Beyond 2010: the University of Melbourne

Studying Engineering in 2010 and Beyond

Changes to Engineering studies for Undergraduates
Additional Engineering Options for Graduates
Why are the changes being introduced?
Frequently Asked Questions
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Undergraduates:

Effective from Semester 2, 2010, it will no longer be possible to commence a four year Bachelor of Engineering as a first year student. Lateral transfer into subsequent years of the Bachelor of Engineering will remain possible until the degree is taught out.
Students are encouraged to study engineering via the Melbourne Model. This means taking a major or sequence in engineering systems in a pathway degree to engineering and continuing to a professional-entry Master of Engineering. The Melbourne Model pathways degrees leading to the Master of Engineering are the Bachelor of Commerce, Science, Environments or Biomedicine.
By studying engineering via the Melbourne Model, students get all the benefits of a double degree, but graduate with a Bachelors and a Masters, recognised internationally.
In 2011, guaranteed Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP) will be offered in the Master of Engineering to Australian students, who satisfactorily complete a Melbourne Model pathway degree with a major or sequence in engineering (achieving an average of 65% in their final two years).
In following years, at least 50% of places for local students in the Master of Engineering will be Commonwealth supported.
International students, who meet the entrance requirements for Melbourne Model pathway degrees and identify their interest in progressing to the Master of Engineering, will be offered a place in both the pathway degree and the Master of Engineering to assist in securing a visa for the duration of their studies at Melbourne. Students must attain an average of 65% in the final two years of their undergraduate degree and notify the School they wish to proceed to the Masters.
From 2011, up to 50 full-fee scholarships will be available for high performing local students entering the professional entry Masters of Engineering with outstanding results in the final two years of their Melbourne Model degree and a major or sequence in engineering.

Graduates

The Melbourne School of Engineering Melbourne offers a new opportunity for graduates to become engineers.
From 2010 we will introduce a professional Master of Engineering of up to three years duration accreditated by Engineers Australia*.
The Professional Master of Engineering will provide those with prior studies in engineering from non-Washington Accord member countries with an internationally-recognised engineering qualification.
The Professional Master of Engineering will also provide those without prior studies in engineering with a professionally accredited graduate degree in engineering from Melbourne*.
The duration of graduate studies would vary according to the extent of relevant studies completed at undergraduate level.
For 2010 entry, local students who are eligible to enrol in the professional Master of Engineering are guaranteed a CSP place.

Why are the changes being introduced?

There are compelling reasons for offering a five year engineering education.

Leading engineering professionals and educators have been discussing the merits of a five year engineering qualification for several years.
The five year degree enables us to ensure students have a firm foundation in maths and sciences from which to build their technical expertise;
It offers greater depth, to keep pace with advances in engineering and technology and provides students with the depth of technical skills needed to analyse and understand sophisticated engineering problems;
It delivers graduates with the combination of skills employers want most.
- According to Employers, while graduates still require a deep understanding of their discipline, they must also appreciate the broader context in which their skills will be used and be ready to apply their knowledge to an increasingly wide range of situations. By studying engineering through degrees like the Bachelor of Commerce or Science, our students get to tap into other bodies of knowledge and methods of enquiry to develop the breadth of personal and professional skills to make a ready transition to work.
- Then at graduate level, they get to deepen the engineering skills they’ve developed in their undergraduate degree, to really advance their technical abilities.
The move to the Melbourne Model has given us the opportunity to reinvigorate our teaching. Students across the School, in all our degrees, benefit from this renewal. Our students are excited about engineering, they are working in teams, learning about engineering problem solving and being creative. We give them lots of opportunity to learn by doing. In first year, for example, students make giant slingshots, do a series of fluid mechanics experiments, program Lego Mindstorm robots to negotiate an obstacle course, and get to build and analyse structures they design themselves.
Our new approach enables students gain insight into the different disciplines within engineering before they have to choose the kind of engineer they’d like to become. They can make an informed choice, after they’ve experienced what’s involved in each of the fields of engineering.
Our new approach to teaching is reflected in the redesign of our learning spaces. We have groups of three and six students working together, just as they might do if they were in an modern work environment.

What does this mean for...

Year 12 students and their parents?

For those in Year 12, the choice remains the same as it has been – that is, they can take either the Bachelor of Engineering (4 years) or study engineering via the Melbourne Model and finish with a Bachelor and a Masters in 5 years.
International students, who meet the entrance requirements for Melbourne Model pathway degrees and identify their interest in progressing to the Master of Engineering, will be offered a place in both the pathway degree and the Master of Engineering to assist in securing a visa for the duration of their studies at Melbourne. Students must attain an average of 65% in the final two years of their undergraduate degree and notify the School they wish to proceed to the Masters.
And for local students, in 2011 there is the benefit of guaranteed CSP Place in the Master of Engineering for those who satisfactorily complete one of the pathway degrees with an engineering systems sequence or major, with an average of at least 65% in the final two years of their degree.
High performing local students will also be able to apply for one of the up to 50 scholarships for the Master of Engineering.
They also have the comfort of knowing that knowing that after 2011 at least 50% of domestic places in Masters of Engineering will be CSP-supported.

Year 10 & 11 students and their parents?

