What will my study involve?

Courses

UC offers a Bachelor of Engineering with Honours .

There are also several Engineering Conjoint degrees available which combines the BE(Hons) degree with other bachelor's degrees.

You may also choose to study a Diploma in Global Humanitarian Engineering that you can complete alongside the bachelor's degree.

See the Bachelor of Engineering with Honours for the compulsory courses in the degree.

After the first year, you will specialise in an Engineering discipline for the following three years of the degree:

• Chemical and Process Engineering
• Civil Engineering
• Computer Engineering
• Electrical and Electronic Engineering
• Forest Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Mechatronics Engineering
• Software Engineering

These three years will focus your learning on knowledge and skills that are relevant to your chosen Engineering discipline through a combination of lectures, laboratory work, and field classes. In the third and fourth years, you will have the option of choosing courses which concentrate on a particular field (or fields) within your chosen Engineering discipline.

Engineering minors

Some of the engineering disciplines have a minor subject available that you can also choose to complete:

• Aerospace Engineering within Mechanical Engineering
• Biomedical Engineering within Mechanical Engineering
• Bioprocess Engineering within Chemical and Process Engineering
• Communications and Network Engineering within Computer Engineering
• Environmental Process Engineering within Chemical and Process Engineering
• Power Engineering within Electrical and Electronic Engineering
• Structural Engineering within Civil Engineering
• Sustainable Energy Engineering within Chemical and Process Engineering
• Water and Environmental Systems Engineering within Civil Engineering

Practical work

Before graduating with the Bachelor of Engineering with Honours you must complete 800 hours (approx. 100 days) of practical work in the engineering industry. This includes a compulsory zero-fees work placement course during the second year, and further practical work normally carried out during the summer breaks of the following years.

You are also required to carry out a workshop training course or a site safety course during the second year. These courses will vary depending on your Engineering discipline, and aim to prepare you in the use of common tools and equipment that you are likely to need for your practical work in industry.

You must also hold a University-approved first aid certificate while enrolled in the Bachelor of Engineering with Honours.

A Diploma in Global Humanitarian Engineering can be studied alongside any of the Engineering disciplines, giving you an extra qualification and a point of difference without adding any time to your studies. This will give your Engineering studies a humanitarian focus, working on issues such as water shortage, power supply, and climate change.

Career opportunities

Your practical work experience and industry contacts from your study give you many opportunities, particularly in areas of social, economics, and environmental significance to society. Teamwork and innovation skills also open a pathway into management and consulting work.

All UC engineering degrees are accredited by Engineering New Zealand and you will qualify for student membership.

Career pathways could include:

• Quality and testing
• Urban planning
• Infrastructure management
• Industrial manufacturing.

Find out more about what you can do with a degree from UC.