Cite web</ref> and is a full member of CILECT (the International Association of Film and Television Schools).<ref name=ssftcilect>Template:Cite web</ref>

Structure and governance

The university is governed by the Swinburne University of Technology Act 2010, by which the Governor of Victoria is its visitor.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:As of the vice-chancellor and president is Pascale Quester and the chancellor John Pollaers (appointed 2019). It is governed by the university council, run by the executive team, while the Academic Senate advises the council on the conduct and content of programs and courses.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

There were 2,720 total members of staff as of 30 June 2023, and its budget was Template:AUD834.13 million.<ref name="Annual Report 2023">Template:Cite web</ref>

Schools

Template:As of, Swinburne's higher education branch comprises six schools:<ref name=structure2024>Template:Cite web</ref>

  • School of Business, Law and Entrepreneurship
  • School of Design and Architecture
  • School of Engineering
  • School of Health Sciences
  • School of Science, Computing and Engineering Technologies
  • School of Social Sciences, Media, Film and Education
    • The School of Social Sciences, Media, Film and Education comprises: the Department of Education; Department of Film, Games and Animation; Department of Humanities and Social Sciences; Department of Media and Communication; Centre for Transformative Media Technologies; and the Centre for Urban Transition.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
      • The Swinburne School of Film and Television (SSFT), within the Department of Film, Games and Animation teaches filmmaking,<ref name=ssft/> and is a full member of CILECT (the International Association of Film and Television Schools).<ref name=ssftcilect/>

Other divisions, entities, and partnerships

Swinburne University of Technology also provides vocational education and training via five departments:<ref name=structure2024/>

  • Department of Business, Design, Media and ICT
  • Department of Health, Science and Community
  • Department of Trades and Engineering Technologies
  • Knox Innovation, Opportunity and Sustainability Centre
  • Swinburne Edge

Swinburne Student Life, which arranges O-week and provides support to students, is a controlled entity. Swinburne Sarawak (a campus in Sarawak, Malaysia) and Swinburne Online are associated entities, while Swinburne University is in partnership with six other universities in Open Universities Australia. It partners with UP Education running Swinburne College and Swinburne Open Education.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Academic profile

Swinburne's research and innovation outputs are presented in the Swinburne Research Impact Magazine.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It has functioning partnerships with industry,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> is known for its engineering-centered and catalytic revolvement educational spheres,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and is the only academic institution in Melbourne that offers pilot training as part of its aviation degrees.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Swinburne has its own cross-departmental innovation studio, which aims to speed up development and marketing of new ventures.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Swinburne researchers participate in international partnerships.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It also has international academic partnerships/affiliations with US institutions, Stanford University's Hasso Plattner Institute of Design<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> as well as Purdue University.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Template:AnchorResearch divisions

Template:As of, Swinburne has six research institutes:<ref name=ri>Template:Cite web</ref>

  • Data Science Research Institute (launched 2017<ref>Template:YouTube (Swinburne, 15 March 2017)</ref>)
  • Iverson Health Innovation Research Institute (launched 2017<ref>Template:YouTube (Swinburne, 5 July 2017)</ref>)
  • Manufacturing Futures Research Institute (launched 2016<ref>Template:YouTube (Swinburne, 22 November 2016)</ref>)
  • Smart Cities Research Institute (launched 2017<ref>Template:YouTube (Swinburne, 1 August 2017)</ref>)
  • Social Innovation Research Institute (launched 2017<ref>Template:YouTube (Swinburne, 11 April 2017)</ref>)
  • Space Technology and Industry Institute (2021<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>)

The Swinburne Institute for Social Research formerly (until 2017)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> existed within the Faculty of Health, Arts and Design,<ref name=taferesearch/> It included the Public Interest Journalism Foundation (PIJ Foundation), which produced YouComm News.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As of 2020, PIJF has evolved into an independent organisation, now named Public Interest Journalistic Freedom,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> which is partially crowd-funded.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Centre for Social Impact Swinburne (CSI Swin),<ref name=taferesearch/> established in 2014,<ref name=csi/> is (was?) in the Faculty of Business and Law.<ref name=taferesearch>Template:Cite web</ref> It is part of the national network that also includes the University of New South Wales, the University of Western Australia and Flinders University.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> There are many other research centres, including the Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, the Centre for Mental Health, and the Centre for Human Psychopharmacology.<ref name=csi>Template:Cite web</ref>

Academic reputation

Template:Infobox Australian university ranking In the 2024 Aggregate Ranking of Top Universities, which measures aggregate performance across the QS, THE and ARWU rankings, the university attained a position of #238 (18th nationally).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

National publications

In the Australian Financial Review Best Universities Ranking 2024, the university was ranked #15 amongst Australian universities.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Global publications

In the 2026 Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings (published 2025), the university attained a tied position of #294 (19th nationally).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026 (published 2025), the university attained a position of #251–300 (tied 14–20th nationally).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In the 2025 Academic Ranking of World Universities, the university attained a position of #201–300 (tied 9–13th nationally).<ref name="ARWU Rankings">Template:Cite web</ref>

