The aim of the schools offering engineering degrees within The University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy is to provide an outstanding engineering education to future leaders in the Australian Defence Force and to pursue excellence through contributions to research, the profession, industry and the community.

The BE program is of four years duration, and the degree may be awarded as a pass or an honours degree. The engineering programs have been granted full accreditation by Engineers Australia.

All Engineering degrees lead to a Bachelor of Engineering degree, with the type of engineering specified. The degree may be awarded at the Pass and Honours level.

First-year engineering students enrol in separate programs in Aeronautical, Civil, Electrical or Mechanical Engineering. There is, however, considerable commonality in the first year within the engineering programs. More than half of the programs are devoted to mathematics, physics and computer science.

Civil Engineering takes its name from the division of engineering in the Middle Ages between military and civilian works. The profession of civil engineering was recognised by the formation of the Institution of Civil Engineers (UK) in 1825. In the 19th Century, the broadening scope of engineering led to the division of civilian engineering into civil, mechanical and electrical, with further specialisations (aeronautical, chemical, industrial, materials, electronic etc) having developed in the 20th Century.

After contracting its sphere of interest over a long period of time, civil engineering is now broadening its scope with the recognition of the wider implications of its effects on modern society. Attention is given both to the interaction between civil engineering and other disciplines and to the effect of civil engineering works on the environment. Present day civil engineering has maintained strong commonality with military engineering - the design and construction of facilities such as roads, bridges, airfields, buildings, water supply and waste treatment facilities, structures of all types, and the associated planning and management of projects.

Students participate in field trips and visits to a number of engineering sites in the region as well as construction and workshop activities. The Engineering Surveying course includes a field experience with various surveying techniques and applications. All students are required to gain experience in a professional engineering organisation before their final year of study.

A Civil Engineer in the ADF may be employed in the Royal Australian Engineers Corps of the Australian Army or as an Airfield Engineering Officer in the RAAF. The degree will provide graduates with professional engineering design, construction and management skills on a broad spectrum of engineering tasks required by the Australian Defence Force. Graduates will also develop enhanced planning and decision making skills and technical expertise to provide guidance to superiors and direction to subordinates, as required of Service officers.

The Bachelor of Engineering degrees require a prescribed program structure as determined by the engineering program chosen. The BE program in Civil Engineering is firmly based on mathematics and the physical sciences in Year 1 and the engineering sciences in Year 2, leading into an engineering approach to analysis and design and engineering management in the later years. The major streams of the course are structural engineering, materials engineering, geotechnical engineering, water engineering, environmental engineering, engineering surveying, the construction of civil engineering works, transport engineering, and the management of engineering projects.

Students are encouraged to develop resourceful and innovative attitudes throughout the course, especially in their final year thesis or integrated design activities. A number of elective courses are available in the final year. Electives may be selected from courses offered in other schools subject to the approval of the Heads of Schools concerned.

The Civil Engineering degree program leads to the Bachelor of Engineering degree, and Pass and Honours classifications are determined at the conclusion of the course.

Descriptions of the courses which comprise the degree program are given in the Course Catalogue section of this Handbook. Specialisation in Civil Engineering increases as the degree program progresses.

The Practical Experience component of Thesis/Integrated Design should be completed before the start of Session 1 in the final year.

1st-Year Program

Second-Year Program

Two General Education courses worth 3UOC each.

Third-Year Program

Two General Education courses worth 3UOC each.

Final-Year program

Three electives worth 3UOC each.

1.0 Faculty Regulations for Undergraduate Students
1.1 A student must comply with the Faculty Regulations for Undergraduate Students. In the event of a conflict, the rules for the Bachelor of Engineering take precedence over the Faculty Regulations for Undergraduate Students.

2.0 Degree Requirements
2.1 The degree of Bachelor of Engineering shall be conferred as a pass degree or as an honours degree. Honours may be awarded in the following categories:
Honours Class I
Honours Class II, Division I
Honours Class II, Division II
2.2 To qualify for the degree of Bachelor of Engineering, a candidate shall normally be enrolled for a minimum of eight sessions and gain a minimum of 192 units of credit (normally 24 units in each full-time session).
2.3 A candidate completing a Standard Program shall complete courses, in the years prescribed, for all engineering students and those pertaining to one particular branch of engineering as set out in the relevant schedule.
2.4 A candidate completing a Non-Standard Program shall, subject to the requirements of Rule 2.5 (below), timetabling requirements and the approval of the appropriate Heads of School, be permitted to enrol in any one year in courses selected from more than one year of the relevant schedule.
2.5 Before a candidate’s enrolment will be accepted for any course, the candidate must have completed the relevant pre-requisite courses shown in the Course Catalogue, except where the Course Authority for the appropriate course approves otherwise.

3.0 Practical Experience Requirements
3.1 Before graduation a candidate shall complete 60 days of approved practical engineering experience which must be done in blocks of at least 20 working days each, each block being in the service of a single employer.

Note: Service Training and Practical Experience Requirements
Service training conducted during the degree program is recognised as partially satisfying practical experience requirements in the following ways:
For Naval Midshipmen, 30 days for experience gained at a defence establishment between second and third years. (Time at sea prior to arrival at UNSW@ADFA is not eligible for consideration.)
For Army Cadets, 30 days for the year spent at Royal Military College between third and fourth years.
For Air Force Cadets, 30 days for experience gained at a defence establishment between second and third years.

