Wondering which WA university is right for you? Here’s who specialises in what!

Choosing the right university for you can be a difficult task and there’s a lot of factors that go into making that final all-important decision.

You can narrow it down by attending some university open days to figure out where the vibe is right but a major player is going to be the courses they offer. To make it a little bit easier we’ve had a look at the unique courses and highlights at each of the universities around WA.

Murdoch University

Murdoch is the only WA university where you can study to become a vet, so if you are an animal lover and you’re looking to explore that passion, this is the place for you. The unique courses Murdoch offers in this area are Animal Health, Animal Science, Crop & Pasture Science, Veterinary Biology, a Master of Veterinary Clinical Studies and a Doctor of Veterinary Medical Science. The veterinary school even has a direct relationship with Perth Zoo.

However, the university’s specialities aren’t limited to this field, and its top courses overall are Microbiology, Plant & Animal Science, Social Sciences & Public Health, Clinical Medicine, Nursing and Engineering. Additionally, there are a few other courses that are unique to Murdoch, one of them being White-Collar Corporate Crime which can be studied as a major under the Bachelor of Criminology. This one-of-a-kind course is aimed at students who are interested careers like national security or fraud investigation and enables students to study the causes and preventatives of criminal behaviour, insider trading, embezzlement, environmental crimes and more. Students get to learn how to use cyber forensics to detect criminal activity, work with organisations on real projects as part of their learning and even conduct their own case research.

Curtin University

Curtin University is in the top 1% of universities globally, and one area where this university shines is Mineral & Mining Engineering where it ranks second in the world. This is the only WA university that offers a Bachelor of Innovation, with a course designed to help students develop a creative mindset capable of navigating tricky industry challenges. It also boasts the best program for Hospitality and Tourism Management in WA and a direct entry undergraduate Medicine program.

Some other notable areas for this university include Psychology, Architecture and Nursing. Additionally, the university places an emphasis on networking and some of its courses offer internships set up by the university as part of the completion of your degree which is great for industry experience.

University of Western Australia

This is the top ranked university in WA and with the oldest campus in the state with gorgeous architecture dating back to 1911. It boasts five courses in the world’s top 50 and highlights include Medicine, Earth & Marine Sciences, Mineral & Mining Engineering, Civil & Structural Engineering, Anatomy & Physiology and Agriculture & Forestry. It’s also the only WA university where you can study a Major in Zoology.

Another area of study that is unique to UWA is Humanities in Health & Medicine which is a major you can study as part of the Bachelor of Biomedicine. Introduced in 2019 for the first time in Australia, the major teaches students about the humanistic and cultural side of health care and the human body, mind and spirit. One more unique course at UWA is Contemporary Popular Music which is aimed at students who hope to become musicians. Participating students would hone their skills in song writing, composition and performance and digital creativity.

Edith Cowan University

With three campuses across Joondalup, Mt Lawley and Bunbury, location is no issue for prospective ECU students. This university’s top ranked courses surround Education, Law, History, Visual Design and Journalism. ECU offers an amazing teaching program which has earned it the reputation of being the best university for students studying Education. For those looking to study Tourism & Hospitality, this university is also a great pick as it offers a major in International Hotel and Resort Management which is unique to ECU. Moreover, for the theatre kids, WAAPA at ECU is the top university in WA for Creative Arts and offers the most extensive Performing Arts training in Australia.

University of Notre Dame

Located in the historic town of Fremantle, Notre Dame is the only private Roman Catholic university in WA and is revered for its high student satisfaction rate, which was ranked second in Australia in 2019 and first in WA. While the university is Catholic, all faiths are welcome to be practiced within their community. Notre Dame is a particularly great university for anyone looking to study Law, Arts, Physiotherapy, Business and Medicine. This university is also well-known for providing super high practical placement hours for those studying Education and Nursing. Furthermore, it’s one of only two WA universities that
provides a course in Physiotherapy and postgraduate Medicine.