In terms of student population, the Monash University in Melbourne is the largest university in Australia. This public university has 56,000 students and 15,000 staff and has received its name after Sir John Monash. It was founded through an Act of Parliament in 1958, thus made it the first university to be instituted in the state of Victoria for more than 100 years.
Monash University has a total of 8 campuses. Its original campus was situated in Clayton, which first admitted 363 pioneer students in 1961. The 100 hectares of land on which this campus stood was originally used for different purposes such as that for the Talbot Epileptic Colony. From its humble beginnings in fields of mud and a library lodged in a derelict Volkswagen factory, Clayton campus has improved in size and in student population, it is now the largest of all 8 Monash's campuses.
The Monash University Caulfield campus was originally the Caulfield Technical School back in 1922 which offered procedural courses like carpentry to local residents. In the 1970s, the once small technical school became the Caulfield Institute of Technology. From the technical courses on blacksmith, carpentry and wheelwright, the institute then offered diploma and degree courses in computing, business, applied science, engineering, math and psychology. in 1982, the institute combined with the State College of Victoria(Frankston) and formed the Chisholm Institute of Technology. The Chisholm then merged with Monash in 1990, thus making it The Monash University Caulfield campus.
Once a Frankston teachers college is the Peninsula campus of Monash in the south-eastern suburb in Melbourne. It was the Frankston campus of Chisholm Institute that merged with Monash in July 1,1990. These days, this Peninsula campus offers a wide range of undergraduate as well as post graduate courses (such as ambulance and paramedic studies, business, IT and nursing) to over 3000 students.
The Gippsland campus was formerly a technical school for SEC(State Electricity Commission) employees in 1926. In 1968, it became the Yallourn Technical College. It officially became a part of the Monash University back in 1991 and since then it has evolved to become today's provider of tertiary education for local national and international students.
Back in 1881, the School of Pharmaceutical Society of Victoria provided training and development of professionals in the field of pharmacy. After being situated in Swanston Street for 76 years, the then Victorian College of Pharmacy relocated to Parkville in 1960. In the year 1992, it amalgamated with Monash University and it name was changed to Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in August 2008 for Monash University Parkville campus.
Berwick campus is among the newest campuses of Monash and was built on the old Casey airfield that accommodates 2000 students. The first building was completed in 1996, the second was done in 1999 and the third was in 2004.
The Malaysian ministry of education sent an invitation to Monash together with Sunway Group to set up its campus in Malaysia in February 23, 1998. In the same year, the first offshore campus of Monash was built outside Australia and admitted its first 261 students.
The Monash South Africa is the second offshore campus that opened in 2001 with 2 buildings and academically lures many students from more than 25 countries.
