The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia’s fourth oldest university. Christ College, one of the university’s residential colleges, first proposed in 1840 in Lieutenant-Governor Sir John Franklin’s Legislative Council, was modeled on the Oxford and Cambridge colleges, and was founded in 1846, making it the oldest tertiary institution in the country. The university is a sandstone university, a member of the international Association of Commonwealth Universities, and the Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning.
The university offers various undergraduate and graduate programs in a range of disciplines, and has links with 20 specialist research institutes and co-operative research centres. Its Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies has strongly contributed to the university’s multiple 5 rating scores (well above world standard) for excellence in research awarded by the Australian Research Council. The university also delivers tertiary education at the Australian Maritime College, the national centre for maritime education, training and research.
The university was formerly ranked in the top 10 research universities in Australia and in the top two per cent of universities worldwide in the Academic Ranking of World Universities.
Rankings
The University’s national and international reputation is reflected by its top-10 standing as a recipient of research funding in Australia, and reaffirms its place in the top 2 per cent of research institutions in the world. The University is ranked 301-400th according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities in 2021.
The University’s research strengths take advantage of these capabilities and Tasmania’s unique characteristics, including its natural environment and geographical location. They lie in the thematic areas of Environment, Resources and Sustainability; Creativity, Culture and Society; Health; Marine, Antarctic and Maritime; and Data, Knowledge and Decision-making.[61]
Organisation
The University of Tasmania has five colleges, previously known as faculties, some divided into schools and institutes:
- College of Arts, Law and Education
- Faculty of Education
- Faculty of Law
- School of Creative Arts and Media
- School of Humanities
- School of Social Sciences
- College of Health and Medicine
- Menzies Research Institute
- School of Health Sciences
- School of Pharmacy
- School of Medicine
- Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre
- College of Sciences and Engineering
- Australian Maritime College
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies
- School of Engineering
- School of Natural Sciences
- School of Technology, Environments and Design
- Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture
- Tasmanian School of Business and Economics
- University College
The University currently holds the secretariat role of the International Antarctic Institute established in 2006 in partnership with 19 institutions in 12 countries.
A partnership between the University and the Cradle Coast Authority established the Institute for Regional Development at the Cradle Coast campus in 2005.