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RMIT University, officially the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology,, section 4(b) is a
public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...
research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are the most important sites at which knowledge production occurs, along with "intergenerational kn ...
in
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
. Founded in 1887 by Francis Ormond, RMIT began as a
night school A night school is an adult learning school that holds classes in the evening or at night to accommodate people who work during the day. A community college or university may hold night school classes that admit undergraduates. Italy The Scuola ...
offering classes in art, science, and technology, in response to the
industrial revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
in Australia. It was a private college for more than a hundred years before merging with the Phillip Institute of Technology to become a
public university A public university or public college is a university or college that is in owned by the state or receives significant public funds through a national or subnational government, as opposed to a private university. Whether a national universi ...
in 1992. It has an enrolment of around 95,000 higher and vocational education students, making it the largest dual-sector education institution in Australia. With an annual revenue of around A$1.5 billion, it is also one of the wealthiest universities in Australia. It is rated a five star university by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) and is ranked 15th in the World for art and design subjects in the
QS World University Rankings ''QS World University Rankings'' is an annual publication of university rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The QS system comprises three parts: the global overall ranking, the subject rankings (which name the world's top universities for th ...
, making it the top art and design university in Australia and
Oceania Oceania (, , ) is a geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern and Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of and a population of around 44.5 million ...
. The main campus of RMIT is situated on the northern edge of the historic Hoddle Grid in the city centre of Melbourne. It has two satellite campuses in the city's northern suburbs of Brunswick and
Bundoora Bundoora is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Banyule, Darebin and Whittlesea local government areas. Bundoora recorded a population of 28,068 at th ...
and a training site situated on the RAAF Williams base in the western suburb of
Point Cook Point Cook is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Wyndham local government area. Point Cook recorded a population of 66,781 at the 2021 census. Point Coo ...
. It also has a training site at Bendigo Airport in the Victorian city of Bendigo and a research site in
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilto ...
near the
Grampians National Park The Grampians National Park commonly referred to as The Grampians, is a national park located in the Grampians region of Victoria, Australia. The Jardwadjali name for the mountain range itself is Gariwerd. The national park is situated be ...
. In Asia, it has two branch campuses in Ho Chi Minh City and
Hanoi Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi i ...
and a training centre in Da Nang in
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...
as well as teaching partnerships in
Mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the China, People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming Island, Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territorie ...
,
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...
,
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...
,
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
and
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
. In Europe, it has a research and collaboration centre in the Spanish city of
Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
.


History


Early history (before 1887)

The antecedent of RMIT, the Working Men's College of Melbourne, was founded by the Scottish-born grazier and politician
The Hon. ''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certain ...
Francis Ormond in the 1880s. Planning began in 1881, with Ormond basing his model for the college on the Birkbeck Literary and Scientific Institution (now a constituent college of the University of London), Brighton College of Art (now the University of Brighton),
Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It ...
, and the Working Men's College of London. Ormond donated the sum of £5000 toward the foundation of the college. He was supported in the Victorian Parliament by
Charles Pearson Charles Pearson (4 October 1793 – 14 September 1862) was a British lawyer and politician. He was solicitor to the City of London, a reforming campaigner, and – briefly – Member of Parliament for Lambeth. He campaigned against corruption ...
and in the Melbourne Trades Hall by William Emmett Murphy. The workers' unions of Melbourne rallied their members to match Ormond's donation. The site for the college, on the corners of Bowen Street and La Trobe Street, opposite the
Melbourne Public Library State Library Victoria (SLV) is the state library of Victoria, Australia. Located in Melbourne, it was established in 1854 as the Melbourne Public Library, making it Australia's oldest public library and one of the first free libraries in the ...
, was donated by the
Victorian Government The Victoria State Government, also referred to as just the Victorian Government, is the state-level authority for Victoria, Australia. Like all state governments, it is formed by three independent branches: the executive, the judicial, and t ...
.


