is located in
Perth ,
Western Australia ,
(31.92045° S 115.8675° E) . It is named after
Edith Dircksey Cowan , who was the first woman to be elected to an Australian
Parliament .
ECU is Western Australia's second largest
University . With over 30,000 students, ECU educates more than thirty percent of Western Australias
University students. ECU was formed from the amalgamations of teachers' colleges with a history dating back to 1902 when the Claremont Campus was established; this made ECU the modern descendant of the first institution of higher education in Western Australia.
The
University has three metropolitan campuses, in
Churchlands ,
Mount Lawley and
Joondalup , and a regional campus in
Bunbury , 200 km south of
Perth . The
Churchlands Campus is scheduled to be closed at some point in the future as part of the organisation's Campus Consolidation program which has also seen the sale of the former Claremont Teachers College campus at Clarement to the
University Of Western Australia . All teaching facilities and staff will be transferred to other campuses.
Divisions of note include the
Western Australian Academy Of Performing Arts (WAAPA) and its new Law School which commenced operation during 2005.
The
University specializes in the service professions, and education remains one of it key focuses. The
University consults with the government, industry professionals, professional bodies and employers widely when designing courses linking theory with contemporary practice by providing opportunities for students to experience real work situations. Study programs are offered at
Bachelor ,
Master and
Doctoral levels in numerous subject areas within the five faculties, namely,
Business and
Law ;
Communications and
Creative Industries (with includes the
Western Australian Academy Of Performing Arts ); Community Services,
Education and Social Sciences; Computing,
Health and
Science ; and Regional Professional Studies. A significant number of ECU courses are unique to
Western Australia and
Australia . ECU is an established national leader in the use of innovative communication, multimedia and information technology in education.
More than 4000 international students originating from more than 90 countries study with ECU each year. This includes the off-shore delivery of a variety of courses in a number of countries, student and staff exchange programs with other universities, joint research activities, international consultancies and individual academic links.
Undergraduate students are represented by the ECU Student Guild, while postgraduate students are represented by the ECU Postgraduate Association (a member of the
Council Of Australian Postgraduate Associations ).
Located in Perth's fastest growing metropolitan sector, the Joondalup campus is part of a major educational precinct which includes the West Coast College of TAFE and the recently relocated Western Australia Police Academy.
Students enjoy the benefits of a modern, purpose-built tertiary campus with extensive state-of-the-art facilities including the landmark 'Campus West Building', the Science and Health Building, plus a multi-million dollar recreation centre and microbrewery. On-campus residential accommodation is available with fast rail and transport ten minutes walk from the campus and Perth's major freeway close by.
Together with students from across the globe, kangaroos can often be spotted on the grounds of the Joondalup campus!
The Churchlands Campus is situated in a lovely garden setting, nestled conveniently between the city centre and the coast which boasts some of Perth’s most spectacular coastline. A wide range of courses is offered on this campus where courses such as nursing are conducted from Perth’s most modern, purpose-built health and science facilities.
Students at the pleasant Mount Lawley campus take a wide range of courses. This campus is located minutes from the city of Perth and abounds with shops, cafes, restaurants, and entertainment. This cosmopolitan suburb is a vibrant residential area and is well served by public transport. Mount Lawley campus has excellent study facilities, extensive teaching resources and residential accommodation is available for students.
It is also the home of the Faculty of Communications and Creative Industries incorporating the School of Visual Arts, School of Communications and Multimedia and the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), one of the most exciting and successful arts training institutions in Australia. The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) has earned a reputation for producing among the finest graduates in the performing arts, both in Australia and internationally.
Located 200 kilometres south of Perth, Edith Cowan University’s South West Campus (Bunbury) is the only university campus situated in the state’s southwest. Greater Bunbury is Western Australia's second largest city and is a significant seaport. It is also the gateway to the scenic southwest region with its wineries, gourmet food production, tourism, arts and spectacular coastal scenery.
With a unique country atmosphere, the South West Campus features modern facilities, small class sizes and offers a comprehensive range of courses. The campus recently saw the addition of a new $2.7million purpose build student housing, which in effect combines a stimulating educational experience with first class accommodation.
Edith Cowan University offers selected programs at various regional centres. These programs are designed to meet the special and local needs of the area. These centres can be found in Broome, Geraldton and Margaret River.
Located in the centre of Margaret River, the Margaret River Education Campus opened in 2004 and is a collaborative initiative between ECU, Curtin University and the South West Regional College. The Faculty of Regional Professional Studies offers ECU courses at the campus whose centrepiece is the state-of-the-art Centre for Wine Excellence.
- School of Accounting, Finance and Economics
- School of Law and Justice
- School of Management
- School of Management Information Systems
- School of Marketing, Tourism and Leisure
- School of Exercise, Biomedical and Health Sciences
- School of Computer and Information Science
- School of Engineering and Mathematics
- School of Natural Sciences
- School of Nursing, Midwifery and Postgraduate Medicine
- School of Education
- School of Psychology
- School of Indigenous Australian Studies (Kurongkurl Katitjin)
- School of International, Cultural and Community Studies
- School of Enterprise and Technology
- School of Professional Community Services
- Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
- School of Communications and Multimedia
- School of Contemporary Arts
;2006 - Present: Prof. Kerry O. Cox
;1998 - 2006: Prof. Millicent Poole
Information prior to this currently unavailable.
The governing council of the University is known as the
University Council . It is the governing body of the organisation which controls and manages the operation, affairs, concerns and property of the University, in accordance with its
Corporate Governance Statement .
The membership of the council is composed of people across various disiplines and groups as mandated under Part III, Sect. 9 of the
Edith Cowan University Act 1984 . Its membership includes persons appointed by the Governor of Western Australia, Co-opted members, Members of the Academic and General Staff of the University as elected by the members of these groups, as well as members of the Alumni and Student Guild representatives.
There has been significant talk across the Australian Higher Education sector since late 2005 regarding the financial position of some Universities across the country. While the University has made significant progress such as the
Higher Education Workplace Reform Requirments and other matters to retain current federal fundint, the organisation is set to hand back a significant portion of it's Commonwealth Grant Scheme funding as a result of not meeting specific enrollment targets for 2006. This amount is reported to be between AUD $1.2 - $1.5 Million.
The continued decline in student numbers are having negative impacts on the University's budget position, but the final outcomes of these potential budgetary impacts are still being assessed, but are reported to include a reduction in the building program necessary to bring about the closure of it's Churchlands Campus and potential staff job losses.
