Bond University

Motto:	Bringing Ambition to Life
Established:	1987
Type:	Private
Chancellor:	Mr Trevor C. Rowe AM
Vice-Chancellor:	Professor Robert Stable
Undergraduates:	app. 2,200 students
Postgraduates:	app. 1,000 students
Location:	Robina, Gold Coast, Qld, Australia
Campus:	Suburban
Website:	www.bond.edu.au

Bond University is a private university located in Robina, Queensland, Australia. It was the first private university established in Australia.^[1]

Bond also differs from other Australian universities as it schedules three trimesters each year, commencing in January, May and September.

History

Bond University was founded in 1987 by Alan Bond and given its university status by Queensland's Bond University Act.^[2] It also operated Bond South Africa, a degree-awarding campus in South Africa, until 2004.^[3]

On August 7, 2008, the Bond University Postgraduate Centre was opened in Sydney. The centre will award postgraduate business degrees to individual students and employees sponsored by businesses.^[4]

Bond was listed by Forbes magazine as one of the most expensive universities in the world in 2008, and the most expensive in Australia.^[5] University Vice-Chancellor Robert Stable argued that Bond's academic schedule, which includes three trimesters a year, made for an inaccurate comparison to other university fees.^[6] Nearly half of the Bond student body is composed of international students.^[7]

Faculties

Bond University

Bond University comprises four main faculties, offering a selection of undergraduate (Bachelor, Associate Degree) and postgraduate (Graduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, Masters by coursework and research, doctoral and PhD) programs.

• Faculty of Business, Technology and Sustainable Development
  • School of Business
  • School of Information Technology
  • School of Sustainable Development
  • School of Hotel, Resort & Tourism Management (undergraduate and Masters programs to be offered from 2009)
• Faculty of Health Sciences & Medicine
• Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences
  • School of Humanities
  • School of Social Sciences
  • School of Communication and Media
• Faculty of Law

Notable programmes

Medicine

In May 2006, Prime Minister John Howard opened the $20 million Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine (though the first intake of students started in May 2005), housing a complete set of lecture theatres, tutorial rooms, specialised clinical rooms and laboratories. As one of the few undergraduate Bachelor of Medicine degrees offered in Australia, Bond's three-trimesters-per-year schedule means a medical student studying at the University can graduate in four years and eight months (as opposed to five or six years at most other universities). At $254,912 for the full degree, the course is the most expensive undergraduate program offered by an Australian university.^[8]

BioSMART

The Faculty of Health Science & Medicine's BioSMART team were recently awarded an Australian Learning & Teaching Council award for Outstanding Contributions to Teaching Quality.

Legal Skills

The Faculty of Law includes a Legal Skills Centre with moot courts and technology such as video conferencing rooms.^[9] The Centre was opened in 2007 by Australian Attorney General Phillip Ruddock,^[10] and was constructed at a cost of over AU$10 million dollars.^[11] The Centre is primarily used when students participate in practical legal exercises like mooting and mediation as part of the Legal Skills subject, which is completed incrementely throughout the study of a law degree.^[12]

Sustainable development

The School of Sustainable Development is located in a green building that became the first Australian university facility to receive a six-star energy rating.^[13] The building was opened on August 11, 2008 by Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard.^[14]

Hotel, resort and tourism management

The School of Hotel, Resort and Tourism Management will open in 2009, and offer both undergraduate and graduate degrees. The school will operate with Marriott International as its industry partner, establishing the first such partnership for an Australian university and a hotel company.^[15][16]