Working Men's College (1887–1960)

The Working Men's College of Melbourne opened on 4 June 1887 with a gala ceremony at the Melbourne Town Hall, becoming the fifth tertiary education provider in Victoria (the
Melbourne Athenaeum The Athenaeum or Melbourne Athenaeum is an art and cultural hub in the central business district of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1839, it is the city's oldest cultural institution. Its building on Collins Street in the East En ...
was founded in 1839, the
University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb ...
in 1853, the Ballarat School of Mines in 1870 and the
Bendigo School of Mines The Bendigo School of Mines was established in Bendigo, Australia in 1873 to provide technical education, predominantly for the mining industry. It was then known as the ''Bendigo School of Mines and Industries'' from 1883 to 1959, ''Bendigo Techni ...
in 1873). It took 320 enrollments on its opening night. It opened as a night school for instruction in "art, science and technology"—in the words of its founder—"especially to working men".Ross, C. Stuart (1912). Francis Ormond Pioneer, Patriot, Philanthropist. London: Melville and Mullen. pp 76–84 Ormond was a firm believer in the transformative power of education and believed the college would be of "great importance and value" to the industrialisation of Melbourne during the late-19th century. In 1904, it was incorporated under the ''Companies Act'' as a private college. Between the turn of the 20th century and the 1930s, it expanded over the neighbouring Old Melbourne Gaol and constructed buildings for new art, engineering and radio schools. It also made its first contribution to Australia's war effort through training of returned
military personnel Military personnel are members of the state's armed forces. Their roles, pay, and obligations differ according to their military branch (army, navy, marines, air force, space force, and coast guard), rank ( officer, non-commissioned office ...
from World War I. Following a petition by students, it officially changed its name to the Melbourne Technical College in 1934. The expanded college made a greater contribution to Australia's effort during World War II by training a sixth of the country's military personnel—including the majority of its Royal Australian Air Force communication officers. It also trained 2000 civilians in munitions manufacturing and was commissioned by the
Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Governmen ...
to manufacture military aircraft parts—including the majority of parts for the Beaufort Bomber.


RMIT (1960–1992)

Following World War II, in 1954 it became the first Australian tertiary education provider to be awarded royal patronage (by
Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states durin ...
) for its service to the Commonwealth in the area of education and for its contribution to the war effort; and was officially renamed the "Royal Melbourne Technical College". It became (and remains to this day) the only higher education institution in Australia with the right of the prefix "Royal" along with the use of the Australian monarchy's regalia. Its name was officially changed to the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in 1960. During the mid-20th century, it was restructured as a provider of general higher and vocational education, and pioneered dual sector education in Australia. It also began an engagement with
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...
during this time (under the Australian Government's
Colombo Plan The Colombo Plan is a regional intergovernmental organization that began operations on 1 July 1951. The organization was conceived at an international conference, The Commonwealth Conference on Foreign Affairs held in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri L ...
). In 1979, the neighbouring
Emily McPherson College of Domestic Economy The Emily McPherson College of Domestic Economy was an Australian domestic science college for women, in Melbourne, Victoria. It was officially opened on 27 April 1927 by The Duchess of York (later Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.) On 30 June ...
joined with RMIT.


RMIT University (1992)

After merging with the Phillip Institute of Technology in 1992,History of RMIT
, RMIT Institute, retrieved 22 September 2012
it became a public university by act of the Victorian Government under the ''Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Act 1992'', Parliament of Victoria (1992)
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Act 1992
(repealed), section 1, Australasian Legal Information Institute (online), retrieved 22 September 2012
and changed its name to RMIT University. During the 1990s, the university underwent a rapid expansion and amalgamated with a number of nearby colleges and institutes. The Melbourne College of Decoration and Design joined RMIT in 1993, to create a new dedicated vocational design school, followed by the Melbourne College of Printing and Graphic Arts in 1995. That same year, it opened its first radial campus in
Bundoora Bundoora is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Banyule, Darebin and Whittlesea local government areas. Bundoora recorded a population of 28,068 at th ...
in the northern Melbourne metropolitan area. In 1999, it acquired the Melbourne Institute of Textiles campus in Brunswick in the inner-northern Melbourne metropolitan area for its vocational design schools.


Recent history (2000–present)

At the turn of the 21st century, it was invited by the Vietnamese Government to become the country's first foreign-owned university.Our heritage
, RMIT International University, retrieved 27 September 2012
Its first international branch campus opened in Ho Chi Minh City in 2001 with a second in
Hanoi Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi i ...
in 2004. In 2013, it established a presence in Europe by opening a centre in
Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
, Spain.RMIT Europe launches in style
". RMIT University (11 July 2013), retrieved 3 July 2013


