IFSA-Butler at Macquarie University

  Australia

• Sydney: 
Sydney

Term: Academic Year, Fall, Spring 
Dates: February - November

Description: Macquarie University was established in 1967 and named to commemorate Major-General Lachlan Macquarie (1762-1824), who worked toward improving life in the British colony of New South Wales during his term as Governor 1810-1821. Macquarie has approximatly 16,000 students. Macquarie is located in North Ryde, a growing suburb about eleven miles northwest of downtown Sydney. Within walking distance of the university is Macquarie Centre, a large shopping mall with numerous shops, an ice skating rink, an eight-screen movie theatre and a large food court. The university is located about 45 minutes by bus from downtown Sydney.

Macquarie is known for its progressive spirit. Macquarie is a true 'Australian' university, not modeled after British or American systems. Instead, it has pioneered its own strucutre of a single, integrated academic body with twelve Schools and two Interdisciplinary Centers. Through them, students have more freedom of course selection than they would in more traditionally organized institutions. In its short history, Macquarie has distinguished itself academically. Macquarie has particularly strong departments in foreign languages (especially Asian languages), psychology, education and history.

Macquarie has a large but accessible campus. The bulidings on Macquarie's campus are modern style architecture. Many of the buildings are covered with murals painted by various students groups on campus. Macquarie, unlike many universities in Sydney, has a well-defined campus. Some of the facilites on Macquarie's campus are three theatres that produce both student and visiting productions, environmental research station, bushtrack (cross country running course), nautalis and free weight rooms, gymasium, hand ball courts, athletic fields, observatory, and the Student Union. The Student Union houses a food court ranging from vegetarian to Mexican to Lebanese food, a bank, hairdresser, optometrist, dentist, health and counselling center, pharmacy, bookstore, travel agency, post office, Women's room, and pub. Also housed in the Student Union are student clubs and organizations. Macquarie has over 80 active clubs that cater to athletic, cultural, religious and academic interests. Frequently throughout the semester, bands and speaker are invited on campus. Every first Thursday of the month is market day, when various vendors are invited to set up shop in the main quad.

Highlights: Australia is a land of compelling extremes. The oldest datable land forms on earth are found in Australia, but it was the last continent to be discovered by Western explorers. It is the longest continuously inhabited continent on earth but has a written history of only 213 years. It is the smallest continent on the planet but it is also the largest island. Settled as a convict prison, today the country of Australia is one of the freest democratic societies in the world. As large as the continental United States in land area, it is home to barely 18 million people, the same population as the state of California. In a land of vast unsettled spaces, over 80 percent of the population lives in one of the five major cities.

Originally the European settlers were almost exclusively English and Irish. Today the country has sizable populations of Italians, Greeks, Malays, Indonesians and Chinese to enrich the cultural mix of this once isolated island. It is this diversity and this incredible backdrop that make Australia truly an education by itself. Combine this with the academic excellence of its universities, and you have a study abroad destination like no other.

The academic year in Australia is reversed due to the seasonal inversion in the southern hemisphere. The academic year roughly follows the calendar year, beginning in late February and ending in late November. The application deadlines for IFSA-Butler programs in Australia are November 15 for the spring semester and academic year and March 15 for the fall semester. Remember that if you leave in February for your 'spring' semester, you will be arriving in Australia at the end of their summer and will stay until the middle of their winter season.

Degree Level: Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Cost in US$: Inquire for more info.

Experience Required: no