As of 2024,[update] Deakin University is ranked among the top 1% of universities in the world,[16] is the 3rd-highest-ranked university in the world for Sport Science,[17] is one of the top 29 universities in the world for Nursing,[18] is one of the top 32 universities in the world for Education,[19] and is among fewer than 5% of Business Schools worldwide with Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business accreditation.[20]
Deakin University consistently ranks highly in undergraduate student satisfaction; in the 2019 Student Experience Survey, Deakin had the fourth-highest student satisfaction rating nationally, the highest student satisfaction rating out of all Australian public universities, and the highest student satisfaction rating out of all Victorian universities.[21][22][23] Deakin has had the highest undergraduate student satisfaction ratings out of all Victorian universities every year since 2010 and has consistently placed in the top two for highest postgraduate student satisfaction out of all Victorian universities every year since 2010.[24]
History
Deakin University was formally established in 1974 with the passage of the Deakin University Act 1974.[25] Deakin was Victoria's fourth university, the first to be established in regional Victoria and the first to specialise in distance education.[citation needed]
Deakin University's first campus was established at Waurn Ponds. The university was the result of a merger between State College of Victoria, Geelong (formerly Geelong Teachers College), and the higher education courses of the Gordon Institute of Technology. Deakin enrolled its first students at Waurn Ponds in 1977.
The Burwood campus is on the site of the former Burwood Teachers' College, and also takes in the former sites of the Bennettswood Primary School and the Burwood Secondary School. The teachers' college conducted two-year training courses for Primary School teachers, and three year courses for Infant Teachers (females only). It provided live-on-site accommodation for country students.
The Rusden Campus was closed in 2003 and all courses were transferred to the Melbourne Burwood campus. Rusden was subsequently acquired by Monash University for its student accommodation purposes.
The former Toorak Campus, located in Malvern, was offered for sale in 2006 as the university considered the campus surplus to its requirements.[28] The courses and resources were relocated to the Melbourne Burwood campus in November 2007.[citation needed] As a Deakin campus, it was home to the Deakin Business School, Deakin University English Language Institute (DUELI), and the Melbourne Institute of Business and Technology,[28] which have since relocated to the International Centre and Business Building at the Melbourne Burwood campus.[citation needed]
The main building on the site was the 116-year-old Stonnington Mansion[29] The sale of Stonnington Mansion by Deakin provoked public outrage as it involved the mansion which was at risk of redevelopment by property developers.[29] The Stonnington Stables art gallery and the university's contemporary art collection were located here,[28] but has since relocated to the Deakin University Art Gallery at the Melbourne Burwood campus. The Deakin University Art Gallery has a wide collection of work by Australian artists including the Sydney based artist Rox De Luca.[30] The university's action of offering the campus, including the mansion, provoked public outrage over the potential privatization of what had been public space.[29] In December 2006, the three-mansion was sold for $33 million to a joint venture between Hamton Property Group and Industry Superannuation Property Trust.[31]
Campuses and buildings
Melbourne Burwood Campus
Building BC in BurwoodDeakin College panorama with Box Hill and Melbourne CBD on the horizon (March 2022)
The campus is home to the Geelong Technology Precinct, which provides research and development capabilities and opportunities for university–industry partnerships and new enterprises in the region. The Elite Sports Precinct is home to the Deakin Ducks Football Club, and is used by the Geelong Football Club as an alternate training facility.[34]
The Waurn Ponds Deakin Residence houses 800 students in shared dorms, shared units, town houses and studio apartments.[35]
The Deakin Medical School opened in 2008 and is the first rural and regional medical school in Victoria. Deakin's Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery MBBS is a four-year, graduate-entry program which prepares students for practice in a range of health care settings.[citation needed]
There is an on-campus student population of more than 520 (2020) pursuing courses in arts, business, education, environment, health sciences, law, management, marine biology, nursing and psychology.[citation needed]
Geelong Waterfront Campus
Geelong Waterfront Campus, with Cunningham Pier in the foreground
More than 5,362 (2020) students are based at the Geelong Waterfront Campus, which hosts the schools of Architecture and Built Environment, Health and Social Development, Psychology, and Nursing and Midwifery, as well as the Faculty of Business and Law.[citation needed]
A $37 million redevelopment of the Dennys Lascelles Building has increased the capacity of this campus, allowing the university to provide an expanded range of courses. The building houses the Alfred Deakin Prime Ministerial Library[38] and the Alfred Deakin Institute.[citation needed]
This campus houses Costa Hall, a 1422-seat concert auditorium, which is used for the university's graduation ceremonies and is part of Geelong Arts Centre.[citation needed]
Governance and structure
University Council
The Deakin University Council is the governing body of the university and is chaired by the chancellor, John Stanhope AM. The council is responsible for the general direction and oversight of the university and is publicly accountable for the university's actions.
Aerial photo of Deakin University's Building C in Burwood
The vice-chancellor is the chief executive officer of the university and is responsible to the council. Professor Iain Martin is vice-chancellor and president of Deakin University and is Deakin's 7th vice-chancellor.[39]
The university is divided into four faculties, covering arts and education, business and law, health, and science, engineering and built environment.[41] Within the Faculty of Arts and Education the three schools cover education, social sciences, humanities, communication and the creative arts.[42] The Institute of Koorie Education also falls under the Faculty of Arts and Education. The Faculty of Health has the School of Medicine, along with schools covering nursing and midwifery, exercise and nutrition sciences, psychology, and incorporates subjects such as occupational therapy, social work, and health economics into the School of Health and Social Development.[43] The Deakin University School of Law and the Deakin Business School both fall under the Faculty of Business and Law,[44] and the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment encompasses architecture, information technology, engineering, and life and environmental sciences.[45]
The Alfred Deakin Prime Ministerial Library is named after the early Australian Prime Minister and statesman, Alfred Deakin (1856–1919), and provides opportunities for research and learning.[38]
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 #196 (12th nationally).[74]
The Australian Government's QILT[b] conducts national surveys documenting the student life cycle from enrolment through to employment.[81] These surveys place more emphasis on criteria such as student experience, graduate outcomes and employer satisfaction[81] than perceived reputation, research output and citation counts.[82]
In the 2023 Employer Satisfaction Survey, graduates of the university had an overall employer satisfaction rate of 84.2%.[83]
In the 2023 Graduate Outcomes Survey, graduates of the university had a full-time employment rate of 80.1% for undergraduates and 90% for postgraduates.[84] The initial full-time salary was A$69,300 for undergraduates and A$98,100 for postgraduates.[84]
In the 2023 Student Experience Survey, undergraduates at the university rated the quality of their entire educational experience at 81.1% meanwhile postgraduates rated their overall education experience at 81.2%.[85]
Jeff RowleyBig Wave Surfer, Adventure Waterman, and Celebrity Speaker[101]
Controversies
Reports of on-campus sexual assault and harassment
Between 2011 and 2016 the university reported there were 40 officially cases of sexual abuse and harassment on campus, resulting in 12 staff members being disciplined or sacked for sexual misconduct and no student expulsions or suspensions.[102] The 2017 Australian Human Rights Commission report on sexual assault and harassment surveyed 649 Deakin students,[103] and reported somewhat higher figures than this, finding that 2.8% of those surveyed claimed to have been assaulted on campus, and 21% had been sexually harassed.[104]
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