Campuses


Australia


Melbourne City

Located in the Melbourne city centre, the historic City campus of RMIT is the foundation campus of the university as well as its largest and most recognisable. It is known for its striking contemporary architecture as well as its well-preserved
Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwa ...
and interwar period buildings.RMIT's historic buildings
, RMIT University, retrieved 23 September 2012
Founded in 1887, the City campus began as the Working Men's College of Melbourne. Its original building is situated on the corner of Bowen Street and La Trobe Street, and the campus has since grown to 87 buildings in 2016.Melbourne City campus map
. RMIT University. Retrieved 11 December 2016
The campus has no perimeter walls. As such, its buildings are contiguous with the surrounding city. Most of its buildings are spread across six city blocks covering approximately . It is roughly bound by La Trobe Street to the south, Elizabeth Street to the south-east and Swanston Street to the north-east (connected by Franklin Street), Queensberry Street to the north, Lygon Street to the north-west and Russell Street to the south-west. The campus area is situated between the two oldest sections of the city; the northern edge of the Hoddle Grid to its south and the Queen Victoria Market to its south-west. The area is sometimes referred to as the "RMIT quarter" of the city.Webb, Carolyn (14 July 2012),
RMIT's wave of progress
", ''
The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...
'',
Fairfax Media Fairfax Media was a media company in Australia and New Zealand, with investments in newspaper, magazines, radio and digital properties. The company was founded by John Fairfax as John Fairfax and Sons, who purchased '' The Sydney Morning Hera ...
, retrieved 27 September 2012
O'Neill, Tamsin (ed.) (24 July 2008),
RMIT University's landmark building
", ''Green Magazine'', retrieved 27 September 2012
At the intersection of La Trobe Street and Swanston Street, the campus also benefits from its proximity to the State Library of Victoria as well as the adjacent Melbourne Central Shopping Centre and its
City Loop The City Loop (originally called the Melbourne Underground Rail Loop or MURL) is a mostly-underground and partly surface-level subway and rail system in the central business district (CBD) of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The Loop includes t ...
underground railway station. It is also well-serviced by the city tram network along La Trobe Street and Swanston Street and has its own tram stop (Stop 7 RMIT University/Swanston Street) in the densest section of the campus. The city block bound by Bowen Street, Franklin Street, La Trobe Street, and Russell Street, served as the justice precinct of the city for over 100 years. While it is mostly occupied by campus buildings today, which were constructed over the site of the demolished Old Melbourne Gaol, some original buildings from the precinct remain and are used by the university. From the Old Melbourne Gaol, they include its east wing cell block (1854) which is now operated as a museum by the National Trust of Australia, its former chapel and gatehouse (1860) which are now used as a multi-faith place of worship for the campus, and the site of its former hospital which is now used as a landscaped space known as Alumni Courtyard. Other buildings from the precinct that remain are the former Melbourne City Watchhouse (1904) which is also operated as a museum by the National Trust, and the
former Melbourne Magistrates' Court The Former Melbourne Magistrates' Court was the original home of Melbourne's City Court and District Court, as well as their emergency court. The French Romanesque building is located on the corner of La Trobe and Russell streets in the Melbou ...
(1914) which is now used to house university administration. Other notable buildings on the City campus include
Storey Hall Storey Hall, located at 342–344 Swanston Street in Melbourne, Australia, is part of the RMIT City campus of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University). It consists of a grand meeting hall constructed in 1887, extended and ...
original section (1887), Forresters' Hall (1888), Capitol Theatre (1924), Emily McPherson College (1927), Building 8 (1993), Storey Hall annex (1995), Singer Building "green brain" (2010), Design Hub (2011), and Swanston Academic Building (2012).


Bundoora

The Bundoora campus was established in 1992. It is located 18 km from the City campus in the outer northern suburb of Bundoora. The campus is divided into 'East' and 'West' by Plenty Road. In a contrast to the urban City campus, the Bundoora West campus is set amongst almost of parkland.Bundoora campus
, RMIT University, retrieved 27 September 2012
Programs in aerospace engineering, electrical engineering,
mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, ...
, medical sciences and
social science Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of s ...
s are offered at the Bundoora campus.


Brunswick

The Brunswick campus became a part of RMIT in 1999 as a dedicated site for its vocational design schools. It is located 6 km from the City campus in the inner northern suburb of Brunswick. Prior to its annexation by RMIT, it was the campus of the former Melbourne Institute of Textiles for nearly 50 years. Programs in fashion design, graphic design, printing, publishing and textiles are offered at the Brunswick campus.


Other sites

RMIT's flight training programs are conducted from its site at the
Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
's (RAAF) historic Williams base. It is located from the City campus in the outer south-western suburb of
Point Cook Point Cook is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Wyndham local government area. Point Cook recorded a population of 66,781 at the 2021 census. Point Coo ...
. RAAF Williams is the world's oldest operating air force base and the birthplace of the Royal Australian Air Force. The university also has a regional research site in the rural town of
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilto ...
. It is located 300 km north-west of the City campus in regional Victoria—just south of the
Grampians National Park The Grampians National Park commonly referred to as The Grampians, is a national park located in the Grampians region of Victoria, Australia. The Jardwadjali name for the mountain range itself is Gariwerd. The national park is situated be ...
. The Potter Rural Community Research Centre at the site focuses on rural and regional issues in a global context. RMIT Training also offers English Language Tests for Aviation or RELTA.


