2020 has kicked off with a flying start as we saw a record number of students receiving offers to begin degrees at USC in Semester 1 following a major expansion of the University in Moreton Bay. But opening a brand-new campus in Petrie is just the beginning, as we have lots of exciting new things in 2020 at USC.

A new campus

USC Moreton Bay officially opens its door to new students next week as they attend Orientation. This campus will offer almost 50 undergraduate degrees, including business, education, nursing, engineering, and new programs like computer science and mechatronics. The foundation building includes a 460-seat capacity auditorium for teaching and community events, and $15 million worth of state-of-the-art technology, including simulation facilities, engineering labs, and a makerspace. USC Moreton Bay will hold a big community Open Day on Sunday 15 May for everyone to come and explore the new campus.

New programs

With a new campus, we’ve also introduced some new programs. This year we will offer a Bachelor of Computer Science at USC Moreton Bay. The newest degree of its kind in the country, this program allows students to specialise in three different streams – wearable technology and the ‘Internet of Things’; cloud and mobile computing; and cyber security.

This degree is among a suite of future-focused digital programs to be offered by USC exclusively at the Moreton Bay campus, alongside the Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical and Electronic) (Honours), Bachelor of Engineering (Mechatronic) (Honours) and the Bachelor of Business (Digital Futures).

Further north, students now have the opportunity to study a full degree in Social Work at USC Fraser Coast. We’ve partnered with Fraser Coast agencies to source teachers, placements and internships for students and to conduct collaborative research to find solutions to regional issues, such as suicide.

You can check out our full program offering in our new Undergraduate Guide and on our website.

New facilities

We couldn’t let USC Moreton Bay have all the fun with new buildings, so we had a little makeover at our Sunshine Coast campus too. Our Creative Industries students will soon be able to study in a new state-of-the-art facility at USC Sunshine Coast. The $5.5 million building will have an internal performance area for an audience of 80, plus a stage that opens out to a lawn and the USC Art Gallery piazza for much larger crowds creating a vibrant cultural hub at the centre of campus. It will also feature professional-quality recording and video studios, a black box theatre production space, and Queensland’s first MIT Fab Lab Maker Space.

A major new sports facility has also been added at the USC Sports Precinct. The $4.2 million USC Aquatic Exercise Facility features a six-lane, 25 metre recovery and rehabilitation pool. The centre will be used by elite athletes, for sports science work placements and research, and by the community for a range of purposes including rehabilitation and prehabilitation (exercise to prepare for surgery).