The School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences has a long and proud history dating back to 1892, and now we are the largest and most successful provider of agricultural, horticultural and wine science education supporting rural industries in Australia.
With operations at both Wagga Wagga in southern NSW and Orange in central NSW our team comprises 70 academic, research, technical and administration staff. We host some 1,200 undergraduate students and over 60 post-graduate students in our comprehensive suite of undergraduate, post-graduate and professional development courses.
These courses cover the fields of Agriculture and Agricultural Science, Agricultural Business Management, Wine Science, Viticulture, Wine Business, Science, and Horticulture. Post-graduate courses include Honours, Graduate Certificates, Graduate Diplomas, Masters, and Doctorates in relevant to the interests of students. In many courses, flexible study options on-campus or by distance education are available.
Our teaching and research strengths include:
Research is undertaken through key CSU Research Centre's such as the Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation (an alliance between Charles Sturt University and the NSW Department of Primary Industries); the CSU Institute for Land Water and Society, the National Wine & Grape Industry Centre, the International Centre for Water, and the Centre for Inland Health. In addition, staff from the School have major involvement in national Cooperative Research Centre's which link universities, government bodies and industry organisations across Australia to focus on national sector-wide issues. For these, funding from government, industry and research providers supports research, education and extension. SAWS contributes strongly to:
Many industry, government and other organisations join with us to ensure the best education and research impacts possible. Their strong support and commitment to the future of education and research is very much appreciated.
These linkages ensure our courses remain relevant and topical, and that we are developing in students skills that employers value, and that we producing graduates who will make an impact within their profession. Because of our close association with industry and business, we are able to offer a number of scholarships.
These partnerships also mean that the research we undertake is applied and focused on key problems affecting Australia and the world.
As a School we are proud to also contribute to regional communities through our professional activities. These include things such as:
CSU's School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences is located in the heart of agriculture in some of the most productive regions of south-eastern Australia. As well as the rich resources in the region, our students have access to some of Australia's best agricultural teaching and research facilities for practical experience, including:
In 2012 CSU opened its $48.6 million National Life Sciences Hub (NaLSH).This facility includes three flexible learning and teaching areas, which each hold up to 50 students; four large research laboratory spaces including quarantine-approved research areas; a phytotron building housing controlled environment and growth chambers; three glasshouses; research and teaching support areas such as offices, plant rooms and bike storage; and a rhizolysimeter – an underground field laboratory.