Marcus Butler
4 December 2015:
The University of Canberra continues to grow in strength as a research-led institution with an increasing number of areas rated as world-leading in the Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) results announced today.
The University's environmental sciences discipline received the highest rating possible, well above world standard, particularly in the fields of ecological applications and environmental science and management.
ERA results show that the University was also rated above world standard across the fields of genetics, human movement and sport science, nursing, and public health and health services.
The University either increased or maintained its ERA rating in a total of 13 fields, which are rated at, above or well above the world standard.
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The University has rated above the world standard in human movement and sport science, nursing, and public health and health services. Photo: Michelle McAulay
ERA is a Federal Government initiative to assess research excellence at Australian universities at a discipline level using measures such as academic citations, peer review and research income.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Frances Shannon said such positive results from ERA cap off a year of achievement for the University and its many researchers.
"In 2013, the University of Canberra laid out five areas of research focus and I'm proud to say that in each of these areas we are now at or well above the world standard," Professor Shannon said.
"The recent recruitment of some of the world's best researchers, winning more competitive grants and an improved research performance across the board have largely contributed to the University's growing reputation as an up-and-coming research institution."
Earlier this year, the University climbed 100 places in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) rankings, entered the Times Higher Education rankings for the first time and achieved one of its core goals to be ranked in the world's Top 100 young universities (under 50 years of age).
Professor Shannon added that a sharp rise in the University's ERA ratings in health related fields is good news for the future.
"These results combined with the continuing popularity of our health courses and the opportunities to come through the proposed development of a health precinct on campus, will further establish the University as 'the' centre for learning and research in health.
"The achievements we've seen by our researchers over the past few years are just the beginning and I expect the University to continue to grow and further contribute to improvements to the changing world around us," Professor Shannon said.
How the University of Canberra rated:
| Discipline / Fields of Research | Rating |
|---|---|
| Environmental Sciences | 5 |
| Ecological Applications | 5 |
| Environmental Science and Management | 5 |
| Genetics | 4 |
| Information and Computing Sciences | 3 |
| Information Systems | 3 |
| Medical and Health Sciences | 3 |
| Human Movement and Sports Science | 4 |
| Nursing | 4 |
| Public Health and Health Services | 4 |
| Education | 3 |
| Specialist Studies In Education | 3 |
| Studies In Human Society | 3 |
| Policy and Administration | 3 |
| Political Science | 3 |
| Law and Legal Studies | 3 |
| Law | 3 |
| Studies In Creative Arts and Writing | 3 |
| Performing Arts and Creative Writing | 3 |
| Language, Communication and Culture | 3 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 3 |
Ratings Key
(5) - Well above world standard
(4) - Above world standard
(3) - World standard
