Bachelor of Civil Engineering (Honours)

Civil engineering is concerned with the design, construction, maintenance and the operation of infrastructure for the benefit of society. Civil engineers design structures including multi-storey buildings, bridges, tunnels, commercial complexes, oil rig platforms, water systems, road and traffic systems and foundation supports.

Civil engineering encompasses four major fields of activity:
structural engineering, water resources engineering, transport engineering and geotechnical engineering. Civil engineers are responsible for the basic needs and facilities (or infrastructure) of modern society. They work for government bodies and for private employers as consulting engineers and engineering contractors specialising in areas such as structural design, water engineering, geotechnics, transportation and construction management.
Your career prospects as a civil engineer are strong and diverse. When you graduate, you could work in private industry, government, construction and mining, marine and resort developments, property and land development and in consulting.

Areas of study
LEVEL ONE
Core Units

• Computing for engineers
• Mathematics for engineering
• Engineering design A: lighter, faster, stronger
• Engineering design B: cleaner, safer, smarter
• Design C: engineering mobile applications

General Studies Unit

• Leadership and Innovation

Elective Units
Select two units from:

• Chemistry I advanced
• Physics for engineering
• Mechanics of fluids (level two)
• Telecommunications (level two)
• Digital systems (level two)
• Introduction to Systems Engineering (level two)

Total: 48 points

The intention of level two is to develop ‘sub-professional’ skills, ie the ability to design common place engineering artefacts in the context of suitable theoretical treatment. At the same time, students gain some appreciation for the breadth of civil engineering. Theory is developed in parallel with the applications (problems). Theoretical insights are further developed at levels three and four, as more complex scenarios are considered.

Level three is designed to develop ‘core professional’ skills. It includes structural, water, transportation, geomechanics and management. The water and geomechanics groups share another unit in groundwater field as well.

Level four is seen as a period of specialisation. Each student must take both of the core units (6 points each) and a minimum of three Civil Engineering electives (6 points each). The remaining 12 points may be taken anywhere within the University (including the Civil Engineering department), as long as the units do not substantially duplicate a unit already studied. Some of the  electives are multidisciplinary.