• Program summary
• Program overview
• Professional recognition
• Career opportunities
• Special features
• Program structure
• Program requirements and notes
• Enquiries

Program summary

QTAC code: 013731
OP/Rank for 2009 entry: not previously offered
Award abbreviation: BCivEng
Duration: 4 years full-time or equivalent part-time
Total units: 384 units (normally 32 courses)
Fee type 2010: Commonwealth supported places, visiting non-award domestic places
Prerequisites: English and Maths B
Recommended studies: Maths C and Physics highly recommended
Commence: Semester 1
USC program code: SC383
CRICOS code: Not available to international students on a Student Visa.

Program overview

The Civil Engineering program has two majors — Construction, and Environment and Water — with significant common material (23 courses out of 32 courses are in both majors). Students must select which of the two majors they want to study at the beginning of their Year 1 enrolment, and they must select a minor study before their Year 3 enrolment. The minor studies have been selected to enhance the students’ employment prospects by allowing them to target particular career opportunities in engineering. Year 1 is completely common to the majors, and transferring between them (should students choose to do so) is relatively simple until Year 3. It is intended that the Bachelor of Civil Engineering program will meet Engineers Australia Accreditation Criteria.

This is a four year engineering program which, subject to accreditation, will enable graduates to apply for membership of the Engineers Australia. Students will develop excellent communication and problem- solving skills within a multi-disciplinary, team-based environment. The students will be scaffolded to develop a professional and ethical approach to engineering tasks. The program guides students towards practical, appropriate solutions to issues involving management of civil engineering projects within the major areas of Construction, and Environment and Water.

Students who select the construction major will focus on construction design, engineering project control and management, structural integrity, material selection, and environmental impacts. Students who select the environment and water major will focus on practical, appropriate solutions to local and global problems involving the environment, water and other resources.

These graduate characteristics enable students to apply for a wide variety of positions inside and outside the engineering profession, both in Australia and overseas. Engineering is now a global profession, and once accredited in Australia their degree will be recognised internationally under the Washington Accord. This will allow graduates to be recognised as engineers in most developed countries.

To be eligible to graduate from the Bachelor of Civil Engineering, students must obtain an aggregate of at least 60 days of suitable practical experience during their program. This experience may be in an engineering office or laboratory where the student would be working principally with professional engineers and engineering associates. It may, however, be preferable for students to spend some time in field or factory activities to gain insight into industrial practice and to see what is involved in converting designs into finished products. Students are required to keep a record of such experience. This record of experience is to be endorsed by an appropriate person in the organisation providing the experience and by the student's Program Leader. The student must meet all costs associated with the acquisition of practical experience to satisfy this requirement. The written record of experience must be made available for perusal by the Program Leader upon request.

Professional recognition

Subject to accreditation by Engineers Australia, a graduate of this program will be eligible to apply for membership of Engineers Australia as a graduate Professional Engineer. After further professional development, a graduate member with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering may apply for chartered status as a Professional Engineer and, when granted, may use the post-nominal MIEAust CPEng.

Once accredited, the Bachelor of Civil Engineering program will be covered by an agreement reached between the professional engineering bodies of a number of countries (the Washington Accord). This Accord provides for the mutual recognition of engineering degrees in member states: Currently these include Australia, Canada, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, United Kingdom and Unites States of America. In addition Germany, India, Russia and Sri Lanka hold provisional membership as they work towards full membership of the Accord.

Graduates will also be able to join the Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers, Australia (APESMA), and to register with the Board of professional Engineers of Queensland.

Career opportunities

A student who completes this degree could expect to have a wide range of engineering employment opportunities in Australia and overseas, which include (depending on the selected major):

• local, state and federal government agencies 
• construction companies
• engineering consultancies 
• building industry companies/authorities
• water supply companies/authorities
• wastewater treatment companies/authorities
• mining industry
• research organisations such as universities and CSIRO

Special features

• strong emphasis on ecologically sustainable development
• can include a Minor in Climate Change and Coastal Zone Studies
• can include a Minor in Environmental Studies (courses cover aspects of economics, law, environmental health risk management)
• guest lecturers from industry link theory with practice

