The University
La Trobe is Victoria’s third oldest university. Established and incorporated through an Act of the Victorian Parliament in December 1964, it was officially opened by the Premier in March 1967. Classes began shortly afterwards with 552 students enrolling at the Melbourne campus in La Trobe’s first year.
The University now has six campuses across Victoria, and accommodates close to 34,000 enrolled students – including over 9,000 international students. To date, more than 154,000 people around the world have graduated from La Trobe.
Our vision
La Trobe University will transform the lives of students and communities through learning and knowledge creation. We will be nationally and internationally acclaimed for socially responsible teaching and research.
Our history
Our name
La Trobe University is named after Charles Joseph La Trobe, the first Superintendent of the Port Philip District from 1839 to 1850, and the first Lieutenant-Governor of the new colony of Victoria from 1851 to 1854. La Trobe supervised the establishment of self-government in Victoria, and is famed for ensuring at least 20 per cent of all land in Melbourne remained parkland. This has helped Melbourne gain a profile as one of the world’s most liveable cities, and on a smaller scale, contributed significantly to the University’s wetland conservation program.
Armorial bearings
La Trobe University’s armorial bearings combine significant symbols embodying its history, goals and pride in its Victorian genesis. Australia is represented by the Australian Wedge-tailed Eagle, one of the world’s largest eagles. Victoria is represented by the sprigs of heath, Victoria’s floral emblem. The open book refers to the University’s commitment to learning, and the scallop shells are a reference to the armorial bearings of the La Trobe family.
University motto
The French motto ‘Qui cherche trouve’ (whoever seeks shall find) is a modern version of the La Trobe family motto.
Recent highlights
Rankings and ratings
- In May 2012, La Trobe was ranked in the top 50 universities in the world under the age of 50 (QS World University Rankings)
- The University has consistently ranked among the top 500 universities in the world since 2003 (Academic Ranking of World Universities)
- La Trobe’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) was ranked in the world’s top 100 MBA programs in the 2011-2012 edition of ‘Beyond Grey Pinstripes’
- The Australian Government’s 2010 Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) rankings recognised La Trobe as Australia’s leading university for research in biochemistry and cell biology
- The ERA also rated La Trobe as ‘well above world standard’ in 12 of 21 fields of research, including biological science, condensed matter physics and human movement and sports science.
Transforming lives through learning
From its inception, La Trobe University has focused on creating opportunities for all who can benefit from higher education. We are now a leading provider of regional higher education – La Trobe attracts the largest share of regional higher education students in Victoria - and we provide for more students from lower socio-economic backgrounds than any other university in the state.
The $75.9 million La Trobe Rural Health School (LHRS) is now close to completion. The LRHS was established to provide more tertiary educational opportunities and choice for rural and regional communities in northern Victoria. It is set to revolutionise the way rural healthcare education is delivered and stem the shortage of rural health professionals.
In early 2012, La Trobe became the first university in Australia to offer free promotional courses on Apple’s iTunes U, joining a select group that includes Stanford and Oxford University. We now have more than 70,000 course subscribers.
Expanding our research capacity
We are building on our research expertise and facilities to ensure that we continue to conduct research of the highest academic quality. La Trobe has more than $500 million worth of new research facilities under construction. These include the Centre for AgriBioscience (AgriBio) and the La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science (LIMS).
AgriBio and LIMS will facilitate research aimed at making crucial contributions to agricultural and molecular science (including biochemistry and biotechnology) respectively, in Australia and overseas. These new centres will give La Trobe students access to brilliant resources and some of the most outstanding scientific researchers in the world.
Teaching and learning excellence
La Trobe has experienced the greatest growth in VTAC first preferences of any Victorian university over the last three years (28% compared with the state’s average of 9%). In 2011, 76.5% of our domestic Bachelor degree graduates were in full-time employment four months after course completion – just above the national average of 76.3%.
We have undertaken an ambitious project of curriculum renewal to ensure that our courses continue to prepare students for life. The Design for Learning project will see all our Bachelor-level courses reviewed and renewed by 2014. Key skills that are highly sought after by employers are being embedded in our courses, in addition to discipline-specific skills and knowledge.
Our graduates will soon be able to identify and demonstrate the skills they’ve acquired and the level of their ability against published quality standards.
In early 2012, La Trobe appointed former AFL coach Mick Malthouse to develop and support our leadership and sports programs, including our Sports Journalism, Sports Management, Physiotherapy and Podiatry courses.
The University is also investing significantly in teaching infrastructure. We completed a $10 million redevelopment of the Borchardt Library at our Melbourne campus in 2010. The library now features 850 additional seats, state-of-the-art collaborative learning spaces and new consultation and training rooms. Our new $10 million campus building in Shepparton features highly flexible teaching, learning and study spaces and a new nursing laboratory.
