Victoria University (VU or Vic Uni) is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are the most important sites at which knowledge production occurs, along with "intergenerational kno ...

based in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, Australia. It is one of only six dual-sector universities in Australia, providing courses in both

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completi ...

and

Technical and Further Education Technical and further education or simply TAFE (), is the common name in English-speaking countries in Oceania for vocational education, as a subset of tertiary education. TAFE institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational cours ...

(TAFE). 2016 marked VU's centenary as an educational institution and its 25th anniversary as a university. The university has several campuses in

Melbourne Central Business District The Melbourne central business district (also known colloquially as simply "The City" or "The CBD") is the city centre and main urban area of the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, centred on the Hoddle Grid, the oldest part of the city la ...

, Melbourne Western Region, and in Sydney, comprising six academic colleges, six research institutes, seven research centres and VU's Victoria Polytechnic (providing vocational education and training). It also offers courses at partner institutions throughout Asia. Victoria University Melbourne was ranked in the top 2% of universities worldwide (2021''Times Higher Education'' World University Rankings), and 56th globally (2nd in Victoria) in the 2020 Times Higher Education (THE) Young University Rankings. VU was also ranked 11th in the world (1st in Australia) for Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2021).

History

The idea for a

technical school In the United States, a technical school is a type of two-year college that covers specialized fields such as business, finance, hospitality, tourism, construction, engineering, visual arts, information technology and community work. Associa ...

based in the western suburbs of Melbourne was first proposed in 1910. The Footscray Technical School opened its doors to 220 students and 9 teachers in 1916 after five years of

fundraising Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...

. Charles Archibald Hoadley was the school's principal from its founding until his death in 1947. His vision was to aid students who had both a sound technical knowledge and an appreciation of the arts, sports, the outdoors and community activities. He believed in educating students "for life as well as for living", wanting students to view education as opening the doors of opportunity. Under Hoadley's leadership, the school expanded rapidly and began offering trade certificate courses,

diploma A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offici ...

s in

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

building A building, or edifice, is an enclosed structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a house or factory (although there's also portable buildings). Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and fun ...

, and contracting, as well as evening classes. War and the Depression saw a dip in student numbers. However, by 1943, there were 2500 students enrolled in courses taught at the

Footscray Park Footscray Park is one of the largest and most intact examples of an Edwardian park in Australia. The 15-hectare park is located on the south bank of the Maribyrnong River in Footscray in Victoria. It is classified as a heritage place on the ...

and Footscray Nicholson campuses. The following decades saw gender and cultural shifts. In 1958, the school changed its name to the Footscray Technical College. Ten years later, it changed its name again, this time, to the Footscray Institute of Technology (FIT). Women first enrolled in day diploma courses in 1960, and changes to the

federal government A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...

immigration policy Border control refers to measures taken by governments to monitor and regulate the movement of people, animals, and goods across land, air, and maritime borders. While border control is typically associated with international borders, it a ...

resulted in many more European and Asian students entering the school. The secondary school component, now known as

Footscray City College Footscray High School is a multi-campus educational institution in Melbourne, Australia. Footscray College has formed a network with the University of Melbourne which gives students a better chance of getting into the University after they leav ...

, was separated from the rest of the institute in 1972. By the mid-1970s, the expanded curriculum included

degree courses An academic degree is a qualification awarded to students upon successful completion of a course of study in higher education, usually at a college or university. These institutions commonly offer degrees at various levels, usually including unde ...

and was well beyond the technical focus of the original Footscray Technical School. Further changes occurred in the 1980s, with the technical and trade education section separating from FIT to form the Footscray and Newport Colleges of TAFE. In 1990, FIT merged with the Western Institute, which had been founded three years earlier to provide TAFE and higher education courses to the outlying suburbs in western Melbourne. In 1990, it was established as a university by the Victoria State Parliament as Victoria University of Technology. The university further amalgamation with the Western Melbourne Institute of TAFE in 1998. In 2005, the Victoria University of Technology Act of 1990 was amended to rename the university as Victoria University, reflecting the development of its teaching and research. The institutions that combined to form VU include: * Footscray Technical School, renamed Footscray Technical College and later Footscray Institute of Technology * Newport Technical College, renamed Newport College of TAFE * Melbourne School of Hairdressing * School of Painting, Decorating and Sign Crafts * Melbourne Technical College of Hairdressing * Melbourne College of Decoration * Footscray College of TAFE * Flagstaff College of TAFE * Western Institute * Gellibrand College of TAFE, renamed Western Metropolitan College of TAFE * Western Melbourne Institute of TAFE * Victoria University of Technology * Victoria Polytechnic

Campuses

Victoria University has campuses located throughout Melbourne's western region and the

city centre A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...