Asia


Ho Chi Minh City

In 1998, RMIT was invited by the Vietnamese Government to establish the country's first foreign-owned university. In 2001, it purchased and restored a 19th-century French Colonial building and grounds in
District 3 District 3 can refer to: * III District, Turku, in Finland * District 3, Düsseldorf, in Germany *District 3, Grand Bassa County, in Liberia * District 3, Malta, an electoral district of Malta *District 3, a police district of Malta * Wiedikon, al ...
, Ho Chi Minh City. The building, located on Pham Ngoc Thach Street, is informally referred to as "the Castle" by students.Pham Ngoc Thach site
, RMIT International University, retrieved 27 September 2012
Today, the Pham Ngoc Thach site remains a radial site of the present Ho Chi Minh City campus. The present Ho Chi Minh City campus is located in the Phu My Hung area of the Saigon South development in
District 7 District 7 could refer to: *District 7, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam * District 7 (Zürich), Switzerland * District 7, Düsseldorf, Germany *VII District, Turku The VII District is one of the central districts of Turku, Finland. It is located on th ...
. The first academic buildings on the large purpose-built campus opened in 2005. In 2011, its recreation complex and residential centres opened.


Hanoi

The Hanoi campus was established in 2004. It was initially located in the Van Phuc Diplomatic Compound in the government precinct of the Ba Dinh District, Hanoi. In 2007, it also acquired a building in the Dong Da District to accommodate rising student numbers. It consolidated its two buildings in a newly built tower overlooking Ngoc Khanh Lake in the Ba Dinh District in 2010.


Other partners

RMIT teaches and/or accredits programs for the
Hong Kong Art School Hong Kong Arts Centre (HKAC; ) is a non-profit arts institution and art museum established in 1977. It promotes contemporary performing arts, visual arts, film and video arts. It also provides arts education. Its rival is the government-managed ...
and Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade in
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
, SIM Global Education in
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
and Taylor's University in
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...
.Study an RMIT program in your country
, RMIT University, retrieved 22 September 2012


Europe


Barcelona

In 2013, RMIT established a coordinating centre in Barcelona, Spain. The centre offers a variety of programs in conjunction with RMIT's partners in Europe, including a double master's degree in architecture which facilitates the RMIT School of Architecture and Design's participation in the reconstruction of
Antoni Gaudí Antoni Gaudí i Cornet (; ; 25 June 1852 – 10 June 1926) was a Catalan architect from Spain known as the greatest exponent of Catalan Modernism. Gaudí's works have a highly individualized, ''sui generis'' style. Most are located in Bar ...
's
basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its nam ...
, Sagrada Família.RMIT University de Australia se expande en Europa
, PR Newswire (5 April 2013), retrieved 20 April 2013 (in Spanish).


Organisation and governance

Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology is a public university created under the ''Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Act 1992'' by the Government of Victoria,, section 4(1) and continues in accordance with the ''Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Act 2010''., section 1 The university trades under the name "RMIT University" which is a registered business name and trademark. It is composed of the academic colleges and schools, research centres and institutes of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology,Organisational Chart
, RMIT University, retrieved 30 August 2014
and is governed by the RMIT Council and is managed by the RMIT Chancellery., section 8(2)(a)(b)RMIT Council Governance Charter
, RMIT University, retrieved 30 August 2014


Divisions

RMIT University is separated into two divisions: the Higher Education Division and the Vocational Education and Training (VET) Division. The divisions are responsible for the 17 academic schools of RMIT—which are grouped into three academic portfolios referred to as colleges. The higher education schools offer undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, while the VET schools offer vocational certificates and diplomas.


Council

RMIT is governed by a council consisting of 21 members, which is responsible for the "general direction and superintendence of the University". The RMIT Council is led by the RMIT Chancellor who is an ex officio member and serves as its Governor-in-Council. The RMIT Vice-Chancellor and President, as well as the Chair of the RMIT Academic Board, are also ex officio members of the council. Five members of the RMIT Council are elected by direct ballot of the staff and students of the university. They consist of three staff members elected to represent the higher education, vocational education and general staff of the university, and two students elected to represent higher education and vocational education students. The remaining members are appointed directly by the RMIT Chancellor and Governor, or by a vote of the sitting council members. Members appointed directly to the council are required to possess a substantial expertise in academic or financial management, vocational education or training experience, and be drawn from beyond the university community. The RMIT Chancellor and Governor of the RMIT Council, since 1 January 2011, is
telecommunication Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that ...
s businessman and nuclear physicist Ziggy Switkowski AO.


