STUDENT REPORT
Name of the University: Queensland University of Technology
Exchange semester: Fall 2012
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Queensland University of Technology has campuses at Gardens Point, Kelvin Grove
and Caboolture. Gardens Point is located next to the Brisbane River and the Botanic
Gardens, and is Brisbane's inner-city university campus. Nearby are options like
public transport, accommodation, shopping and dining. The school has a worldleading model for teaching and research in science, technology, engineering and
mathematics. This includes pedestrian link from Goodwill Bridge to the Botanic
Gardens, gym and swimming pool, food and retail spaces. Studies that are offered at
Gardens Point are business, built environment and engineering, languages, law and
justice, information technology, and science technology. Services and facilities at
Gardens Point are health services, library, cafeteria, Student Guild bar, cafes, student
counseling, computer labs and wireless internet zones.
The award winning campus at Kelvin Grove includes the Creative Industries Precinct
and the Institute of Health and Biomedical innovation. The study areas offered at
Kelvin Grove are education, health and creative industries. There is a free shuttle bus
between the Kelvin Grove and Gardens Point campus, departing every ten minutes
taking approximately 15 minutes.
QUT has 42,000 students where 6000 are from overseas.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
The University sends a lot of information via e-mail, and we always felt they are
happy to help and effective in handling cases. We got the information package from
the university in the beginning of April, and it included important dates and other
general information that will assist you in getting the most out of the exchange
experience.
Visa Procedure and travel experiences
We were quite late in booking our tickets, which we did through Kilroy, so we paid
quite a premium price. If you book early you can get a good price, do not wait until
the last minute! Applying for Visa can easily be done through Australia’s immigration
website; this link will be provided by QUT upon your acceptance. The visa cost
approximately $ 600 AUD.
Academic Calendar
QUT recommends you to arrive two weeks before the orientation week, to find a
place to live and settle down before classes commence. The orientation week was
from 18-22 July. This is something we can also recommend. The last day of classes
was 31 October. The exam preparation was from 31 October to 4 November, and the
exam period from 5-19 November. Spring break was between 26 and 30 September.
Reception
There is a main student reception at the A block at Gardens point, just across the hall
from the international office. Both desks were friendly and helpful.
Housing
We found our own housing; we were four Norwegian girls living together in a house
located in the neighborhood West End/High Gate Hill (Which is highly
recommended). We had good support from the accommodation office at QUT; they
drove us around to viewings etc. But, in the end we found a house at
realestate.com.au, and contacted the relator ourselves. The result was an affordable
house in a great neighborhood.
The housing standard is not anywhere near Norwegian, and one must be prepared.
The relators are not very interested in helping, and they will show you dirty and worn
down houses. One must either be patient and risk living at a hostel for a while, or not
be picky. We were very lucky.
Costs
The most expensive costs were rent and food. The price of one private bedroom in a
house with shared kitchen and bathroom was about $180 AUD per week. We paid
$162,50 AUD per week + electricity and gas. Food was about $60 per week, quite
expensive.
There are two bookstores at campus, one for new and one for second-hand books. At
the second-hand bookstore one can both buy and sell books.
The International Office
The international office sends out information several times a week and holds
multiple information meetings in the first two weeks. The student help center can help
with anything related to your studies at QUT.
Social Activities
QUT has a number of guild and student organizations. For Norwegian (and other)
students, the student organization NoRSK is quite extraordinary; it has won best
student organization many years in a row, and arranges events such as pub crawls,
scavenger hunts and Halloween parties. All through the international office also
arranges events; we mostly went to the NoRSK events.
Culture and Language
There were very few challenges due to language and culture. The school also offered
language and learning advisers that can help students to improve and develop English
language skills. There were also arranged tours to experience the country and the
culture. It is also easy to experience the country on your own, by renting a car,
hopping on the grey hound or flying with low-price airlines such as Tiger Airways.
There are hostels in every corner of Australia, and the Australian people are friendly
and helpful.
Cultural and Social Effects from the Exchange Experience
Australia is a meeting point for exchange students, backpackers and other travelers
from all over the world. The experience allowed us to meet people from all over the
world, and from many different cultures. It is challenging to travel across the world,
from all that is safe and known, leading to personal and social growth.
We believe this will have great influence on our personal and professional
development, as well as give us an edge when applying for jobs.
ACADEMIC INFORMATION
The Teaching situation
All courses are taught in English. The academic level is quite high, a bit harder than
BI. First, the mix of classes and tutorials was a bit confusing, but after a while it
makes sense; you have one class per week, as well as a tutorial where you do more
practical work. The workload is almost the same as at BI. There is a good relationship
between students and the lecturers, and one mostly uses first name, at least in our
experience.
Required Literature
The literature is in English. Most courses have a book, as well as journal articles. The
power points were usually instructive, and sometimes they were all that was needed
for exam readings. The literature was new and updated.
Exams
We had both assignments and exams. To pass exams one mostly had to use power
points, as well as some other literature. The assignments were answered using power
points, books and journal articles provided, as well as one own research. To pass we
needed to answer at least 50% correct.
Other
Students have access to the library, its resources and the computers seven days a
week. There is also a 24hour lab where one can work all night long if needed.
Assignments were submitted at the library and often at Blackboard (their version of
itsLearning).
Description of Courses
(These are the collected courses taken by both of us, we took MGN447 together.)
Course name: MGN447 Managing in a Globalized Economy
Exam: 2 Assessments
Approved as: Elective
Comment: One written assignment and one exam. Colorful and fun professor, General
business subject with an international focus, mid difficulty.
Course name: MGN440 Designing Effective and Sustainable Organisations
Exam: 3 Assessments
Approved as: Elective
Comment: Fun subject, Greg is a great lecturer! You are evaluated through one handson assignment divided into 5 modules with peer review, a reflection paper and a short
school exam. Classes are long with few breaks, there are a lot of readings, but if you
are up for a challenge you will learn a lot.
Course name: KKP003 Project Design in the Creative Industries
Exam: 3 Assessments
Approved as: Elective
Comment: Was approved due to my bachelor in design. I got to work on my
preliminary thesis report, and was introduced to some of the most important writers
on the creative industries and innovation. I am still in touch with the professor, as he
is still mentoring my master thesis from Australia.
Course name: MGN506 Contemporary Issues in Human Resource Management
Exam: 2 Assessments
Approved as: Elective
Comment: Interesting and fun subject! Cameron is one of the most dedicated and
humoristic professors I have had. The first assessment is a written assignment. In the
other assessment students are asked to form groups of three or four in which they are
to choose a topic within HRM and give an hour long presentation at the end of the
semester. Cameron encourages students to find creative ways of presenting. This can
be role play, quizzes, case studies, games etc.
Course name: AMN430 International Logistics Management
Exam: 3 Assessments
Approved as: Elective
Comment: One individual presentation, one written assignment and a final exam. The
lecturer is very dedicated and detailed. Classes are long and there are usually few
breaks. Curriculum can be somewhat heavy to read.
Course name: MGN444 Business in Asia
Exam: 2 Assessments
Approved as: Elective
Comment: One written assignment and a final exam. Focus on business processes in
Asia, especially cultural aspects in South-East Asia. It is important to be in tutorials as
the exam will be based on cases and discussions here.