University Spotlight- University of Queensland, Australia

The University of Queensland (UQ) is one of Australia's leading education and research organisations in Australia. With its main campus based in the city of Brisbane on Australia's east coast, UQ is home to over 26,000 undergraduate students and over 10,000 postgraduate students.

UQ is made up of 7 faculties; Arts, Biological and Chemical Sciences, Business-Economics-Law, Engineering-Physical Sciences-Architecture, Health Sciences, Natural Resources-Agriculture-Veterinary Science, and Social and Behavioural Sciences.

In addition to the above faculties, UQ is home to many world leading research centres through joint and collaborative ventures.

The Diamantina Institute for Cancer, Immunology, and Metabolic Science is based at Brisbane's Princess Alexandra Hospital and focus their efforts at turning their scientific discoveries into better treatments for diseases like cancer, diabetes, obesity, arthritis and osteoporosis. The centre is headed by Professor Ian Fraser who was named Australian of the Year in 1996 after his research groups completed clinical trials of a vaccine against the HPV virus which was 100% effective in preventing common cervical cancers.

The Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) is recognised nationally and internationally as one of Australia's leading centres for molecular bioscience research. The major focus of IMB's research is to understand the information contained in the genes and proteins of mammals and thereby to improve human and animal health through the development of new pharmaceuticals, cell therapies and diagnostics.

The National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology, or EnTox, is a Centre of excellence that addresses the need for national and international research into human environmental toxicology. Based at Coopers Plains, the major research themes of EnTox are to study the exposure, effects and mechanisms of toxicity of: a range of toxins including metals and metalloids such as cadmium and arsenic; natural toxins such as algal toxins and mycotoxins and anthropogenic pollutants including various persistent organic pollutants like dioxins and pesticides.

The University is a founding member of the national 'Group of Eight', an alliance of research-strong "sandstone" universities committed to ensuring that Australia has higher education institutions which are genuinely world class. It belongs also to the global 'Universitas 21 alliance'.

UQ is home to almost 7000 international students from over 113 countries, of which China, Singapore and the United States are represented the highest. The top three programs by enrolment are the Bachelor of Arts, Doctor of Philosophy, Bachelor of Science.

The University has 10 residential colleges catering for Australian and international students ranging in price from AU$11,100 up to AU$16,500 p.a (for about 36 weeks).

For more information on the University of Queensland, head to their Official Website.