Students in Years 10 & 11 benefit from the pedagogical and competitive advantages of the Melbourne Model approach to engineering education, mentioned above.
They will take a major or sequence in engineering studies in a Bachelor of Commerce, Science, Environments or Biomedicine, and continue to a Master of Engineering.
If they are choosing subjects now, they need to be aware of the entry requirements for these Bachelors degrees, and consider the benefits of studying Specialist Maths in Years 11 and 12.
Overseas Yeasr 10 & 11students benefit from guaranteed entry to the Masters if they meet the requirements for the pathway degrees with engineering systems sequences or majors, achieve a 65% average in the final two years of that degree and notify the School of their intention to proceed to the Masters. This enables them to secure a visa for five years, the duration of their studies at Melbourne.

Prospective graduate students?

We currently offer a range of Specialised Masters in fields such as Telecommunications Engineering, Information Technology and Engineering Management, for those seeking to deepen their expertise in a specialist area of engineering or change direction to advance their career.
From 2010 we will introduce a new Master of Engineering of up to three years duration accreditated by Engineers Australia*.
The Professional Master of Engineering provides those with prior studies in engineering from non-Washington Accord member countries with an internationally-recognised engineering qualification*.
The Professional Master of Engineering also provides those without prior studies in engineering with a professionally accredited graduate degree in engineering from Melbourne*.
The duration of graduate studies would vary according to the extent of relevant studies completed at undergraduate level.
For 2010 entry, local students are guranteed a CSP place in the Master of Engineering.

Agents & Student Advisors

Agents and Student Advisors can advise interested students that from now until first semester 2010, there continues to be two ways to study undergraduate engineering at Melbourne – the four year Bachelor of Engineering, or via the Melbourne Model.
From 2009, international students, who meet the entrance requirements for Melbourne Model pathway degrees and identify their interest in progressing to the Master of Engineering, will be offered a place in both the pathway degree and the Master of Engineering to assist in securing a visa for the duration of their studies at Melbourne. Students must attain an average of 65% in the final two years of their undergraduate degree and notify the School they wish to proceed to the Masters.

From semester two, 2010, entry to the Bachelor of Engineering will no longer be possible, except for those seeking lateral entry, and as of that time, all students seeking to study engineering at Melbourne are encouraged to do so via the Melbourne Model.
Agents and Student Advisors may also advise students that from 2010, the University of Melbourne will begin to introduce a professional-entry Master of Engineering of up to three years duration, accreditated by Engineers Australia. This degree will interest engineering graduates from non-Washington Accord member countries. It may also be of interest to graduates of any discipline. The exact duration of this new Masters will vary according to the extent of an applicant’s relevant prior studies.

Employers

Our graduates are the greatest contribution the Melbourne School of Engineering makes to the community.
Our new model of engineering education delivers talented potential recruits to employers at several points: after 3, 4 or 5 years of engineering and related studies. If approved by Engineers Australia, the introduction of a professional Master of Engineering for graduates, of up to three years duration, would provide a new avenue for existing graduates to gain engineering qualifications, expanding the pool of skilled engineers currently available to industry in less time that currently possible.
Employers can gain early access to graduates of a Melbourne Model degree with a major or sequence in engineering systems and potentially support them through graduate studies in engineering. These recruits will have the foundations of engineering skills and be able to make an immediate contribution to a workplace or business.
Graduates of our four year Bachelor of Engineering have a long history of making outstanding contributions to industry and society. Contemporary graduates have greater breadth in their degree as a result of its recent revision and are among the best internationally.
And graduates of the professional-entry Master of Engineering will have the combination of strong technical skills and breadth of knowledge to enable them to meet the challenges of the our world today.
Employers will have the opportunity to be directly involved in the Melbourne School of Engineering’s education program. This can be achieved by involvement in our curriculum, through guest or contextual lectures, during which firms have the opportunity to present a ‘live’ problem to students.
We encourage students to gain exposure industry and community activities to ensure they gain a well-rounded educational experience. To assist, employers are encouraged to become part of the Melbourne School of Engineering’s internship program. This and other activity enables employers to become directly involved with high achieving students with a view to future recruitment; to access academic staff and leading engineering research; and contribute to the development of one of the world’s leading schools of engineering.

Alumni

The University of Melbourne has led engineering education since establishing Australia’s first School of Engineering in 1862. Over the years, the School has refined its degrees regularly, to keep pace with developments in the profession and economy globally. The Melbourne Model represents our continuing commitment to excellence in Engineering Education.
Alumni will benefit from the prestige associated with an engineering degree from Melbourne, enhanced by the University’s reputation for excellence in engineering and the heightened recognition of Melbourne resulting from the introduction of the Melbourne Model.

Current Students

Current undergraduate students studying engineering at Melbourne benefit from the reinvigoration of our teaching, the renewal of the Melbourne experience with improved student services, facilities, industry involvement and opportunities for international exchange. They continue to benefit from the prestige associated with an engineering degree from Melbourne, enhanced by the University’s reputation for excellence in engineering and the heightened recognition of Melbourne resulting from the introduction of the Melbourne Model.

YOUR FEEDBACK

We welcome your feedback about the changes we are introducing. You can contact us by e-mailing eng-info@unimelb.edu.au

*Provisionally accredited by Engineers Australia effective May 2009. Full accreditation is only possible after the first students graduate from the program.

Melbourne School of Engineering

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