For information regarding fees for UNSW programs, please refer to the following website:  https://my.unsw.edu.au/student/fees/FeesMainPage.html

These regulations apply to all undergraduate degrees and are to be used in conjunction with Academic Rules and Program Information, which appear in the following section. All rules in this Handbook apply to each student who enters an undergraduate program in 2007. The rules remain applicable until the student exits their program, either by discontinuation or graduation. Students who entered a program in another year should consult the rules and regulations for that year.

1.0 Meeting degree requirements
1.1 To be eligible to graduate, a student must comply with the Faculty Regulations for Undergraduate Students and specific program rules.
1.2 Every student must complete courses as part of their degree. The requirements of a course will be outlined by its course convenor.
1.3 A student will be prevented from enrolling in a course if they have not met the prerequisites specified.
1.4 A student will be prevented from enrolling in a course if they have not met the co-requisites specified.
1.5 Students are required to complete the prescribed amount of first-year courses, or be granted the equivalent credit from a recognised tertiary institution, before enrolling in Level II or Upper- Level courses.
1.6 Students are required to complete the prescribed amount of Level II courses, or be granted the equivalent credit from a recognised tertiary institution, before enrolling in Level III courses.
1.7 Each course completed or granted as credit towards a program may be counted towards only one major/minor in that program.

2.0 Multiple enrolment
2.1 No student will be admitted into a UNSW program without the approval of the relevant Head of School if they are already enrolled in another program of study at any tertiary institution.

3.0 Study required per UOC
3.1 25-30 hours of work, including face-to-face teaching sessions and private study time, is expected for 1 UOC per session (e.g. 150-180 hours of study is expected for a 6UOC course).

4.0 Directed Studies courses
4.1 All undergraduate students must complete the Directed Studies courses ZBUS2801 Leadership and Management and ZHSS2002 Introduction to Strategic Studies (12UOC) except in the following circumstances:
4.2 Students enrolled in the BTech (Aero) or BTech (Aviation) are exempt from the Directed Studies requirement.
4.3 Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Engineering are exempt from ZBUS2801 Leadership and Management (by virtue of meeting the Leadership and Management requirement through equivalent work in the engineering schools).
4.4 Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Business are exempt from ZBUS2801 Leadership and Management.
4.5 ZHSS2002 An Introduction to Strategic Studies may be taken as part of a major or minor in History or Politics. Students who choose this option must complete an additional 6UOC Upper-Level course to make up the 144 UOC required for their Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree.
4.6 Students are exempt from ZBUS2801 Leadership and Management if they complete both ZBUS1101 Organisational Behaviour and ZBUS2302 Leadership. Students who choose this option must complete an additional 6UOC Upper-Level course to make up the 144 units of credit required for their Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree.
4.7 Any student who has completed ZBUS1101 Organisational Behaviour but not ZBUS2302 Leadership is required to take ZBUS2802 Leadership and Management (Leadership) but is exempt from enrolling in ZBUS2801 Leadership and Management and ZBUS2803 Leadership and Management (Management). Students who choose this option must complete an additional 3UOC Upper-Level course to make up the 144 units of credit required for their Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree.
4.8 Students studying the Chief of Defence Force (CDF) programs may be exempt from studying one or both Directed Studies courses. Students within CDF programs should refer to their program rules for Directed Studies requirements.

5.0 General Education courses
5.1 All undergraduate students must include 12UOC of General Education courses in their program. These courses cannot be counted towards a major or minor.
5.2 No more than two General Education courses can be taken from any discipline area, as set out in the General Education Schedule, unless exempted in the Degree Rules.
5.3 No student can take a General Education course concurrent with or subsequent to a first-year course in the same discipline area.
5.4 Normally mainstream courses may not be substituted for General Education requirements. In exceptional circumstances students may seek to substitute one first-year course (6UOC) for two GE courses. This first-year course must be substantially different in nature to the remaining mainstream courses in their degree.

6.0 Limit of Pass Conceded (PC)
6.1 A student cannot be awarded more than 18UOC for PCs.

7.0 Limitation on enrolment each semester
7.1 In any session, a student cannot enrol in more than 27 UOC without the approval of the Registrar's Nominee (Manager, Student Administrative Services).

8.0 Credit Cancellation Period
8.1 No units of credit shall count towards any award at undergraduate level if ten or more years have elapsed since a candidate accumulated the units of credit.

9.0 Credit for previous study
9.1 Credit may be granted on the basis of previous studies at a recognised tertiary institution provided a Credit for Previous Study form is submitted and approved within the credit cancellation period.
9.2 If a student believes their previous studies and/or work experience have given them the knowledge and skills taught within a core course, but they have not completed suitable studies at a recognised tertiary institution, they may seek approval from the relevant program authority to substitute this course for one outside their degree rules.

10.0 Variation of program or course requirements
10.1 Upon sufficient cause being shown, the Presiding Member, Academic Board may, in special cases, vary the requirements of the degree rules provided that any proposed variation shall be initiated by a recommendation from the relevant Head of School and the Registrar's Nominee.