Spotlight on Engineering

Engineering is another popular bachelor degree, and there are lots of options to choose from if you’re interested in this area. Let’s look at what you need to know to make good decisions about which courses you might like to apply for.

What is Engineering?

Engineering seems to be the option that lots of maths-minded students are attracted to, and with good reason. If you like maths and science, then an engineering career might be just what you’re looking for. Broadly speaking, engineers create and build solutions to problems in a whole range of areas. To do this, they need to research and understand all the science behind what’s causing the problem and be able to use the right calculations, materials and methods to solve it in an efficient way.

What areas can you specialise in?

One of the biggest problems for students who are considering a Bachelor of Engineering is that they may not have experience in most of the areas they can choose from, which makes it hard to have a preference. Most universities now offer a general Bachelor of Engineering where everyone does the same subjects in their first year, giving you the opportunity to investigate different areas before deciding on a major. Even at universities where you can go straight into a specialised course (eg a Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering), the first year of all of the specialised courses is usually very similar, so if you changed your mind you would likely finish your degree in the same amount of time (although it’s not always possible to change courses - there may not be any places available, and even if there are you usually need to have a particular average to be accepted into the new course).

Here are just a few examples of the areas you could choose to major in:

• Aerospace

• Mechanical

• Civil

• Chemical

• Robotics/Mechatronics

• Software

What prerequisites do you need?

In Victoria, most of the Engineering courses require Maths Methods or Specialist Maths, and one of Physics or Chemistry. 

Keep in mind that while Specialist Maths is not a prerequisite, the maths covered in Specialist Maths will be used in the degree. To compensate for not having done Specialist Maths (or not completing it to the required level of success) you will need to do a bridging course in your first year to make sure that you are up to speed.

What other courses could I look at?

If you’re interested in Engineering, you might want to look at some of these options as well:

• Architecture

• Biomedical Science

• Design

• Information Technology

• Aviation

• Space Science

These courses have some similarity in terms of creating solutions to problems, but either using different skills sets or with a particular focus. Check them out and see what you think!