Brisbane students choose ACU for industry experience and job prospects

ACU's Brisbane Campus showed steady growth in 2017, with nursing and allied health services continuing to generate strong interest, and more applicants than ever applying to study a double degree.

ACU’s campus in Banyo attracted a 16 per cent increase in first preference applications.

Among the popular single degree courses this year are:

• Bachelor Nursing
• Bachelor Physiotherapy
• Bachelor Midwifery
• Master Psychology (Clinical)
• Graduate Diploma Education (Secondary)

Double degree courses gaining in popularity include:

• Graduate Diploma Education (Secondary)/Graduate Certificate Religious Education
• Bachelor Teaching/Bachelor Arts (Secondary - Humanities)
• Bachelor Teaching/ Bachelor Exercise Science
• Bachelor Nursing/ Bachelor Paramedicine

ACU Provost Professor Pauline Nugent said the continued strong interest in nursing and allied health courses followed a trend of students interested in a degree that would provide them with strong prospects of employment.

“Young people who are drawn to become nurses, paramedics and health specialists are those who want to improve the lives and the wellbeing of others. At ACU they know they will receive a quality education, access to state-of-the-art facilities and practical experience that will provide them with essential skills for the workplace,” Professor Nugent said.

“The University's strong connections with industry partners give our students the chance to gain practical experience with schools and hospitals and other healthcare providers before graduation. As a result of these factors, more than 90 per cent of our graduates gain full time employment within four months of finishing their studies.”

Commonwealth government projections continue to indicate that the healthcare and social assistance sector, and the education and training sector are two of the four sectors forecast to provide more than half of total employment growth over the five years to November 2020.

Professor Nugent also noted that there were still options for applicants who had missed out on an offer in the major round.

“University entry is competitive, so people may need to wait until the next round of offers before being offered a place. If prospective students want to change their course preferences, there is still time to do so,” she said.

Following the main round offers, additional offers in subsequent offer rounds may be released where course vacancies still exist. Applicants wishing to discuss their options can contact us at www.acu.edu.au/askacu or the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) to find out more.

For those who do not achieve the required entry score needed to secure a place in their chosen university course or for those wanting a VET qualification, there are a range of alternative entry schemes, programs, and pathways offered by ACU.

ACU's Pathways Programs offer prospective students associate degrees, diplomas and certificates.

For further information please go to acu.edu.au/study_at_acu/alternative_entry.

ACU is Australia’s largest Catholic university with campuses in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Ballarat and Adelaide and opportunities to study at the Rome Centre in Italy.

Information about offers for our campuses in Ballarat, Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra will be available on Wednesday 18 January at 2pm (for Victoria) and 6pm (NSW and ACT).