Foreword from the Vice-Chancellor

Welcome to the University of Ballarat.

As a regional, dual sector University, we aspire to achieve national and international standing for the high quality and relevance of our teaching, research, and engagement with industry, commerce, the professions and the regional and international communities we serve.

Our 2020 Vision; 2020 Agenda renews and revitalises the priorities and strategies for the University that will extend and enhance the services we provides to our students, communities and partners in the coming years.

One of our major roles as a University is to help you to meet your education and training needs in ways that match your interests and motivations. To do this, we offer a diverse range of education and training programs at many levels. These include Higher Education undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, and TAFE certificates, diplomas, and advanced diplomas. We also have research degrees at masters and doctoral levels for advanced students.

We teach on our six campuses - three in Ballarat (Mt Helen, SMB and Camp Street) and at Horsham, Stawell and Ararat. There also is a number of teaching sites elsewhere in Australia and overseas. The Camp Street Campus is the home for our Arts Academy and for the majority of the University's Visual and Performing Arts students, staff and programs.

One of our aims in the global knowledge-based society in which we live is to encourage our students to be comfortable with on-going learning, and to develop critical appraisal skills. Our students must be confident that they know how to assemble only enough of the relevant information from the vast amount available in order to make appropriate decisions in their busy lives. Efficient information management is a stepping stone to success, and it is something the University of Ballarat values very highly.

As one of our students, you will have access to friendly and well-qualified staff and a student population of some 25,000. You will be able to choose from more than fifty specialised Higher Education courses and over 200 TAFE courses.

We are very proud of our students' achievements dating back over 135 years. The University has always been well-regarded for its responsiveness to students and employers and for its relevant and rigorous programs. Our sought-after graduates, many of whom are distinguished themselves in their careers, are testimony to this.

We trust that by joining YourUB you will enhance your own life as well as the lives of your families, friends and those in the broader community who depend on skilled hands and active minds. The world is ever-changing, and we must all aim to help our communities understand these developments. And we must lead such changes where appropriate, rather than waiting for others to tell us what to do next.

You will find much to challenge and stimulate you at the University. On-going training and learning are important keys to success today - but they can also be a lot of fun at the same time! I encourage you to use our website, www.ballarat.edu.au to source more about YourUB.

I wish you every success in your chosen program.

Professor Kerry O. Cox
Vice-Chancellor