I extend to you a very warm welcome as you visit our Faculty of Informatics web pages. You will notice that we have a comprehensive, exciting and state of the art set of courses across four major Schools which make up the Faculty:

• Computer Science & Software Engineering
• Electrical, Computer & Telecommunications Engineering
• Information Systems & Technology; and
• Mathematics & Applied Statistics.

We have created a teaching, learning and research environment that is extremely dynamic and encompasses the entire breadth of the underlying science, engineering and mathematical methodologies, which make up the core of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a broad discipline. Our courses are flexible and cater for different levels of university preparation in the early stages as well as allowing for personal interests. Part-time programs are available, and flexibility in methods of teaching and learning are also encouraged. Our programs are industry focussed and fully accredited by the relevant professional bodies.

The Faculty has established and enviable reputation for being research intensive in nature and our Academic Research Staff are internationally recognised as leaders in their respective fields. As a result, we are unique in our capacity to leverage our research into topical subject content. The core areas of research strength include (in no particular order): information and computer security, networking and wireless communications, multimedia signal processing and content management, IT policy and management, software engineering, data mining, computer engineering, pure and applied financial and industrial mathematics, applied statistics, information systems, enterprise technologies and electronic commerce, location based services, power engineering, robotics and engineering manufacturing. The Faculty enjoys deep levels of engagement with the industry sector and attract significant levels of competitive funding.

The Faculty’s commitment to teaching and learning also inspires the next-generation, producing outstanding graduates in great demand for their expertise and flexibility. It has also assisted the University of Wollongong to be recognised by Federal and State Governments and by independent analysts as being at the pinnacle of higher education in Australia as one of the top Australian universities for excellence in teaching performance under the ‘2006 Learning and Teaching Performance Fund'. ( DEST 29 November 2005) The annual Australian Good Universities Guide, which compares Australia’s universities over a range of criteria, continues to recognise us as one of the best in Australia, with the 2007 Guide awarding five-star ratings in seven prominent categories, Positive Graduate Outcomes, Getting a Job, Graduate Starting Salaries, Educational experience (Overall satisfaction), Educational Experience (Generic skills), Educational Experience (Overall experience) and Staff Qualifications ranking us in the top 20 per cent of Australian universities across these important criteria.

As a result, the Faculty’s graduates are highly regarded and readily employable with graduate employment rates consistently above the national average. Our innovative and focused degrees are giving students a significant competitive edge at the national and international level by producing work-ready graduates who are in high demand in the knowledge economy. The Faculty produces approximately three times the number of ICT professionals when compared to the average number of students enrolled at individual Australian Universities. There is also a very significant concentration of international students choosing to undertake their degree with us. Hence, whether you are looking to starting your career, to build on your knowledge in a specialist area, or to move your career into the exciting world of ICT, we offer just the program to meet your needs.

As we all know, ICT is an exciting and rapidly developing multidisciplinary science. Our existing degrees are constantly reviewed and new courses are introduced in line with marketplace needs and the rapid advances in the sector, especially in relation to the Internet and the globalisation of telecommunications.

Once again I am delighted to welcome you to our Faculty and I invite you to contact us for further information and friendly assistance.