. The new VU City Tower will be Melbourne's tallest vertical campus, and is due for completion in 2021. One campus is located in central Sydney. VU courses are also delivered by partner institutes throughout Asia, including in China, India, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka. Two of the university's largest partners are

Sunway University Sunway University is a private university in Bandar Sunway, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. It has a 10 hectare (24 acre) campus comprising academic and residential blocks adjacent to the Sunway Lagoon theme park. It offers undergraduat ...

College in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

and

Liaoning University Liaoning University () is a provincial public university founded in 1948 at Shenyang, Liaoning, China. It is among the universities listed in the nation's Double First Class University Plan and former Project 211 affirmed by the Ministry of Ed ...

in China.

Footscray Park

Footscray Park Campus on Ballarat Road, Footscray is the university's main campus and administrative centre. It offers higher education courses primarily in engineering, education and sport-related disciplines. It occupies a site overlooking

Flemington Racecourse Flemington Racecourse is a major horse racing venue located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is most notable for hosting the Melbourne Cup, which is the world's richest handicap and the world's richest 3200-metre horse race. The racecou ...

and the

Maribyrnong River The Maribyrnong River is a perennial river of the Port Phillip catchment, located in the northwestern suburbs of Melbourne, in the Australian state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. Course The Maribyrnong River draws its headwaters from near ...

. A A$68.5 million sport and learning precinct, including sport and exercise science research labs, was completed in early 2011. The campus also has a 25-metre swimming pool and a childcare centre.

St Albans

St Albans Campus on McKecknie Street,

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...

, is the university's health and education hub, with a focus on psychology, nursing, arts, and paramedic and biomedical sciences. It is set on of native grasslands and sugar gums. The new St Albans Health and Fitness Centre was opened in 2013.

Footscray Nicholson

Footscray Nicholson Campus is in central Footscray, on the corner of Nicholson and Buckley Streets. It delivers TAFE, VCE and short courses. Its new learning commons was opened in 2012 offering a broad range of educational and student services.

City King

City King Campus is now closed. All Victoria University courses delivered in Melbourne's CBD are run through the VU City Campus which consists of the Queen Street Building and the new VU City Tower building, opened in 2022. The City King Campus is located in a high-rise building close to

Southern Cross station Southern Cross railway station (until 2005 known as Spencer Street station) is a major railway station in Docklands, Melbourne. It is on Spencer Street, between Collins and La Trobe Streets, at the western edge of the Melbourne central busi ...

. It provides health and beauty courses, and includes a hair and beauty salon that is open to the public.

City Queen

Melbourne Victoria University City Campus in Queens St

The City Queen Campus occupies two heritage buildings at 283 and 295 Queen Street in the heart of Melbourne's legal precinct. The campus houses the university's College of Law and Justice, a law library, the Sir Zelman Cowen Centre and two moot courts. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate law courses, including continuing legal education courses for legal professionals.

Werribee

The Werribee Campus is located in the

Werribee Werribee is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Wyndham local government area. Werribee recorded a population of 50,027 at the 2021 census. Werribee i ...

agricultural research and tertiary education precinct. It offers trades training as well as facilities for water, food and fire safety research.

Sunshine

The Sunshine Campus of Victoria Polytechnic is located on Ballarat Road, Sunshine. It offers TAFE courses, focusing mainly on business and the construction industries. The A$44 million high-technology Construction Hub was opened in 2013 for building and construction training. The campus also has a convention centre with a 200-seat auditorium.

Sydney

Victoria University delivers a number of business courses for international students at its campus in central Sydney, which operates in partnership with the Education Centre of Australia (ECA).

Whitten Oval

In late 2010, VU opened an A$8 million Sport and Recreation Learning Centre in partnership with the

Western Bulldogs The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football team that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. Founded in 1877 as the Footscray Football Club, and based in West Footscray in the o ...

at the

Whitten Oval Whitten Oval (also known as Victoria University Whitten Oval under a naming rights agreement) is a stadium in the inner-western suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in Barkly Street, West Footscray. It is the training and administr ...

in West Footscray. The Centre contains massage therapy clinics open to the public, as well as a 140-seat lecture theatre, a library, classrooms and offices.

