As Orientation Week kicked off on Monday, February 15, at the Ourimbah campus of The University of Newcastle, enrolments so far are showing positive signs of growth in student numbers compared to previous years.
Communications Co-ordinator, Warrick Glynn, said enrolments were still coming in, however, the university had seen encouraging demand for the Master of Exercise Physiology and Graduate Diploma Psychological Science, which are new programs offered at the Ourimbah campus.
“A particularly good story is the growth in Food Science and Human Nutrition as this aligns with food industry located on the Central Coast and recent investment in new teaching facilities at Ourimbah campus,” he said.
Other courses to see growth in student numbers are Secondary Education and Exercise and Sport Science.
The biggest increases in enrolments at the university were in Education, Science and Psychology, with the new Bachelor of Criminology also generating significant interest.
University Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) and Vice-President, Professor Mark Hoffman, said there had been a high demand for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in 2021.
“It’s exciting to see student numbers so strong this year, especially since we know how challenging 2020 was for so many of them.
“We are noticing the highest growth in degrees that embed work-integrated learning into the program and have strong graduate employment opportunities,” Professor Hoffman said.
The top 10 most in-demand courses in NSW for 2021, as measured by applications through the Universities Admissions Centre, included two from the University of Newcastle.
They are the Bachelor of Medical Science and Doctor of Medicine joint medical program at University of Newcastle and University of New England, which is the second most popular course in the state, and the Bachelor of Nursing, the ninth most popular in NSW.
Orientation Week, now underway, is aimed at helping new students build a sense of community in the post-Covid “new normal” context.
This year will see a return to more face-to-face learning experiences for students, following the move to a higher proportion of online learning last year.
Each course will set its own blend of on-campus and online activities and new Covid safe protocols such as checking in to buildings.
Sue Murray