About

Located in the heart of Melbourne on RMIT’s Melbourne City campus, the School of Global, Urban and Social Studies (GUSS) is one of RMIT’s largest schools and provides teaching programs in four discipline areas from undergraduate to PhDs.

About School of Global, Urban and Social Studies

The School is a community of socially concerned and globally engaged scholars who challenge conventional ideas about globalisation, sustainability, language, crime and social care through action-oriented teaching and applied research. The international experience of staff in the School broadens the knowledge of students and challenges their ideas, preparing them for a global career.

The School’s academic programs are leaders in their fields, in extremely high demand and rated highly by students. Contributing to the success of programs are an experienced team of award-winning staff, who have won external teaching awards and regularly win College and University awards.

Within the School, we maintain strong links with industry and professionally recognised bodies. RMIT's programs within Planning; Social Work; and Translating and Interpreting are all professionally accredited, and reviews by external assessors have placed these programs as the best in Australia.

The School is also successful in engaging in valuable industry-connected research, generating more than $6 million each year of external research funding and continuing to build research networks that extend globally. In the most recent national Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) ranking, the School secured a ranking of 4 in Urban and Regional Planning and in Cultural Studies. This ranking places the quality of the School's research above world standard. GUSS’s researchers have been a driving force for much of RMIT’s excellent performance in the United Nations’ global Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) rankings, including 1st for SDG 10 (Reducing inequalities), 12th for SDG 6 (Clean water and sanitation) and 21st for SDG 11 (Sustainable cities and communities). 

Professor Ron Wakefield, portrait Professor Katherine Johnson, Dean, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies.
aboriginal flag
torres strait flag

Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Luwaytini' by Mark Cleaver, Palawa.

aboriginal flag
torres strait flag

Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business.