Curtin University of Technology

Curtin University is an Australian university with its main campus (Bentley) in Perth, Western Australia. It commenced operations with its current name in 2010, and was previously known as the Western Australian Institute of Technology (WAIT) before 1986, and Curtin University of Technology between 1986-2010. Its current name is taken from the former Prime Minister of Australia, John Curtin.

Curtin University is Western Australia’s largest university with over 44,000 students, of which 8,495 study offshore (2009). The university also has over 6,000 employees.

Strengths and affiliations
Curtin University is a highly research intensive institution and a member of Australian Technology Network (ATN Network).

Curtin has a growing reputation for research success in a number of areas including (but not limited to) Resources and Energy (e.g. petroleum gas), Information and Communication, Health, Ageing and Well-being (Public Health), Communities and Changing Environments, and Growth and Prosperity. It is the only Western Australian university to produce PhD recipients of the AINSE gold medal, the highest possible recognition for PhD level research excellence in Australia and New Zealand.

Curtin is also notable for its highly reputed and research driven Curtin Business School which is consistent in its rankings. For instance, its Graduate School of Business was featured in The Economist worldwide MBA rankings in 2010 and was ranked 73rd out of 110 amongst renowned business schools worldwide.

Overview
Curtin has also diversified her profile in mainland China in recent years, with the Chinese government and industry involved in a number of business, management and research projects, particularly in supercomputing and minerals and petroleum. This has coincided with the increasing economic success of China’s industry and the Chinese economy and the growing role of Western Australia as an important exporter of minerals and energy to China (notably iron ore, and petroleum gas exported as LNG – amongst the more significant mineral exports to China). Enrolments of Chinese nationals in undergraduate and postgraduate and numbers of researchers originally from China working as Curtin staff have also increased. The Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao chose to visit the Woodside-funded hydrocarbon research facility on its campus during his visit to Australia in 2005.

Curtin has over 90 exchange partnerships with universities in more than 20 countries.

Official Website: http://www.curtin.edu.au