Vice-Chancellor

The RMIT Council grants power over all academic and administrative affairs of the university to the RMIT Vice-Chancellor and President—who is the
chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especiall ...
of the university. The Vice-Chancellor and President is "responsible for the conduct of the University's affairs in all matters". Management of RMIT's colleges and portfolios is then delegated by the Vice-Chancellor and President to a team of Deputy and Pro Vice-Chancellors as well as senior executives. The RMIT Vice-Chancellor and President, since 1 February 2015, is
information technology Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information technology syste ...
businessman and former Vice-Chancellor of the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
's Open University, Martin G. Bean CBE.


Academic Board

The requirements for the conferring of an academic degree of the university is determined and approved by the RMIT Academic Board. The board consists of the RMIT Chancellery as ex officio members, and up to a further 46 members—34 of which must be elected by staff and students. Those conferred an academic degree of the university may use the post-nominal letters "RMIT" with the abbreviation of their degree title.


Colleges and schools

The four academic colleges housing the schools of RMIT are the College of Business and Law (BUSL), College of Design and Social Context (DSC) and College of Vocational Education and the STEM College (incorporating the fields of sciences, engineering, computing technologies and health and medical sciences (STEM). College of Business and Law * RMIT School of Accounting, Information Systems and Supply Chain * RMIT School of Economics, Finance and Marketing * RMIT School of Graduate Business and Law * RMIT School of Management College of Design and Social Context * RMIT School of Architecture and Urban Design *
RMIT School of Art The RMIT School of Art is an Australian university art school located in Melbourne, Victoria, which is responsible for undergraduate and postgraduate education and research in fine art and photography at RMIT University. Established in 1917, it ...
* RMIT School of Design * RMIT School of Education * RMIT School of Fashion and Textiles * RMIT School of Global, Urban and Social Studies * RMIT School of Media and Communication * RMIT School of Property, Construction and Project Management STEM College * RMIT School of Computing Technologies * RMIT School of Engineering * RMIT School of Health and Biomedical Sciences * RMIT School of Science College of Vocational Education incorporates the fields of business, design and technology, media, art and communication, social care, engineering technology, nursing, computer science, myotherapy, dental studies, trades and the built environment.


Commercial subsidiaries

"RMIT Group" is the business unit of the university and consists of the entities controlled by RMIT University, including wholly owned subsidiaries such as: *RMIT Training, and its sub-entities, which include: **Informit (for online publication); which owns and operates the
Informit database Informit is most well known as an online database that provides access to over 100 databases, some of which provide full-text sources. The online versions of the Australian Public Affairs Information Service (APAIS) subject index, and the Austra ...
, the largest online database of research from across Australia and the Asia-Pacific; RMIT Vietnam, and there were other commercial interests and sub-entities.Annual Report 2013
, p. 30, RMIT University, retrieved 30 August 2014
, RMIT has two campuses in Vietnam and one in Spain.


Academics


Rankings

According to the QS World University Rankings, RMIT is ranked as a five star university in the areas of: research, employability, teaching, facilities, internationalisation, innovation, engagement, specialisation. According to the 2021 QS World University Rankings, RMIT was ranked 15th in the world for art and design subjects, making it the top art and design school in Australia and Oceania. RMIT is ranked 16th in the world and 3rd in Australia among universities less than 50 years old in the 2016–17 QS Top 50 Under 50 index.Top 50 under 50
.
QS World University Rankings ''QS World University Rankings'' is an annual publication of university rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The QS system comprises three parts: the global overall ranking, the subject rankings (which name the world's top universities for th ...
. Quacquarelli Symonds. Retrieved 3 December 2016
Times Higher Education rankings placed RMIT in the 55th position of 100 universities under 50 years old. RMIT is ranked 28th in the world for Architecture and the Built Environment (4th highest in Australia) in the 2017 ''QS World University Rankings by Subject''.


Research

RMIT focuses on applied research as well as outcome-related research and consultancy services, and has extensive partnerships with government and industry. It mainly focuses its research in the areas of design, technology, health, globalisation and sustainability. Its Portfolio of Research and Innovation operates on a similar scale to its colleges, and also contains a specialist research school in order to foster excellence in research methodology and pedagogy. In addition to the Portfolio of Research and Innovation, over 50 research centres operate independently within RMIT's colleges and schools as well as a large number of smaller research groups.