Organisation

Several of the university's colleges offer internationally recognised qualifications ranging from certificates and diplomas to degrees, postgraduate certificates and diplomas, and masters and doctoral research degrees (PhD). Victoria Polytechnic and VU College offer vocational education courses and higher education diplomas. These are divided between several colleges, including: * The College of Arts and Education * The College of Business *The College of Engineering and Science * The College of Health and Bio-medicine * The College of Law and Justice * The College of Sport and Exercise Science * Victoria University Polytechnic, which is the

TAFE Technical and further education or simply TAFE (), is the common name in English-speaking countries in Oceania for vocational education, as a subset of tertiary education. TAFE institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational cours ...

division of Victoria University.

Students

In 2019, VU had 43,802 students. Approximately 65% student in higher education degree programs, and 35% enrolled in TAFE training courses. Of these students, 5,662 were international students studying at one of VU's Melbourne or Sydney Campuses, and 3,772 were international students studying at VU programs overseas at one of its partner organisations located mainly in Asia.

Academia

Rankings

Victoria University ranked in 351–400 in the world in the ''Times Higher Education World University Rankings'' 2021. 28 VU research disciplines were ranked at or above world standard in the Excellence in Research Australia (ERA) assessments 2018.

Student accommodation

VU owns and operates student accommodation for students, staff, and guests of the university. In February 2016, the Student Village in Maidstone was replaced with the newly built UniLodge Victoria University, a 13-story apartment building across the road from the Footscray Park Campus on Ballarat Road, Footscray. International House, a traditional residential college located at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

, also offers places to Victoria University students.

Notable people

Staff

Tony Birch Tony Birch (born 1957) is an Aboriginal Australian author, academic and activist. He regularly appears on ABC local radio and Radio National shows and at writers’ festivals. He was head of the honours programme for creative writing at the Un ...

, poet, novelist, author *

Peter Dixon Peter John Dixon (born 30 April 1944) is a former England international rugby union player. Dixon played for Oxford University RFC in four consecutive Varsity Matches from 1967 to 1970. He played for Cumberland at county level alongside Da ...

, economist *

Craig Emerson Craig Anthony Emerson (born 15 November 1954) is an Australian economist and former Australian Labor Party politician. He served as the Australian House of Representatives Member for the Division of Rankin in Queensland from 1998 until 2013. E ...

, former Australian politician *

Gary Foley Gary Edward Foley (born 1950) is an Aboriginal Australian activist of the Gumbainggir people, academic, writer and actor. He is best known for his role in establishing the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra in 1972 and for establishing an Abo ...

, Indigenous activist and historian * Ian Gray, magistrate * Michael Kirby, retired High Court judge *

Alan Kohler Alan Robert Kohler (born 26 April 1952) is an Australian financial journalist and newspaper editor. He currently writes for his own online financial publication, ''The Constant Investor''. Career In 1969, Kohler began as a cadet on ''The Aust ...

, financial journalist and editor * Chris Maxwell QC, barrister * Robert Richter QC, barrister *

Christopher Sonn Christopher Conrad Sonn (born 1967) is an Australian Social psychology, social psychologist whose work in the area of Community psychology, community and liberation psychology focuses on intergroup relations, racism, Whiteness studies, White priv ...

social psychologist Social psychology is the scientific study of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the real or imagined presence of other people or by social norms. Social psychologists typically explain human behavior as a result of the re ...

* Robert Stary, criminal law specialist *

Nyadol Nyuon Nyadol Nyuon, (born 1987) is an Australian lawyer and human rights advocate, who was born in a refugee camp in Ethiopia, of a family fleeing the Second Sudanese Civil War. She works as a commercial litigator in Melbourne and is a regular media c ...

, Litigation Lawyer and regular media commentator and advocate for South Sudanese community

Alumni

* Sukhbold Sukhee, Permanent Representative to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

for Mongolia * Ali Abdo, Olympic wrestler * Liam Adams, long-distance running champion *

Ngconde Balfour Ngconde Mathemba Bryce Balfour (born 23 August 1954 in kuNtselamanzi, Alice, Eastern Cape) is a South African politician and has served as Minister of Correctional Services and Minister of Sport. Early life and career Balfour was born in the ...

, former South African sport and recreation minister *

Ron Barassi Ronald Dale Barassi Jr. (born 27 February 1936) is a former Australian rules footballer, coach and media personality. Regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of the game, Barassi was the first player to be inaugurated into ...

, Australian Football League legend *

Doug Chappel Doug Chappel is an Australian comedian who grew up in the working class suburbs of Footscray and Sunshine in Melbourne's Western Suburbs. Chappel is also known for his work in the community with homeless youth and troubled teenagers. Once ho ...

