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14 April 2009
CSU Agriculture first year intake increase
It is clear that Charles Sturt University is now Australia’s leading provider of education in agriculture and related areas. In 2009 there has been a significant increase in student numbers across all courses. In the School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences, the Bachelor of Science (Agriculture) has experienced an 82% increase in enrolments with over 100 first year students studying by internal and distance education modes – up from 56 students in 2008. The Bachelor of Agricultural Business Management Course delivered from the Orange campus is up nearly 20% and courses in Horticulture and Ecological Agricultural Systems have also experienced higher student numbers. Student numbers in Wine Science and Viticulture courses have nearly doubled. In the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences there has also been a significant increase in student intake into Equine Science and Animal Science courses. In a survey of Agricultural Science students, their main reasons for coming to CSU were “reputation” and “location”.
To ensure graduates continue to be in demand by industry and have the skills needed for the challenges of the future, all agriculture related courses have been reviewed with some exciting changes planned for 2010. The current B Science (Agriculture) course will be expanded and upgraded to a 4 year on-campus B Agricultural Science program, while a 3 year B Agriculture will continue to be offered by distance mode. For those on-campus students who do not wish to undertake the 4th year, there is the opportunity for them to graduate with the 3 year B Agriculture. The 4th year of the B Agricultural Science will have two streams: a Professional Practice stream for the majority of students who wish to pursue one of the many, many career opportunities in industry or government; and an Honours stream for those students with a passion for research and higher degree studies. The Professional Practice stream will include a substantial 3 to 5 month industry placement where students will work alongside professionals on a variety of projects. Strongly supported by industry organisations, the aim is to ensure graduates are job-ready with considerable experience. In addition, opportunities for international experience through study tours, exchange or internships are being made available. For example, this year, a group of over 20 students will be travelling to South Vietnam to study agriculture in a developing country. In 2010 a trip to China is also planned.
To match its strengths in undergraduate agricultural education, CSU is also now a major provider of post-graduate education programs with a range of Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Masters and PhD courses. Student numbers rival those of other Universities, and the outcomes of the applied research undertaken is having a major impact on agricultural industries.
For further information on the School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences and study options, contact the Head of School, Assoc. Professor John Kent on 0269 332489, or visit www.csu.edu.au/faculty/science/saws
Contact: Professor John Kent, jhkent@csu.edu.au, 02 6933 2489.