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About USC
The best of both worlds
At USC, students receive a high quality educational experience, while enjoying the relaxed lifestyle that the Sunshine Coast offers.
Students benefit from a friendly and supportive campus environment, access to highly-qualified teaching staff, personal attention, and modern technology and facilities.
Study choices are wide and degrees are complemented by opportunities to gain practical experience and travel overseas.
University vision: The University of the Sunshine Coast is regionally relevant and recognised, nationally and internationally, for excellence in teaching, research and engagement.
Growing
USC is one of Australia’s fastest growing universities, serving the Sunshine Coast and extended region from north Brisbane to the Fraser Coast.
The University opened in 1996 with 500 students. It was the first greenfield public university to be established nationally since the early 1970s.
Today, with about 8,000 enrolled students, USC is on track to reach projected student enrolments of 12,000 by 2015.
Learn more about history and growth, key statistics and facts at a glance.
Choice
USC offers more than 100 undergraduate and postgraduate study programs in business and information technology; communication and design; education; health; humanities and social sciences; and science and engineering.
Degrees can include elective courses and specialisations across a range of disciplines. Entrepreneurship or sustainability can be studied as part of most degree programs.
Academic programs are designed with industry to meet regional needs and often include opportunities for work experience, internships and practical industry-based projects.
Learn more about USC’s courses and programs.
Excellence
USC has a proud record of achievement in learning and teaching. It is the only Queensland public university to consistently rate five stars for teaching quality *, and wins more than its share of national teaching awards.
The University has also earned five-star ratings its graduates’ satisfaction with the generic skills they gained while at university, and for Indigenous participation. *
Students and graduates regularly remark on the quality of their experiences and the personal nature of the teaching and support they receive.
* The Good Universities Guide 2012
Learn more about USC’s learning and teaching achievements and highlights.
Lifestyle
The University’s location on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast offers many lifestyle benefits including beautiful beaches and stunning hinterland, a warm climate, and a relaxed and friendly community.
The campus is located 90km north of Brisbane, Queensland’s capital. Travel to campus is easy with quick access to the Bruce Highway and Sunshine Coast motorway.
Parking is available on campus. An on-campus bus interchange, and pedestrian and cycle paths connect the University to surrounding suburbs.
Learn more about living on the Sunshine Coast.
Environment
USC’s campus at Sippy Downs features modern, distinctive architecture and environmentally sensitive design. It has been recognised with more than 30 awards in planning, architecture and construction.
The campus is fully equipped with cafés, an art gallery, award-winning library, bookshop, 24-hour computer laboratories, lecture theatres, and high-tech teaching spaces including science and sports laboratories.
The sports precinct includes an international-standard athletics track, an indoor sports stadium with gymnasium, and an Olympic-standard swimming pool.
Bordered by Mooloolah River National Park, the University grounds provide sanctuary for native wildlife, including wild kangaroos. USC operates a study centre in Noosa and a research facility on Fraser Island.
Learn more about the campus and facilities
Support
USC students benefit from a supportive approach and ready access to teaching staff who are highly qualified.
A full range of support services assist students to overcome challenges to study, and many USC students are from identified equity groups.
Close to half of undergraduate students are the first in their family to attend university.
Each year more than 500 undergraduate students receive financial support from scholarships and bursaries worth more than A$1.2 million.
Learn more about student support and services.
Experiences
Strong partnerships with industry and work integrated learning experiences provide a practical focus to study and open doors to employment.
Through USC’s award-winning Global Opportunities Program students can earn credit towards their degree while studying at partner universities around the world.
At the same time, about 10 percent of students come from other countries to study at USC.
The Innovation Centre supports local knowledgebased businesses and helps enterprising students and graduates in their entrepreneurial ventures.
Research
USC undertakes research of international, national and local significance. Areas of strength include applied genetics in primary production, regional sustainability and health.
Recent notable successes have included tuna breeding in captivity (collaborative research), fast-growing tropical hardwoods (collaborative research) and climate change adaptation projects.
A number of USC graduates return to USC to pursue postgraduate studies and research.
Learn more about research and the University's research highlights.
Local
The University is committed to serving the Sunshine Coast community, one of Australia’s fastest growing regions.
Hundreds of millions of dollars each year are contributed to the local economy through student, staff, alumni and direct institutional spending.
USC employs more than 700 staff. Strong partnerships with industry link local businesses with about 1,300 students each year.
The Art Gallery and the annual community events program bring world-class speakers, entertainment and cultural events for community enjoyment.
Local health and recreation is supported through the University’s extensive facilities. USC provides life-long personal and professional development opportunities, with links to the University of the Third Age extending these opportunities to all generations.
Learn more about regional engagement at USC.
More information
Download the About USC (PDF 458KB) printable summary brochure.
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