Deakin steps closer to new associate degree for rural and regional Victoria

The Deakin University Council has given its seal of approval to the new Associate Degree to be offered to students in rural and regional Victoria. The degree will be called the Associate Degree of Arts, Business and Sciences and is in line with the Federal Government's plan to have 40 per cent of 25 to 34 year olds holding a bachelor degree or higher.

Pro Vice-Chancellor (Rural and Regional) Professor Sue Kilpatrick said: "This is good news. Deakin announced the Government funding for this degree last December and with University Council approval we can now move ahead with this new degree for March 2010, enabling many more rural and regional people to experience tertiary education. It is the ideal pathway to a degree for people who have spent some time away from study and may be daunted by stepping straight into a university degree, and for those school leavers not otherwise able to access a university place.

"Deakin will now move forward to finalise the curriculum to underpin the innovative $8.1 million Deakin at Your Doorstep educational initiative. We're excited about the possibilities this opens up for new students but also for the benefits it will bring to Warrnambool and to other rural and regional areas of Victoria," Professor Kilpatrick said.

The new two-year Associate Degree encourages enrolments from students who otherwise would not be eligible for tertiary entry. The degree provides recognised training as well as an accessible pathway to a Bachelor Degree. It has been designed to attract students who may not have developed a clear idea of their longer term degree pathway options, and/or those who are disadvantaged because of their location in rural and regional areas. Students can specialise in a range of areas including commerce, education, health, and environmental science. Degree places will be Commonwealth supported, falling under the HECS scheme.

The Associate Degree will be delivered from 2010 at Deakin's Warrnambool Campus and at other locations in conjunction with three TAFE Institutes: Sunraysia, East Gippsland and Chisholm. Students enrolling at the TAFE sites will study for a Diploma in a range of disciplines alongside the Associate Degree. The program will be available at Sunraysia Institute's Swan Hill Campus, East Gippsland TAFE's Bairnsdale Campus and Chisholm Institute's Dandenong Campus in 2010 and at Mildura, Sale and Rosebud in 2011.