8 December 2020
The Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) is disappointed in the proposed changes in STEM degrees and urges Murdoch University to reconsider these changes.
The RACI strongly objects to the proposal by Murdoch University to:
- discontinue degrees in several STEM courses including the Bachelor of Science with a Major in Chemistry, which is a degree with a current RACI accreditation.
- promote separation of research and teaching in Australian universities.
High quality STEM degrees are critical for the future of Australia’s sovereign manufacturing capabilities and a close interconnection between research and teaching is fundamental to a thriving university environment to enable both the delivery of high-quality degrees and create and maintain an effective research workforce into the future.
RACI accredited degrees provides employers with the assurance that the graduates from degree programs will meet the minimum threshold learning requirements they need and without this employers will struggle to recognise employability of graduates into chemistry and chemical science related jobs.