Why IT at QUT?

If you want a career where you can change the way the world works, we say go there

Courses in the Faculty of Information Technology are current and aligned with the competitive and changing world.

At present there is a critical worldwide shortage of people with appropriate information technology skills and knowledge.  In response, the Faculty has designed new degrees and re-designed others to meet these industry needs.  The Faculty adapts to ensure that our completing students have the necessary skills to participate integrally in the real world.  Our graduates are highly valued and sought after by employers.

Ten years ago, our graduates helped to launch the dot-com generation.  At present we are entering a new connected era where the virtual and real worlds are becoming one, through new applications like Facebook, MySpace and Second Life.  We don’t know what future generations of information technology will bring, but we do know that QUT graduates will help shape these new worlds.

History

QUT’s Faculty of Information Technology is an established leader in high-quality education in the dynamic area of information and communication technologies.

Established as the School of Computing Studies in 1983 and becoming the Faculty of Information Technology in 1988, we have continued to evolve and expand our courses to meet the demand for graduates who can face today’s challenges and can tackle an unimagined future with confidence and innovation.

The Faculty is very proud of its history but more excited about its future.  You may not realise just how much information and technology are a natural part of our everyday lives.  Information and technology are everywhere – they are a part of our education, our community, our society and our business.

International profile

Our Faculty has approximately 2000 students, with around 20 per cent being international students from some 50 countries.

We have strong links with global companies like Microsoft, SAP, Oracle, CISCO and Infosys.  Our Faculty also has a number of advanced standing arrangements with international institutions in countries including Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

Our Research Groups conduct world-class research in collaboration with institutes around the world including the USA, the Netherlands and Germany.

We have the San José Gateway PhD Program. The partnership benefits our Information Management students as they are able to take elective units of study on line with San José State University’s (SJSU) School of Library and Information Science and give their degrees an international dimension.  We also offer the only on-campus Master of Information Management program which is accredited by the Australian Library of Information Association (ALIA).

For more information on international related programs and courses please see our international pages

Extra support for our students

As well as the assistance students receive from lecturers and tutors, students also have access to:

• The Peer Assisted Study Scheme (PASS) – students helping students to settle into first-year university life
• The Peer Mentoring Scheme
• Faculty duty tutors
• A Learning Support Officer, dedicated to helping you through your studies.

Real-world experience

Cooperative Education Program

The Cooperative Education Program is a joint venture between employers and the Faculty giving you the opportunity of 10-12 months of paid work experience with credit towards your degree.  The program has been operating for 20 years and some of the employers who have participated are:

1. Accenture
2. Boeing Australia
3. CITEC
4. Queensland Art Gallery
5. Royal Automobile Club of Queensland (RACQ)

Cooperative Education for Enterprise Development (CEED)

A CEED project is a final-year industry-based project worth 24 credit points with paid work on-site and vacation employment.  CEED projects combine an element of work experience with an industry problem in a real-life business or industry setting.  The CEED program enables students to use their information technology skills to solve real-world problems, while learning project management, teamwork and presentation skills.

Executive Guest Lecturers

The Executive Guest Lecturer Program allows students to rub shoulders with some of the leaders in the IT industry.  The program provides students with opportunities to interact with a diverse line-up of successful IT professionals including entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, CEOs, developers and some great graduate success stories.  It is all part of QUT’s commitment to real world connections for students.