Program structure

Core courses

1 required course:
COR111 Property Development and Project Management Processes

Introductory / foundation courses

8 required courses:
BUS102 Statutory and Specialist Valuation
BUS108 Contracts A
*CIV1501 Engineering Statics
ENG101 Environment, Technology and Sustainability
*ENG1100 Introduction to Engineering Design
MTH101 Economics for Business
SCI110 Introduction to Informatics
SCI107 Engineering Professional Practice

Advanced courses

11 required courses:
*CIV2403 Geology and Geomechanics
ENG302 Introduction to Mathematics
ENG401 Science Research Methods
ENG402 Physics
ENS253 Engineering Project Management
*ENV2103 Hydraulics 1
*ENV3104 Hydraulics 2
MTH202 Engineering Project 1
MTH312 Engineering Project 2
PHY201 An Introduction to Geographical Information Systems
ENS281 Calculus and Algebra(Construction) 
OR
ENS242 Numerical Analysis(Environment and Water)

Major studies course

Students must complete one of the available major studies in the Bachelor of Civil Engineering.

Environment and Water major

8 required courses: 
ENG411 Introduction to Sustainable Energy Systems
ENG412 Introduction to Weather and Climate
ENG421 Sustainable Futures
ENS314 Management of Reservoirs and Stormwater
ENS351 Design of Wastewater Treatment Systems
ENS353 Design of Water Supply Systems
ENS381 Climatic and Hydrological Systems
SCI105 Integrated Environmental Management

Minor studies courses

Students may choose one of the following 4-course minor study programs (48 units) in the Bachelor of Civil Engineering. Students must choose the minor to be studied before the completion of Semester 1, Year 3.

Minor in Climate Change and Coastal Zone Studies

ENS282 Applied Spatial Analysis and Geoprocessing
ENS310 Environmental Modelling
ENS320 Chemistry
ENS724 Coastal and Marine Systems

Minor in Environmental Studies

ENS300 Climate Change Adaptation
ENP211 Climate Change Mitigation Theory and Practice
SCI102 Coastal Systems Dynamics
PUB262 Environmental and Resource Economics

Minor in Environmental and Planning Studies*

1 required course:
ENP100 Planning and Environmental Law

Plus select 3 courses from:
ENP101 Biodiversity and Ecology
ENP211 Environmental Health Risk Management
ENP236 Environmental and Planning Studies
ENP240 Planning Principles and Practice
ENP245 Planning and Environmental Law
ENP255 Rural and Regional Sustainability
ENP355 Environment, Heritage and Tourism
ENP336 Landscapes, place and people
ENP365 Urbanism and Urban Design
ENS253 Planning Design Studio ^
ENS353 Regional Infrastructure Planning

* Existing Minor.
^ This is a required course in the program and therefore will not count towards the minor, if student elects to do this minor.
NB - all individual courses provide 12-units towards the degree.

Practice Courses

Required practical work in the program. 
To graduate from the program, students must complete the following zero-unit practice courses. These courses require 50 hours of student effort, and are graded as a Pass or Fail. There is no fee for these courses. They are delivered in intensive blocks in February and September at the University of Southern Queensland Toowoomba campus. Students may enrol in these courses in Years 2, 3 or 4 of their program.

5 required courses:
*ENG1901 Engineering Practice 1
*CIV2901 Geology and Geomechanics Practice
*ENV2902 Hydraulics Practice
*CIV3906 Civil Materials Practice
*CIV3907 Civil Systems Practice

NB - All practice courses provide 0-units towards the degree but are compulsory.
* Courses to be taken via external mode at USQ.

Course substitution: the GO (Global Opportunities) Program

As part of your USC program, you may apply to participate in the GO Program to undertake courses with an overseas higher education provider

Program requirements and notes

1. Refer to the Academic Rules.
2. Refer to explanation of terms.
3. Refer to the recommended enrolment pattern. For previous recommended enrolment patterns refer to the relevant archived Student Handbook.
4. International students need to refer to the University's English language proficiency requirements.
5. Only a full-time study option is available to international students.
6. Courses within this program are assessed using a variety of assessment methods including, for example, essays, seminar presentations, reports, in-class tests and examinations. Not all courses will necessarily include all methods.

Enquiries

How to apply

Faculty of Science, Health and Education
Tel: +61 7 5430 2869
Email: sheinfo@usc.edu.au

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