, comedian and actor *

Marion May Campbell Marion May Campbell (born 1948) is a contemporary Australian novelist and an academician. Biography Marion May Campbell was born in Sydney, New South Wales, 1948. Campbell earned a BA in French Literature studying first at the University of N ...

, author and Associate Professor of Professional and Creative Writing at Deakin University *

Jeffrey Cheah Jeffrey Cheah Fook Ling (Hakka Chinese: ) (born 1945 or 1946) is the founder and current chairman of the Sunway Group, a Malaysian conglomerate (company), conglomerate operating in 12 industries with core businesses in property and construc ...

, founder of the Sunway Group *

Simon Garlick Simon Garlick (born 10 April 1975) is a former Australian rules footballer who played between 1994 and 2004, and current football administrator. Drafted to Sydney Swans with the 49th selection in the 1993 AFL draft, he spent his first four ...

, CEO of the

Andrew Gaze Andrew Barry Casson Gaze (born 24 July 1965) is an Australian former professional basketball player and coach. He played 22 seasons in the National Basketball League (NBL) with the Melbourne Tigers from 1984 to 2005, winning the league's MVP a ...

, former basketballer * Brad Green, former

footballer and current

Carlton Football Club The Carlton Football Club, nicknamed the Blues, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's top professional competition. Founded in 1864 in Carlton, an inner suburb of Mel ...

development coach * Alwyn Jones (born 1985), national champion triple jumper *

, financial journalist *

Telmo Languiller Telmo Ramon Languiller-Tornesi (born 31 July 1957) is an Australian politician. He was a Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1999 to 2018, representing the electorates of Sunshine (1999–2002), Derrimut (2002–201 ...

, Victorian MP * Tammy Lobato, Victorian MP * Mike McKay, Olympian and member of the "Oarsome Foursome" *

Pia Miranda Pia Miranda (born 15 June 1973) is an Australian actress whose career was launched with her role in the 2000 feature film '' Looking for Alibrandi'', an Australian film based on the novel of the same name by Melina Marchetta. She is also know ...

, actress *

Campbell Rose Campbell Alan Rose (born 7 November 1964) is the Chief Executive of VicTrack, the Victorian state government statutory authority responsible for managing the state's railway and tram based assets. Previously, he served as Chief Executive for Str ...

, former CEO of the

Larry Sengstock Larry Sengstock (born 4 March 1960 in Maryborough, Queensland) is an Australian retired basketball player and was the CEO of Basketball Australia and the NBL until April 2012. Career Larry was born in Maryborough Qld. He was a champion swi ...

, former basketballer * Fatai Veamatahau, finalist in ''The Voice'', 2012 * Mitch Wallis, footballer,

Kim Wells Kimberley Arthur Wells (born 6 August 1958) is an Australian politician. He has been a Liberal member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly since 1992, representing first Wantirna and then Scoresby and Rowville. Wells was the Treasurer of Vic ...

Victoria State Government The Victoria State Government, also referred to as just the Victorian Government, is the state-level authority for Victoria, Australia. Like all state governments, it is formed by three independent branches: the executive, the judicial, and th ...

Treasurer *

Deepak Vinayak Deepak Vinayak (born 8 November 1972) is an Indian Australian community leader from Melbourne. He was appointed as the People of Australia Ambassador by Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard for two consecutive terms in 2012 and 2013. Caree ...

, Community Leader, Melbourne * Nathan Brown, former AFL player and commentator *

Easton Wood Easton Phillip Wood (born 4 September 1989) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL). He grew up in Camperdown, Victoria while attending Geelong Grammar School. He was ...

, Western Bulldogs AFL premiership captain *

Bianca Chatfield Bianca Chatfield (born 2 April 1982) is a former Australia netball international. Between 2001 and 2014 she made 59 senior appearances for Australia. Chatfield was a member of the Australia teams that won the gold medals at the 2007 World Netb ...

, netballer, media and sports presenter *

Danny Morseau Danny Morseu (born 1 January 1958) is an Australian basketball player who played on the Australian boomers, Australian national basketball team in the 1980 Summer Olympics and 1984 Summer Olympics. International career Morseu played for the Au ...

, first Tores Strait Islander to represent Australia at the Olympics *

, litigation lawyer and regular media commentator and advocate for South Sudanese community

References

External links

* * {{Coord, 37, 47, 39, S, 144, 54, 0, E, region:AU-VIC_type:landmark, display=title Australian vocational education and training providers Universities in Melbourne TAFE Colleges in Melbourne 1990 establishments in Australia Educational institutions established in 1990 Universities established in the 1990s