235 more chances to study at Adelaide

Education

There are more opportunities to study at the University of Adelaide than ever before, with extra student places and a range of new degrees on offer.

In a major boost to higher education in South Australia, the University of Adelaide has won 235 additional university places for domestic students.

The new places announced recently by the Federal Government represent the biggest increase in Commonwealth-supported places awarded to any Australian university.

The places have been allocated in national and State high-priority areas of health and engineering, as well as for South Australia's first veterinary science school.

Federal Education Minister the Hon. Julie Bishop has announced a total of 2340 new university places in Australia with 235 of those - or almost 10% - going to the University of Adelaide.

They include:

• 70 places for three new engineering degrees - Architectural Engineering, Avionics and Electronic Systems Engineering, and Sustainable Energy Engineering;
  
• 20 extra places for the highly successful Bachelor of Engineering in Mining Engineering, which started
  this year;
  
• A total of 55 extra places in health, for Nursing (35), Master of Psychology (10) and Health Sciences (10);
  
• 40 new places for the pre-veterinary Animal Science undergraduate degree starting in 2008 and 50 places for the postgraduate veterinary science degree, starting in 2011.

Acting Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Fred McDougall said the University of Adelaide had deliberately set out to grow educational opportunities in South Australia.

"This allocation of new places means we will be able to help meet areas of skills shortages and high demand in health and engineering, in line with our strategy of responding to the needs of industry and the community," he said.

"The University of Adelaide has experienced continued growth in demand for places since 2000, so we are delighted the Federal Government has agreed to allow us to offer more places to South Australian students in these priority areas.

"This is good for the economy, good for State and national education priorities, good for industry; and the best news is that the students taking up these new places will have great employment prospects."

For more information about studying at the University of Adelaide, visit: www.adelaide.edu.au

Story by Robyn Mills