Julia Gillard, the former prime minister of Australia, will don a new hat of an honorary visiting professor beginning November at her alma mater, the University of Adelaide.

Prof Warren Bebbington, the University's vice-chancellor, said that the university's school of history and politics is thrilled with Gillard's appointment.

"The University is delighted Ms Gillard will make a significant contribution to our School of History and Politics. As Australia's first female prime minister, Julia Gillard has unique knowledge and experience to offer any university and we are honoured that she has chosen to return to the University of Adelaide, where she began her tertiary education," Bebbington said. "Through her contribution to seminars and our internship program, she will share her experiences and insights with both current and future students."

Gillard said that she is 'absolutely delighted' to have accepted the professorship with the university, where she studied law and arts from 1979 to 1981.

"I am absolutely delighted to be associated in such a meaningful way with the University of Adelaide and its students and faculty. I have been warmly welcomed and look forward to becoming a part of the academic endeavours of the school of history and politics," Gillard said. "I will also be co-locating my offices as a former prime minister at the university and working there regularly."

The appointment is unpaid.

Apart from Gillard, other numerous influential politicians have taught at the school including the former Liberal foreign minister Alexander Downer, the former leader of the Australian Democrats Natasha Stott Despoja and Professor John Bannon, the South Australian premier from 1979 to 1992.

Gillard was first elected to the House of Representatives at the 1998 federal election; she then served as the Deputy Prime Minister in 2007 along with serving as Minister for Education, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations and Minister for Social Inclusion.

Gillard, who then went on to become Australia's first female prime minister in 2010, was ousted by her party members in June and was replaced by Kevin Rudd, whom she defeated in the first place for the top administrative job in a party coup.

Rudd was subsequently defeated by Tony Abbott's Liberal-National coalition in the federal election in Australia earlier this month.