Deakin University is a diverse institution encompassing a network of four campuses that provide a variety of settings for productive learning and a valuable study abroad experience. Each Deakin campus has a distinct atmosphere and a strong sense of community. Despite the fact that Deakin is one of Australia’s largest universities, with over 30,000 students, the campuses are not huge or overwhelming. Two campuses are located in Geelong; one campus is located in a suburb of metropolitan Melbourne; and one campus is in Warrnambool. The educational facilities on campus include: up-to-date computing resources; laboratories; studios and workshops for hands-on practice; libraries on each campus; state-of-the-art lecture theatres; and recreational and sporting facilities including cafes, gyms, and sporting fields.

Campuses

Please note that the large distances between Melbourne, Geelong, and Warrnambool make studying in more than one city impossible.

Melbourne Campus
Located in Burwood, an eastern suburb of Melbourne, alongside Gardiner’s Creek parklands and close to the natural bushland of Wattle Park, the Melbourne campus is a thriving hub of student activity for over 18,000 students. Walking and biking tracks connect the campus to Melbourne’s extensive system of bicycle trails. Other sporting and recreational activities include a theatre, cafeteria, shops, excellent student services, and a variety of sporting clubs including water-skiing, surfing, rock climbing, whitewater rafting, and caving. The tram ride from the city center to campus takes approximately 45 minutes. A full range of arts, sciences, health, education, and business courses are also available.

Geelong Campuses – Waurn Ponds and Waterfront Campus

Geelong (pop. 250,000) is only one hour from Melbourne and 15 minutes from some of the best Australian beaches. Walking and cycling paths hug the curve of the bay and provide easy access to the many attractions along the shore. In addition to the vibrant city center, there are plenty of opportunities to experience outdoor activities such as sailing, surfing, scuba diving, wakeboarding, and kite surfing.

The Geelong campus at Waurn Ponds is located in a picturesque setting of landscaped gardens, extensive lawns, and natural bush attracting native Australian birds and animals. The campus facilities and housing are centrally located. Being a traditional, self-contained campus with almost 5,000 students, it is sort of like a small village with its own restaurant, bank, and bookstore. A daily bus service operates from the university to the Geelong city center and surrounding areas. Areas of study offered include arts, business, education, engineering, management, media and communication, medicine, health sciences, information technology, law, psychology, and science.

The Geelong Waterfront campus, located on Corio Bay in the city center, is within walking distance to the beach and the city’s cafés, restaurants, and walking paths. More than 1,200 students are based at the Waterfront campus whose buildings have been renovated to create a modern and impressive campus. Areas of study include political science, public policy and governance, international relations, globalization, journalism and communications, architecture and construction management, nursing, occupational therapy, and social work.

Warrnambool Campus

Located on Victoria’s rugged Shipwreck Coast at the western end of the stunning Great Ocean Road, Warrnambool (pop. 30,000) is a thriving and independent modern city. It is three hours from Melbourne by car or train. It is a great place for whale watching, visiting wildlife reserves, forests, farms, waterfalls, and one of the most spectacular stretches of coastline in the world. Warrnambool offers a truly unique opportunity for students wanting to experience the “real” Australia. The major advantage of the Warrnambool campus lies in its smaller size of around 1,100 students. Its modern campus is set on the banks of the Hopkins River, which makes it an ideal location to study marine science and any water-based study as it has some of the highest biological diversity in Australia. A full range of arts, sciences, education, and business courses are also available.

Academics
Students studying at Deakin usually receive a mix of lectures and tutorials. These may be supplemented by practical classes or fieldwork. Lectures are held in state-of-the-art lecture theatres with large groups of students. Lectures typically go for 1-3 hours and may involve note-taking, demonstrations, AV presentations, etc. Tutorials usually follow lectures and give students a chance to discuss topics in detail. Tutorial groups are usually much smaller, to allow one on one interaction between students and with lecturers. Students studying a full-time load can usually expect to have around 15-20 contact hours (times when you must attend the University) per week as well as study time.

Exams may take a variety of forms, including written work and tests undertaken in class, participation in class or laboratory sessions, and final examinations each trimester. Fieldwork or practical experience can also form a large part of the content and assessment of some units. Most, but not all, undergraduate units involve an examination usually held at the end of the unit. The weighting applied to each assessment procedure varies from unit to unit, however in many cases the final examination can be worth up to 70 percent of your final grade.