Collections


Libraries

RMIT Library is the central libraries network of the university. It has four locations across RMIT's three Australian campuses.About the University Library
, RMIT University, retrieved 28 September 2012
Swanston Library is the largest in the network, and is located in Building 8 at the City campus. Swanston Library is also reported to be amongst the top five libraries in all of Melbourne. Other libraries in the network are the Brunswick Library, Bundoora West Library and Carlton Library (the latter of which is also at the City campus). The City campus also benefits from its proximity to the State Library of Victoria—the central public reference library and the largest library in Melbourne. In addition to its libraries network, RMIT schools also maintain their own specialised collections. Notable examples of school-maintained collections are the AFI Research Collection,AFI Research Collection
, RMIT University, retrieved 30 September 2012
RMIT Design Archives and National Aerospace Resource.RMIT Design Archives
, RMIT University, retrieved 28 September 2012
National Aerospace Resource Centre
, RMIT University, retrieved 28 September 2012
Two libraries are located at RMIT's Vietnam campuses; Beanland Library and Hanoi Library. The Beanland Library is the larger of the two libraries, and is located at the Ho Chi Minh City campus.


Online databases

Selected research of RMIT academics and postgraduate students can be accessed through the RMIT Research Repository—an open access database of peer-reviewed published articles, conference papers, books and chapters, etc.Research Repository
, RMIT University, retrieved 8 March 2013
Documents held by the RMIT Research Repository are also indexed by Google Scholar,
National Library of Australia The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "maint ...
and WorldCat. As of March 2013, there are more than 19,000 records in the Repository. The university's subsidiary, RMIT Training, also owns and operates the Informit online library database (see above), which is the largest database of research from across Australia and the Asia-Pacific.


Galleries

The major public art gallery of the university is RMIT Gallery, located at the City campus. The gallery runs a highly regarded program of Australian and international exhibitions, and focuses on
contemporary art Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic ...
, design and visual culture. It is located in the historic original section of Storey Hall on Swanston Street and is considered to be one of Melbourne's most vibrant art galleries. The gallery also publishes widely on art and design research in partnership with RMIT Publishing.About Us
, RMIT Publishing, retrieved 28 September 2012
RMIT First Site Gallery at the City campus is the main gallery of the RMIT Link campus union,First Site Gallery
RMIT Link, retrieved 30 September 2012
and focuses on emerging artists and is located beneath RMIT Gallery. The campus union also manages the Artland program at the Brunswick campus.
RMIT Link, retrieved 30 September 2012
Artland consists of 16 sites around the campus and Brunswick streets showcasing work of design students. In addition to the Story Hall galleries, many of RMIT's schools also manage their own discipline-relevant galleries. Notable examples are the School of Art's main gallery and Project Space / Spare Room Gallery, the School of Media and Communication's Field36 Gallery, and the School of Architecture and Design's Virtual Reality Centre and Design Hub Gallery. The acclaimed public art program of the School of Art also produces art in public spaces around RMIT's campuses as well as the greater Melbourne city centre and metropolitan area.


University Art Collection

RMIT Gallery is also charged as the caretaker of RMIT's permanent art collection. It includes the substantial Linsday Edward Collection of fine art and invaluable W. E. Macmillan Collection of gold and silver as well as a number of other sub-collections.Skilled Hand and Cultivated Mind
RMIT University, retrieved 30 September 2012
The Linsday Edwards Collection has a strong focus on Australian art, and holds work by leading Australian artists (including RMIT alumni or former faculty) such as
Howard Arkley Howard Arkley (5 May 1951 – 22 July 1999) was an Australian artist, born in Melbourne, known for his airbrushed paintings of houses, architecture and suburbia. His parents were Australian, and had British ancestry. Early career John Brack ...
, John Brack,
Leonard French Leonard William French OBE (8 October 1928 – 10 January 2017) was an Australian artist, known principally for major stained glass works. French was born in Brunswick, Victoria to a family of Cornish origin. His stained glass creations inc ...
,
Roger Kemp Francis Roderick Kemp AO, OBE, (Eaglehawk, 3 July 1908 - Melbourne 14 September 1987), known as Roger, was one of Australia's foremost practitioners of transcendental abstraction. Kemp developed a system of symbols and motifs which were deployed ...
, Inge King, Max Meldrum, John Olsen,
Lenton Parr Thomas Lenton Parr AM (11 September 1924 – 8 August 2003) was an Australian sculptor and teacher . Sculptor Born in East Coburg, Victoria, Lenton Parr spent eight years in the Royal Australian Air Force (Svc No. A33223) before enrolling to st ...
, and Fred Williams. A history of the art collection is documented in the publication ''A Skilled Hand and Cultivated Mind: A Guide to the Architecture and Art of RMIT''.


