International

International undergraduate

Janet Saw
Bachelor of Multimedia Systems (2006)
Bachelor of Information Technology and Systems Honours (2008)
Vice-Chancellor's Undergraduate Research Scholarships (2008)

Originally from Malaysia, Janet quickly settled in Melbourne to undertake her tertiary studies.

Studying at Monash was different from what I had experienced before, and very exciting. It was a whole new way of learning which I adapted to fairly quickly. I enjoyed studying independently, as it allowed me to set my own standards when working on assignments.

The honours degree not only introduced me to a new and fascinating world of research, but has convinced me to continue towards a PhD in the near future.

Ausben Liu
Diploma of Information Technology, Monash College

Monash College provides excellent academic and social assistance. International students feel very comfortable and confident being students here, as it is a very multicultural learning environment where all cultures are embraced.

Monash College has great teaching staff. They encourage me to ask more questions than ever before. There are also learning advisors who help you improve your learning skills to better prepare you for exams and assignments.

International postgraduate

Fangfei Li
Master of Applied Information Technology (2010)

Originally from China, Fangfei chose Monash based on its high reputation as a global university. Due to domestic competition, she decided to renew her information technology knowledge to further her career aspirations.

Generally, people in Melbourne are kind. You can often find people smile at you or talk to you very kindly. You do not worry about your language problems, because they always listen to you carefully until you finish talking, regardless of whatever your accent is or where you are from.

It is a multicultural city full with a vibrant cultural atmosphere. There are many libraries, free museums you can visit and lots of international events you can attend such as the Melbourne International Film Festival and the Australian Open (tennis).

Ashwin Manoharan
Master of Information Technology Professional

After completing an undergraduate degree in computer science, Ashwin decided to continue his studies in a masters program. Originally from India, Ashwin says one of the main reasons he selected Monash was its reputation.

Monash University is well known around the world and I heard about its high standard of education.

The amazing feature about this course is its flexibility. I was initially thinking of specialising in one field and ended up specialising in two fields: network computing and network security. As a Monash graduate with two specialisations, I believe this will be a great assistance to gain eventual employment.

Anyone considering a postgraduate information technology degree in Australia should look no further than Monash. It's not only the education that we gain, it is the other life experiences such as time management while working part-time which prepares you for the future. Also socialising with fellow students and the friendly locals of Melbourne has made me feel that this is my home away from home.

Sindy Madrid
Masters of Business Information Systems (2010)

Working as the CRM Manager, Sindy manages the company's CRM solution to profile customers in order to target offers, develop products, and allocate sales and resources. She also works with users to define business requirements and translate them into system design.

After working in the Business Intelligence field for a while, I got to a point where I felt I needed a more solid theoretical background to complement my practice. I felt I needed to put in perspective the practical knowledge into a more integrated framework. That's why I decided to look for a university program that offered units to support my work activities.

I was granted the Chile Bicentennial Scholarship which allowed me to study in any university in Australia. I reviewed the Masters programs of all universities on the Business Information area. Monash was the one that offered the most attractive subjects and most related to what I needed to know at work.

I really enjoyed the subjects I studied, they not only provided me with the theoretical foundation I needed, but also with a practical perspective that was actually useful to complete tasks at work. After completing all units I feel all my expectations were fulfilled and I'm actually looking forward to continuing studying my PhD at Monash.

Olga Dolgorukova
Master of Business Information Systems Professional

Olga found being an international student from Russia easy in Melbourne, and at Monash in particular. With the high number of students coming to study from all over the world, she found all the difficulties and issues they may encounter had been considered long before her arrival.

In Russia there is a lack of specialists with the knowledge in the modern aspects of information systems. This made the Master of Business Information Systems Professional at Monash attractive for several reasons.

First of all, Monash is a member of the Group of Eight research intensive universities and is highly rated in the world university ratings. Secondly, the course provides an opportunity to study a variety of units from all major aspects of the broader information technology and business realm. Everyone can find a specialisation to suit their current employment needs and choose units that are up-to-date and meet the current market requirements.

Finally, the course is certified by Australian organisations such as ACS and the Library Associations, which allows graduates the opportunity to pursue local employment after graduation.

Visham Narasiah
Masters of Business Information Systems (Honours)

Coming from Mauritius, Visham looked forward to the unique opportunity to increase his networking globally and learn about other cultures.

Monash attracts students from overseas countries due to the high level of its teaching materials and staffs available. Also, the social harmony across the different cultures originating from different countries.

The units available in the course are very wide range and offered at different campuses and at different times of the day, thus allowing plenty of flexibilities to manage working time, study time and entertainment time.

Industry people always talk about the course. Most of the units studied include external guest lecturers coming along to indicate how important what is being taught is. This shows how relevant the course is in the current information technology climate.

Jessica Ling
Master of Business Systems (2006)

An international qualification from Monash University helped IT professional Jessica Jie Ling earn a job at computer giant IBM. Jessica works at the company's centre in the outer suburbs of Beijing, where she is employed as an engineer working on software quality assurance.

Jessica is currently part of the team perfecting he next version of database management system DB2 for z/OS, a 64-bit operating system created by IBM for mainframe computers. She says it is a job that she probably wouldn't not have got without the advantage of having an international qualification from Monash University.

Yes, of course it helped me a lot. International companies really liked the fact that I had overseas experience. They will tend to accept the overseas students because they have more English skills and also equivalent knowledge as the local students.

Jessica completed her undergraduate IT course in China, but decided it was important to get her postgraduate qualification overseas.

I thought I could learn a lot of new knowledge there, so I chose Monash. I was quite glad that I did because Monash has taught me a lot. Yes I have learnt a lot.

In 2005, Jessica travelled from China to the Clayton campus to study a Master of Business Systems. Within a year of returning home to China in mid- 2006 she had secured a job at IBM. The masters course provided Jessica with training and research skills in the analysis, design, development and application of information technology to management and decision making.

International research

Kate Lazarenko
Master of Information Management and Systems Professional (2007)
PhD Candidate

Originally from Russia, Kate completed her masters degree at Monash. She is currently employed as a research and teaching assistant with the Faculty of Information technology as she completes her PhD.

My areas of research are personalisation and user-centred design. If asked to explain this to someone in one sentence, my answer would be: the role of users in system design and development within the field of e-health. My interest is to assist people who suffer from various medical conditions, in finding relevant and high quality health information in a timely manner.

I believe Monash has given me a unique change to establish a network with successful information systems researchers from various parts of the world due to its reputation and involvement in international research activities. This collaborative study and research has been a great experience giving me the edge over other graduates.