The University of Adelaide

Since our establishment in 1874, the University of Adelaide has been associated with almost a third of Australia’s Nobel Laureates and over 110 Rhodes Scholars. Our alumni also include Australia’s first female prime minister and Supreme Court judge, as well as the first Australian member of NASA’s elite astronaut corps to fly in space.

The University is today ranked top 50 globally in nine subject areas and top 100 in another 14 (see list, below).Our students learn with the guidance and support of exceptional academic staff, working at the cutting edge of their chosen disciplines. Research skills are embedded throughout all learning. And our students are taught in state-of-the-art facilities, incorporating world-leading technology. Degrees are available in health and medical sciences; science and agriculture; business, economics and law; education, humanities, music and social sciences; engineering and architecture; computer and mathematical sciences.

The University’s main campus is in the heart of Adelaide on the city’s premier cultural boulevard, North Terrace. Renowned for its stunning mix of historic and contemporary architecture, the campus is bordered on one side by Adelaide’s central business and shopping district, and on the other by the beautiful River Torrens and parklands. These are home to the University’s playing fields and rowing club and to the iconic Adelaide Oval. The University’s Adelaide Health and Medical Sciences building is also within easy walking distance, in the South Australian Health and Biomedical Precinct.

Located in Adelaide’s inner-south, the Waite Campus is home to our internationally renowned Waite Research Institute – the third largest agricultural research institute in the world. Its areas of expertise include plant biotechnology, plant breeding, sustainable agriculture and land management, and wine.
This campus is also where all our agriculture and food sciences, viticulture and oenology degrees are delivered, and includes a fully operational vineyard and winery.

1. Master of Wine Business

Home to some of Australia’s most innovative and revered winemakers, South Australia is the ideal place for you to study how business operates in the wine industry. This flexible degree sets you up to have a positive impact on the entire wine value chain – a capability demanded of wine business professionals globally.Designed for current and aspiring wine business owners, marketers, managers, winemakers, sommeliers and professional staff, it will give you the opportunity to:

• Build working knowledge and skills in winemaking and viticulture
• Study the foundations of wine science
• Learn about direct wine marketing
• Understand how to evaluate domestic and international markets
• Explore legal aspects of the business
• Conduct a major research project

You’ll also have access to internship opportunities across South Australia’s booming wine industry. On graduation, you will be well prepared to manage a cellar door or an up-and-coming winery. You could take a senior role in wine marketing, sales, tourism or events. Or perhaps you’ll take on a strategic role in a regional industry body.

2. Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology 

Great wine is key to South Australia’s identity. Adelaide is one of the 10 Great Wine Capitals of the world†, with over 200 cellar doors within an hour of the central business district. Seventy percent of Australian wine research happens at Adelaide’s Waite campus. Our winemakers are innovators and cultural leaders in a sector that helps to drive Australia’s economy. In this highly respected degree you’ll learn world’s-best-practice techniques for growing wine grapes and making wine. You will:

• Study at the world’s third-largest agricultural teaching and research precinct
• Make wine in our state-of-the-art wine science laboratory
• Build hands-on scientific and technological skills in our diverse on-campus vineyards and working winery
• Learn from over 150 researchers in wine and grape science
• Access cutting-edge research at the Australian Research Council Training Centre for Innovative Wine Production
• Complete an industry placement in viticulture and/or oenology.

You’ll graduate as a fully trained winemaker or viticulturist. You could help a winery or vineyard reach new heights in quality and efficiency. You might work with the latest technology to develop innovations in related industries. Perhaps you’ll focus on sustainability, building an organic, biodynamic or solar-powered future for the wine industry.

*The Economist Intelligence Unit Global Liveability Index, 2021. #QS World University Rankings by Subject, 2021; and Academic Ranking of World Universities by Subject, 2021. ^Excellence in Research for Australia, 2018. †greatwinecapitals.com

The University is committed to conducting world-class research with global impact. One hundred per cent of our research output has been assessed as world-standard or above, with work in 41 academic fields given the highest possible rating^. And we are South Australia’s only member of Australia’s prestigious Group of Eight research-intensive universities. Current areas of research focus at the University include: Agriculture, food and wine; defence, cyber and space; health and biotech; creativity and culture; energy, mining and resources.

We work closely with government, business and industry stakeholders to understand their real-world needs – immediate, emerging and future – and this insight is reflected in everything we do. Consequently, our students graduate with outstanding career opportunities, equipped to step up as leaders and innovators anywhere in the world.