Student life


Link (campus union)

RMIT Link is the university's campus union.About us
RMIT Link, retrieved 30 September 2012
It exists to sponsor and promote social, cultural, educational, sporting and recreational programs and activities among the RMIT community, and to provide such facilities and services at RMIT's Australian campuses. Link is separated into two divisions: Arts & Culture and Sports & Recreation. It is a controlled entity under the authority of RMIT's Council. Arts & Culture manages a number of
extra-curricular An extracurricular activity (ECA) or extra academic activity (EAA) or cultural activities is an activity, performed by students, that falls outside the realm of the normal curriculum of school, college or university education. Such activities a ...
arts collectives. It also offers workshop and seminars as well as funding for arts initiatives, and runs a free cinema program at the City and Bundoora campuses. Sports & Recreation manages the university's semi-professional sports teams, which are collectively known as the Redbacks, and has an elite athlete funding program. It offers funding for community and social
sports club A sports club or sporting club, sometimes an athletics club or sports society or sports association, is a group of people formed for the purpose of playing sports. Sports clubs range from organisations whose members play together, unpaid, and ...
s on RMIT's Australian campuses, and also runs community and charity sporting events and tournaments. It also operates the City campus gym, and co-owns a ski lodge on
Mount Buller Mount Buller is primarily a resort town on the slopes of Mount Buller in the Shire of Mansfield of the Australian state of Victoria. It is located approximately northeast of Melbourne. It is popular with snowsports enthusiasts in winter du ...
.


RUSU (student union)

RMIT's University Student Union (RUSU) is the independent body representing students enrolled at RMIT. It was founded in 1944 by John Storey Jr., after whom Storey Hall at the City campus is named. The objective of RUSU is to safeguard the interests and rights of students, and to advance education, welfare, social life and cultural activities of students. RUSU has a number of departments advocating various elements of student life, and it also supports academic, cultural, political, spiritual and special interest clubs and societies run by students. Departments: *Activities – manages events, festivals, markets and parties on all RMIT's campuses *Campuses – representation of students on general matters relating to RMIT's campuses *Clubs and societies *Education – campaigns on education matters and is run in collaboration with other departments *Environment – advocates
environmental responsibility Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad philosophy, ideology, and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seek ...
and sustainability on RMIT's campuses *International Students – supports and advocates the rights of international students *Postgraduate Students – the representative body of postgraduate students *Queer – supports and advocates the rights of RMIT's LGBT community *Women's – supports and advocates the rights of women *Realfoods – RUSU's organic fair trade vegetarian cafe, located in the main cafeteria at the City campus Student media:
The Swanston Gazette
Student newspaper A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related news, but they may also rep ...
established in 2019 by the RMIT Journalism Society as an independent alternative unaffiliated with the university or student union. *''
Catalyst Catalysis () is the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed in the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recyc ...
'' –
Student magazine A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related news, but they may also re ...
, distributed free every month of the academic year since 1944 *
RMITV RMITV is a not-for-profit, community access television production facility based at RMIT University City Campus in Melbourne, Australia. It is a full member of the Melbourne Community Television Consortium, a not-for-profit consortium that ...
– student television production company, broadcasting since 1987, and co-founder of the C31 community television station *
Student Youth Network Student Youth Network Inc., operating as SYN Media , is an Australian youth-run not-for-profit organisation providing media training and broadcasting opportunities for young people. Commonly referred to as SYN, the organisation produces new and ...
(SYN) – student radio station, broadcasting across the Melbourne metropolitan area on 90.7 FM and on DAB+. Though many RMIT students participate in SYN programs, it is wholly independent of both RMIT and RUSU organisationally. * 3RRR – RMIT's former radio station, founded as 3RMT in 1976, now independently funded but still used by the university


Accommodation

RMIT operates several student accommodation facilities including: RMIT Village, Cambridge Court and College Square on the City campus and Walert House on the Bundoora campus—all of which operate as self-catered apartment complexes. Twelve other student hostels are also operated by other providers. Some of the traditional residential colleges of the nearby University of Melbourne also reserve places for RMIT students. The college fees include all catering, utilities, academic and pastoral support. The colleges affiliated with RMIT include: International House,
Janet Clarke Hall Janet Clarke Hall (JCH) is a residential college of the University of Melbourne in Australia. The college is associated with the Anglican Province of Victoria. JCH is one of the smallest of the colleges of the university and was the first univ ...
, Newman College, Queen's College, St Mary's College, University College and
Whitley College Whitley College is a Baptist theological institute in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The college is associated with the Baptist Union of Victoria ( Australian Baptist Ministries) and is one of the theological schools of the University of Divinit ...
.