Our commitment to sustainability
In 2010, the University appointed Australia’s first Pro Vice-Chancellor (Sustainability) to coordinate and drive our efforts at making sustainability and social responsibility central to everything we do. We are embedding sustainability principles into our curriculum; conducting research that contributes to the sustainability of our communities; and acting to reduce our carbon emissions.
In 2011, La Trobe became the world’s first university to publish an externally-assured sustainability report that strictly follows the Global Reporting Initiative’s sustainability reporting guidelines. The report, Responsible Futures, has gone on to win numerous awards.
La Trobe reaffirmed its commitment to sustainability in 2012 by signing the Commitment to Sustainable Practice of Higher Education Institutions, ratified at the RIO+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainability.
To find out more about our sustainability-related courses, sustainability research and emissions reduction strategies and targets, please visit: http://www.latrobe.edu.au/sustainability
Our campuses
Melbourne
La Trobe’s Melbourne campus is located approximately 14 kilometres from Melbourne’s city centre, and set in 267 hectares of beautiful native bushland. It caters to more than 24,500 students.
The campus is home to the La Trobe University Research and Development Park – Australia’s largest wholly university-owned and managed technology park; the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre – Australia’s first dedicated research centre for Autism Spectrum Disorders; and the Melbourne Wildlife Sanctuary.
Major new centres under construction include the $288 million Centre for AgriBioscience (AgriBio), which will open 2012; and the $94 million La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science (LIMs), scheduled to open in 2013.
For more information about our Melbourne campus, please visit: www.latrobe.edu.au/melbourne
Bendigo
The Bendigo campus, in northern Victoria, is located three kilometres from Bendigo’s city centre, and set in 33 hectares of native bushland adjacent to the Bendigo National Park.
It hosts more than 5,000 students, and is home to key regional research centres – including the Centre for Sustainable Regional Communities and the Centre for Excellence in Outdoor and Environmental Education – the largest dedicated centre for outdoor and environmental education in the world. For more information about our Bendigo campus, please visit: www.latrobe.edu.au/bendigo
Albury-Wodonga
La Trobe’s Albury-Wodonga campus is located in the northeast Victorian city of Wodonga, on 26 hectares of bush and parkland. In tandem with the neighbouring New South Wales city of Albury, just across the Murray River, Wodonga is one of the fastest-growing regional centres in Australia.
The campus hosts nearly 900 students, and is home to the renowned Murray-Darling Freshwater Research Centre, and the John Richards Initiative which leads research into rural aged care. For more information about our Albury-Wodonga campus, please visit: www.latrobe.edu.au/aw
Mildura
More than 500 students currently study at the Mildura campus in Victoria’s northwest. Mildura services a vast agricultural and horticultural region covering parts of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. The campus enjoys strong ties with the local community and businesses. For more information about our Mildura campus, please visit: www.latrobe.edu.au/mildura
Shepparton
With more than 530 enrolled students, the Shepparton campus in central Victoria is testament to La Trobe’s ongoing commitment to regional education and sustainability. Our new $10 million Shepparton campus building opened to students in 2011. Designed to high sustainability standards, the campus features highly flexible teaching and learning spaces, passive solar technology for heating and cooling, and underground water tanks. The building shared the regional prize in the 2011 Victorian Architecture Awards. For more information about our Shepparton campus, please visit: www.latrobe.edu.au/shepparton
Franklin Street
Our Franklin Street campus is located on the fringe of Melbourne’s central business district. Currently catering to more than 300 students, it offers postgraduate courses in health sciences, business and law, and is home to two prominent health sciences research centres. For more information about our Franklin Street campus, please visit: www.latrobe.edu.au/city
Collins Street
The Collins Street (City) campus is located in the heart of Melbourne’s central business district at 360 Collins Street. It has been designed around the latest innovations in educational design and teaching and learning technology and features a new and fully customised fit-out. The campus is home to the La Trobe MBA and offers masters programs in Management, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, and Human Resource Management.
Policies and legislation
Act, statutes and regulations
The La Trobe University Act 2009 gives the governing body of the University (the Council of the University) the authority to make statutes and regulations for the management and regulation of the affairs of the University.
Much of this subsidiary legislation directly affects students – their conduct on campus, examinations, payment of fees, and so on. All Statutes and regulations can be viewed online at www.latrobe.edu.au/legalservices/legislation/index.html.
University Policies
The policies of the University may be accessed at www.latrobe.edu.au/policy/ or by Quicklink from the staff or student homepage.
Universities Australia guidelines
The University endorses the guidelines published by Universities Australia, Universities and their Students: Principles for the Provision of Education by Australian Universities. See www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au – Publications – University guidelines.