USC students receive a high quality educational experience, while enjoying the relaxed lifestyle that the Sunshine Coast offers and 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.
The University is registered in the Australian University category in the National Register of Higher Education Providers, meaning USC complies with the Higher Education Standards for Australian universities, made under Australia’s Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011.
Vision
The University of the Sunshine Coast will be a university of international standing, a driver of capacity building in the Sunshine Coast and broader region, and an unsurpassed community asset.
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 around 12,000 enrolled students, USC is on track to reach projected student enrolments of 20,000 by 2020.
Choice
USC offers more than 100 undergraduate and postgraduate study programs in:
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.
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 multiple five-star ratings for its educational experience, including overall graduate satisfaction, graduate satisfaction with generic skills, gender balance, Indigenous participation and electronic support.
Students and graduates regularly remark on the quality of their experiences and the personal nature of the teaching and support they receive.
Research
USC undertakes research of international, national and local significance. Areas of strength include aquaculture, regional sustainability and forestry.
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.
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 630 staff (not including casuals). Strong partnerships with industry link local businesses with about 1,900 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. USC is also involved in the planning and development of the Sunshine Coast University Hospital.