Student demographics

In 2014, RMIT's program enrollments by gender were 54% male and 46% female. RMIT's Higher Education student body was 52% male and 48% female while its Vocational Educational student body was 53% male and 47% female. According to a study of over 100 RMIT STEM graduates, male RMIT University STEM graduates outnumber females by 7 to 1.


Spiritual Centre

RMIT's Spiritual Centre is a multi-faith place of worship located on the City campus. It is housed in the historic Old Melbourne Gaol chapel, built in 1860. The centre provides a contemplative space to all staff and students of RMIT, regardless of their faith and without showing favour to any one faith, and houses the RMIT Chaplaincy services. RMIT has chaplains that represent
Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
, Christian, Jewish and
Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
faiths of various branches as well as for
Integral In mathematics, an integral assigns numbers to functions in a way that describes displacement, area, volume, and other concepts that arise by combining infinitesimal data. The process of finding integrals is called integration. Along with ...
spirituality.


People

RMIT graduates are considered to be some of the most employable in the world. In a 2011 survey of 5000 employers by Quacquarelli Symonds, RMIT was ranked 51st in the world for graduate employability. In 2011, the university had an alumni community of around 280,000 graduates in 130 countries. Notable attendees and graduates include: Australian skier, Winter Olympic gold medalist,
Lydia Lassila Lydia Lassila (née Ierodiaconou) (born 17 January 1982) is an Australian Olympic freestyle skier gold medalist who competed in the 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympic Games. She is the 2010 Olympic champion and the 2014 bronze m ...
; Irish Australian rules footballer and charity worker, Jim Stynes; Australian film director and writer, James Wan; Australian actor, Travis Fimmel (attended); Australian sportsman, three-time Olympic gold medalist, James Tomkins; Australian comedian and television host,
Rove McManus John Henry Michael McManus (born 21 January 1974), better known by the stage name Rove McManus, is an Australian triple Gold Logie award-winning comedian, television and radio presenter, producer and media personality. He was the host of the e ...
; Australian singer and guitarist of the band Wolfmother, Andrew Stockdale; Vietnamese actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder, 2006 Miss Vietnam,
Mai Phương Thúy Mai Phương Thúy (August 6, 1988) is a Vietnamese actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned the 10th Miss Vietnam at the Vinpearl Resort in Nha Trang, Vietnam on August 26, 2006. She represented Vietnam at the Miss Wor ...
; Australian documentary maker, John Safran; Australian artist, Charles Billich; Australian animator, Felix Colgrave, Director of Photography Greig Fraser, and Director of the Omani Society for Fine Arts Maryam Al Zadjali.


Graduation traditions

A notable graduation tradition of RMIT is its graduation parade. The parade is town and gown-style
academic procession An academic procession is a traditional ceremony in which university dignitaries march together wearing traditional academic dress. An academic procession forms a usual part of college and university graduation exercises. At many U.S. universities, ...
which proceeds from the City campus down the major city thoroughfare of Swanston Street to Federation Square (until 2002 the parade culminated outside the Melbourne Town Hall).Graduation Parade
, RMIT University, retrieved 1 October 2012
Graduands and faculty march in full academic regalia and receive a military escort from the central marching band of the Royal Australian Air Force. The parade is welcomed at Federation Square by the Lord Mayor of Melbourne—on behalf of the city and its citizens. The mayor grants RMIT's vice-chancellor a "writ of passage" to proceed with the graduation ceremony, which takes place at the
Docklands Stadium Docklands Stadium, also currently known by naming rights sponsorship as Marvel Stadium, is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment stadium in the Docklands area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Construction started in October 1997 and w ...
.Melbourne Graduation Ceremony
, RMIT University, retrieved 1 October 2012


See also

*
List of universities in Australia There are 43 universities in Australia: 40 Australian universities (36 public and 4 private) and 3 international private universities. The Commonwealth Higher Education Support Act 2003 sets out three groups of Australian higher education provi ...


Notes


References


Citations


Sources

* * *


External links


Official Australian websiteOfficial Vietnamese websiteOfficial European websiteOfficial alumni website
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