melbourne modelon its way

The Age, Farrah Tomazin, 3 September 2007; The Herald Sun, Jane Metlikovec, 18 September 2007

 

The University of Melbourne is planning to launch the Melbourne Model in 2008. The new model will replace 96 undergraduate courses with six US-style degrees. The new model will see students completing a general
undergraduate degree before specialising in a chosen field of interest.

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Glyn Davis, has said that with extra Commonwealth-supported places offered in 2008,
the University of Melbourne expects to enrol up to 5000 undergraduate places, 120 more than this year.

Professor Davis believes that ‘with extra places available in popular new Melbourne Model courses, there has never
been a better time to consider a world-class education at the University of Melbourne.’

However, an internal report has warned the university that it risks failing to live up to its own hype. Risk analysis
shows that alleged potential drawbacks to the Melbourne Model include ‘scaring off top undergraduates and
compromising quality if costs grow faster than revenue’.

Yet Professor Davis said that ‘the bottom line of this document is that if we don't change we start to run into
significant financial problems, which have nothing to do with what we do internally and everything to do with Commonwealth funding rates.’

The new Melbourne Model system will aim to produce more well-rounded graduates by requiring students to study subjects outside their core study area. The model will see professional programmes such as law, education and architecture moved to postgraduate levels.

The launch of the Melbourne Model coincides with the Australian Government allocating an additional 2340 Commonwealth-supported university places for next year in areas of professional shortage.

For further information, visit the University of Melbourne’s website.

 

 

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