In the 2024–2025 U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities, the university attained a position of #142 (10th nationally).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In the CWTS Leiden Ranking 2024,Template:Efn the university attained a position of #426 (18th nationally).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Student outcomes

The Australian Government's QILTTemplate:Efn conducts national surveys documenting the student life cycle from enrolment through to employment.<ref name="About QILT" /> These surveys place more emphasis on criteria such as student experience, graduate outcomes and employer satisfaction<ref name="About QILT">Template:Cite web</ref> than perceived reputation, research output and citation counts.<ref name="Bridgestock 2024">Template:Cite web</ref>

In the 2023 Employer Satisfaction Survey, graduates of the university had an overall employer satisfaction rate of 84.2%.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In the 2023 Graduate Outcomes Survey, graduates of the university had a full-time employment rate of 75.6% for undergraduates and 87.2% for postgraduates.<ref name="GOS Survey 2023">Template:Cite web</ref> The initial full-time salary was Template:AUD for undergraduates and Template:AUD for postgraduates.<ref name="GOS Survey 2023" />

In the 2023 Student Experience Survey, undergraduates at the university rated the quality of their entire educational experience at 78.1% meanwhile postgraduates rated their overall education experience at 78.1%.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Campuses and buildings

File:Swinburne University of Technology Australian Graduate School of Entrepreneurship AGSE Building, Hawthorn Campus, 2013.png
Daryl Jackson's Australian Graduate School of Entrepreneurship (2001), Hawthorn
File:Swinburne University, The George Building, Hawthorn campus, 2013.jpg
The George Swinburne Building, also known as "The George" (2011), Hawthorn

Greater Melbourne

  • The Hawthorn campus is Swinburne's main campus.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It hosts a range of vocational, undergraduate, and postgraduate programs.
  • Wantirna is a TAFE-specific campus.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The campus also offers courses in areas including health and community services, visual arts, business and accounting.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • The university's Croydon campus is a TAFE-specific campus, with a focus on training in trades such as building, carpentry, electrical and plumbing.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Malaysia

The Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus is located in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Others

The Parramatta campus, west of Sydney in New South Wales, is located in a public library building as a tenant.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Swinburne offers study programs in business administration, computer science, communication and media studies in Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City through its partnership with FPT University.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Online education

Template:Infobox university The university's online arm, Swinburne Online, was founded in 2011 after a 50-50 joint venture with SEEK Learning seeking to capitalise on increasing demand for off-campus education.<ref name="Swinburne and Seek to offer online degrees" /><ref name="Swinburne Online website">Template:Cite web</ref>

Swinburne Online was originally created under the name Swinburne Direct, with an initial $10 million investment.<ref name="Swinburne University of Technology to go it alone with its online courses">Template:Cite news</ref> It was formed to maximise the Federal Government's decision to lift caps on Commonwealth-supported university places from 2012, a policy which intended to increase the number of 25- to 34-year-olds with bachelor's degrees to 40 per cent by 2025.<ref name="Swinburne and Seek to offer online degrees">Template:Cite news</ref>

Swinburne Online originally provided higher education degrees at both bachelor and masters level. As of April 2015, it offered over twenty courses in business, communication, design, education, and social science.<ref name="Seek-Swinburne education joint venture looks offshore" /> However, as of September 2015, Swinburne Online has begun offering vocational education.<ref name="SEEK hits the jackpot in Swinburne University venture" />

In April 2015, CEO Denice Pitt expressed a public desire to expand internationally to offer degrees to international students.<ref name="Seek-Swinburne education joint venture looks offshore">Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2014 Swinburne Online was ranked fourth in Australia's 100 fastest growing companies.<ref name="BRW14">Template:Cite news</ref> Its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation grew by 48% to $29.8 million in 2014–15.<ref name="SEEK hits the jackpot in Swinburne University venture">Template:Cite news</ref>

Student life

File:Swinburne hawthorn campus3.jpg
Students on campus

Student union

Swinburne Student Union (SSU) is the independent student representative body of Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. Membership is opt-in for all students.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Notable people

Academics and staff

Member Executive team Period
Pascale Quester Vice-Chancellor 2020–present
Chris Pilgrim Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic)
Tara Magdalinski Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education and Quality)
Sarah Maddison Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic Innovation and Change)
Bronwyn Fox Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise)
Beth Webster Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Policy and Impact)
Qing-Lon Han Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Quality)
Alan Kin-Tak Lau Pro Vice-Chancellor (International Research Development)
Blair Kuys Dean of the School of Design and Architecture [SoDA]
Matthew Bailes Director of the Data Science Research Institute and ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery
Karl Glazebrook Laureate Fellow of the Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing
Alan Duffy Director of the Space Technology and Industry Institute

Notable alumni

Swinburne Film and Television School alumni

Template:Further

Others

See also

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Footnotes

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References

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