[19] It also offers a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) research program and various majors of study in commerce, the arts and sciences.

[21][22] ECU also has a notable cybersecurity research program being one of two universities operating federal Academic Centres of Cyber Security Excellence (ACCSE)[23] and the only Australian member university in the InterNational Cyber Security Center of Excellence (INCS-CoE).

The university has produced some of Australia's most prominent figures in the performing arts, operates a large nursing school,[31] has a long history of teacher education[17] and has a significant presence in cybersecurity research.

[35]In 1847, the General Board of Education was established to oversee school development in the Swan River Colony.

[37] The origins of Edith Cowan University date back to 1902 with the establishment of the Claremont Teachers College, the first tertiary institution in Western Australia.

[39] It is a large two storey limestone building set in extensive grounds, with a distinctive square crenellated tower, and was entered in the Register of the National Estate in 1987.

[41] The Graylands Teachers College in 1977 was recommended by the Commonwealth Government for closure at the end of 1979, to be merged into Churchlands, Mount Lawley and Claremont.

[49] She promoted sex education in schools, migrant welfare, and the formation of infant health centres, and was instrumental in obtaining votes for women in Western Australia.

[50] The house was reconstructed on the university's Joondalup campus[51] with the assistance of the West Coast College of TAFE, and re-opened in 1997.

[52] The original Claremont building continued serving for 16 years as a campus of Edith Cowan University following that institution's formation in 1989.

The inaugural Head of School was Dr Valentine M Pervan, who assumed the role in 1 July 1975, and courses started the following year with an initial enrolment of 224 students.

These include double degree undergraduate programs with each other, engineering, psychology, criminology and various fields in the arts.

Broad disciplines: Teacher education for Early Childhood, Primary and Secondary schoolsSchool of Engineering Broad disciplines: Full range of Engineering specialisations School of Medical and Health Sciences Broad disciplines: Exercise and Health Sciences, Medical Science, Biomedical Science, Speech Pathology and Paramedicine School of Nursing and Midwifery The School of Nursing and Midwifery was established in 1985 on the Nedlands campus of the Western Australian College of Advanced Education (WACAE), before the institution was renamed to Edith Cowan University.

A majority of the practical placements for the nursing program was based at the nearby Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital.

[63] It offers study and research programs in acting, screen performance, arts and cultural management, dance (classical ballet and contemporary dance), music (in various fields of instrumental and voice performance, composition and school teacher education), theatre (including directing and musical theatre), production (including production design, costume design, lighting, props and scenery, sound and stage management) and other fields of performing arts.

[68][69][70][71][72][73][74] Performances and events are also held at various external venues such as the Rosemount Hotel, Government House Ballroom, Ellington Jazz Club, Luna Cinema, Subiaco Arts Centre, Studio Underground, Blue Room Theatre and the Albany Entertainment Centre.

[79]The university has a number of research centres within its areas of research strength: Health and Wellness; Education; Environment and Sustainability; Electronic Engineering and ICT; Social and Community; Business and Society; Communications and Creative Arts; and Security, Law and Justice.

The membership of the council is composed of people across various disciplines and groups as mandated under Part III, Sect.

Students elected to the University Council hold office for a term of one year from the date their election takes effect, and are not eligible for re-election more than once.ECU has three campuses, consisting of two metropolitan campuses at Joondalup and Mount Lawley, and one at Bunbury, in Western Australia's South West region.

[111] Facilities on the campus include a new Health and Wellness Building, a multimillion-dollar sport and fitness centre, a new award-winning library and student hub, an outdoor cinema screening Telethon Community Cinemas at the Joondalup Pines during the summer months and on-campus accommodation.

[111] The campus also forms part of the Joondalup Learning Precinct, which includes the West Coast College of TAFE to the north and the Western Australian Police Academy to the northeast.

The campus has modern facilities, small class sizes, two vending machines[citation needed], a cafe, and a common room.

The 11-storey 6-hectare (15-acre) campus dubbed ECU City is being built on 0.8 hectares (1.98 acres) of land and was initially announced to open in 2025 at a cost of $695 million.

This includes undergraduate paramedical studies,[130] a double degree program in nursing and midwifery,[61] various major subjects in secondary education[131][132][133][134] and the performing arts,[127] nurse practitioner[135] and paramedic practitioner[136] study programs, aeronautics[137] and naval engineering.

[139] The university also has partnerships with several education institutions to conduct courses and programs offshore in countries such as China (including Hong Kong), Singapore, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

[161] The Australian Government's QILT[b] conducts national surveys documenting the student life cycle from enrolment through to employment.

[162] These surveys place more emphasis on criteria such as student experience, graduate outcomes and employer satisfaction[162] than perceived reputation, research output and citation counts.

[167] This includes the offshore delivery of a variety of courses in a number of countries, student and staff exchange programs with other universities, joint research activities, international consultancies and individual academic links.

As of 2024[update], Edith Cowan University has staff and faculty, both past and present, notable in their field in two of its eight teaching schools, as well as Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors.