Friday we spent the day at Swinburne (Swinny). We had yet another very full day with meetings from most of the faculties on campus.  So, unlike La Trobe, Swinburne is a truly urban campus. While not located in the city center, Swinny really has the energy of a city campus, with tons of shops and eateries just outside of campus. Swinburne has two city campuses, Hawthorne and Prahran (said pah-rahn), which are located in those districts of the city.

We learned about study abroad at Swinburne and then met with the Global Leadership program, which is a truly unique program offered at Swinburne, and is actually where Sarah (whose position I took at CIS) is studying. The Global leadership program is a 2-year dual masters degree; at the end of two years, students graduate with a grad degree in international business, accounting or biotechnology from Swinburne and a grad certificate in global leadership from Northeastern University (in Boston). Northeastern profs actually teach part of the curriculum at Swinburne! Pretty cool!

We learned about the new short courses that are very Melbourne specific, one for design and one for film.

We then headed out to view the different facilities, including multi-media and gaming, engineering (produce design engineering and mechanical), and the school of design (which is housed at the Prahran campus).

What really struck everyone was how high tech, yet approachable everything is.  The students are working on really impressive projects, yet everyone was happy to take a break and chat with us about their work and their program in general.  The students really seem to love what they are studying, and while working on very high tech project, they are having a good bit of fun as well.

The Prahran campus is about a 20-minute (tops) tram ride from Hawthorn and is an equally urban location. The school of design is housed in a rather old building, so while the outside is not that impressive, you can tell from the minute you walk in, that some really neat and innovative work is going on inside.  Also included at the Prahran campus is the Circus Arts program, which was amazing. It’s a three year program and upon completion, many students go on to professional gigs including Cirque du Solie and other professional group. We watched some second year students practicing for a bit … and it’s truly amazing!!  We walked around the Prahran surrounds for a bit, taking in the city feel, and while I’m really not a city person, I think I could really enjoy living in that area.  There’s so much to see and do, and of course, nature and the country-side is only a short train ride away.

For dinner, we had Vietnamese, which was also excellent.  Not many folks in the group had had Vietnamese before, so we ordered a bunch of dishes and shared, which was perfect!

So, why as a student would I choose Swinburne? Great location in Melbourne, 10 minutes from the city center, with all the perks that city living has to offer. Really strong programs in a wide array of disciplines including (but not limited to) gaming, engineering, psychology, communication, social sciences, and hard sciences. 

Why as an advisor would I recommend Swinburne?  High ranking for teaching and student satisfaction. Lots of international students on campus, but not that many Americans, so students will have a really international and Ozzie experience. Safe, secure location within the city of Melbourne.