About us
One of the oldest science faculties in Australia, we celebrated our centenary in 2003. The Faculty provides a range of teaching and postgraduate training programs and community services, based on a solid foundation of research in the pure and applied sciences. It comprises four schools and five departments - Botany, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Physics, Genetics, Information Systems, Mathematics & Statistics, Optometry & Vision Sciences, and Zoology, and it has an active involvement in 13 competitively funded research centres. Over 6,500 undergraduate and postgraduate students are enrolled across its 10 undergraduate and 12 postgraduate courses and its Honours program.
Faculty staff gain approximately $22 million a year in competitive research grants, through peer-assessed grants, the Australian Research Council (ARC), the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and other national funding and industry agencies. Its international agenda includes joint research ventures, exchange of staff and students, recruitment of overseas students and the inclusion of a global perspective in curricula. Through the quality of its research and teaching, the Faculty enjoys a strong reputation, both nationally and internationally.
History of the Faculty
The Faculty of Science was established in 1903 at the University of Melbourne, under the first Dean, Professor Henry Laurie. Initially the disciplines taught within the Faculty included Chemistry, Physiology, Biology (including elementary Botany), Geology and Minerology, as well as subjects from the Schools of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy (Physics). Over the years, Genetics, Information Systems, and Optometry have been added to this list.
For detailed information, please visit the Faculty of Science at the University of Melbourne: An Historic Compendium.