Global rankings an increasingly important consideration for students planning to enrol in an offshore campus, says Prof. Ian Kerr.
Miri – 8 September 2011 – Curtin University is ranked twelfth among Australian universities making it into the top 300 universities globally, according to the latest Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings 2011/2012 released on 5 September 2011.
Curtin moved up an impressive 16 places in the list of Australian universities to twelfth place behind the Australian National University (ANU), University of Melbourne, University of Sydney, University of Queensland, University of New South Wales, Monash University, University of Western Australia, University of Adelaide, Macquarie University, RMIT University and University of South Australia (UNISA).
Curtin’s outstanding result has been welcomed by its Malaysian campus, Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak), as it reflects well on Curtin’s offshore campuses in Sarawak and Singapore as well, given they offer programmes that are identical in all aspects to those of the mother campus.
“Though the learning environment and student experience might vary from campus to campus, all the campuses maintain similar course structures as the main campus in Perth. Curtin Sarawak is no exception, and naturally, we are elated with the result,” said Curtin Sarawak’s Pro Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, Professor Ian Kerr.
According to Professor Kerr, the field of global rankings for universities is intensely competitive and they are very relevant for offshore campuses such as Curtin Sarawak.
He said they are becoming an increasingly important consideration for students who are planning to enrol in an offshore campus, particularly if the offshore campus offers the same standard and quality of education offered as its parent campus, as is the case with Curtin Sarawak.
“Never before has interest in higher education, university admissions, tuition fees and graduate employment featured so prominently. New demands from students, as well as governments and employers, have transformed the higher education landscape across the globe,” related Professor Kerr.
He added that they now require more detailed relevant advisory information to make informed decisions on where to study, and the collection of independent and objective data on the performance of universities across a range of measures, such as entry standards, student satisfaction, tuition fees and graduate employment rates, through rankings can be of great help to them.
“At Curtin Sarawak, we go to great lengths to ensure that the standard offered is the same as that offered at our main campus. Our entry requirements are identical, as are all aspects of our academic programmes, including course materials and examinations. Furthermore, all degrees are awarded not by the campus, but by Curtin in Perth,” said Professor Kerr.
He added that degrees from Curtin are awarded under the Australian Qualifications Framework, a single nationwide system designed to ensure qualifications are recognised and accepted throughout the world. Thus, a Curtin qualification enables graduates to operate as professionals anywhere in the world, in line with international best practice and the highest ethical standards.
Professor Kerr further commented that the establishment of offshore campuses by leading universities like Curtin has added a new dimension to the concept of global education. They offer local students the option of enrolling in a foreign university while living at home – a substantial cost saving when it comes to living expenses they would have had to incur if living overseas. Offshore students can also opt to complete their degrees at the main campus.
Five Australian universities have been rated among the world’s top 50 in the latest global rankings. Eight made it into the top 100 and 23 are in the top 500, including Curtin, which currently ranks 258 worldwide. The world league was led by the University of Cambridge, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yale University and the University of Oxford.
Curtin also featured within five out of 26 subjects ranked by the QS World University Rankings by Subject, which rank universities at individual subject levels and are based on academic reputation, employer reputation and research citations per paper. It ranks within the top 100 for chemical engineering and the top 150 for civil and construction engineering, and for accounting and finance, which should be of particular interest to students keen to pursue engineering and business courses at Curtin Sarawak,
The QS World University Rankings are regarded as among the most trusted world university rankings available. To view the rankings, visit www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2011.
Curtin University is Western Australia’s largest university with over 40,000 students, around 16,000 of those offshore and onshore international students and nearly 1,700 research students. A culturally diverse university, it fosters tolerance and encourages the development of the individual, and its programmes centre around the provision of knowledge and skills to meet industry and workplace standards. A combination of first-rate resources, staff and technology makes Curtin a forerunner in tertiary education both within Australia and internationally.
Its main campus is situated in Bentley, six kilometres south of the centre of Perth, Western Australia’s capital city. Curtin has two additional metropolitan campuses and regional campuses in Kalgoorlie and Northam, a branch campus in the Sydney Central Business District, as well as offshore campuses in Sarawak and Singapore.
Curtin offers over 850 undergraduate and postgraduate courses in business, engineering, health sciences, humanities, science, mining and agriculture. It also has an extensive research and development programme, including $100 million of new leading edge facilities in chemistry and resources science.
Curtin Sarawak was established as Curtin’s first offshore campus in 1999 in partnership with the Sarawak State Government. It has since proven itself to be an ideal offshore campus for both local and international students due to its international outlook, innovative courses, world-class teaching facilities, flexible study options, use of advanced technology, partnerships with industry and government, experienced academics, and active community engagement.
In the course of just 12 years, it has grown into one of the leading tertiary institutions in Malaysia. As testimony to its success, it was one of only eight universities in Malaysia granted self-accreditation status by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA). It also achieved a ‘Tier 5:Excellent’ rating in the MQA’s SETARA rating system for institutions of higher learning, which placed it among the top 18 universities in the country.
For more information on Curtin Sarawak, visit its website at www.curtin.edu.my, call +60 85 443 939 or e-mail [email protected].
