Federation University Ballarat: Guide to Higher Ed

Ballarat's higher education sector is anchored by Federation University Australia (FedUni), which has its main campus in the Ballarat CBD (Mount Helen) and has a heritage extending back to the 1870 School of Mines (one of the oldest technical education institutions in Australia, founded to serve the Ballarat goldfields's engineering and assaying needs). FedUni's long history of practical and vocational education, combined with the university status it achieved in 2014 (from the merger of the University of Ballarat and TAFE campuses in Gippsland), creates a distinctive institution that combines the access-oriented philosophy of the original School of Mines with the research ambitions of a modern regional university.

Federation University Australia (FedUni), the FedUni Mount Helen campus (University Drive, Mount Helen, 10 minutes from the Ballarat CBD) is the main Ballarat campus and provides undergraduate and postgraduate programs in science, technology, engineering, education, health, arts, and business. The FedUni Ballarat CBD campus (Camp Street, adjacent to the Ballarat Town Hall) provides a city-centre education presence that is particularly important for part-time and working students. FedUni's particular research strengths include mining and earth science (reflecting the university's goldfields heritage), information technology, and education research relevant to regional and remote schooling. The FedUni Gippsland campus (Churchill) and the SMB campus extend FedUni's reach across regional Victoria.

SMB Campus (Ballarat CBD), the SMB Campus (Sturt Street, Ballarat CBD) is the heritage heart of FedUni's Ballarat presence: the original Ballarat School of Mines buildings (1870s and later) provide a remarkable heritage education environment in the Ballarat CBD. The SMB Campus focuses on applied technology, trades, creative arts, and the programs that connect most directly to FedUni's vocational education heritage.

TAFE at FedUni, FedUni's dual-sector status means that TAFE vocational programs are delivered alongside university programs across the FedUni campus network, providing important access pathways for Ballarat students seeking trade and applied technology qualifications.