The University of Notre Dame

At Notre Dame, we encourage our students to engage in open and thorough enquiry and debate to expand their minds. Our students learn to think creatively and critically, to see the world, its opportunities, and their place in it more clearly. Students learn for life.

Philosophy, Theology and Ethics are part of all Notre Dame degrees. Through this Core Curriculum, you will develop the ability to think and reason.

These courses contribute to helping students enter the world equipped with skills in ethical decision-making while also balancing and respecting the views and perspectives that are different from their own. The ethos of all our degrees is centred on the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, which focuses on:

• encouraging excellent standards of teaching, learning and professional training and;

• fostering skills in critical reasoning and collaboration.

Pastoral care

Our pastoral care program ensures that every student is valued, and is nurtured towards achieving their goals, both academic and personal, to live a rich, fulfilling, and purposeful life serving the common good. The University aims to provide an environment in which every student is encouraged and enabled to develop their own unique gifts and talents, to realise their God given potential, to realise their interconnectedness with all others and to seek to serve the common good.

Notre Dame seeks to promote and enhance the wellbeing of each individual student through:

• complementing university learning and theoretical knowledge through practical, real-world experience

• a personalised educational experience for every student

• providing opportunities and an environment in which students are encouraged to grow and develop in all aspects of their life: personal, social, physical, mental and spiritual

Some examples of pastoral care at Notre Dame include:

• personalised approach to admissions

• small class sizes

• one-on-one contact with academic staff

• individualised academic and counselling support programs

• welcoming liturgies and faith opportunities

• sporting and cultural activities.

Pastoral care also shapes how we carry out our mission, such as how we approach decision making, processes and policies.