CSU ENGINEERING
ENGINEERING… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
Engineering — but not as you know it
Ready to change the world?
READY TO CHANGE THE WORLD?
WHERE WOULD WE BE WITHOUT ENGINEERS? FROM BUILDING URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE TO UNDERSTANDING OUR ENVIRONMENT, MAKING INDUSTRY MORE EFFICIENT TO HARNESSING NEW TECHNOLOGIES, ENGINEERS IN EVERY FIELD SHARE A SINGLE PASSION… MAKING THINGS BETTER.
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AT CHARLES STURT UNIVERSITY (CSU) WE’VE LOOKED AT HOW WE CAN MAKE THINGS BETTER TOO… New in 2016, the CSU Engineering course has been designed to provide a learning experience like no other. Over five-anda-half years, a select cohort – limited to just 50 students – will gain the skills, insight and experience needed to build a career. You’ll reach this goal through a unique combination of group-based campus learning, four one-year paid work placements and online tuition. When you graduate, with a Bachelor of Technology and with a Master of Engineering (Civil Systems), you’ll be ready to make your mark in your chosen field. Like the best engineering solutions, CSU Engineering’s innovative curriculum has been designed to meet a specific purpose – to ensure our graduates are more than ready to start their industry careers. We’re not your traditional engineering school, and that means we’re looking to provide opportunities for ‘not your traditional’ students. If you’re a problem solver with a passion to change the world and really make a difference, join us at CSU and design the future you want.
Engineering — but not as you know it
Don’t just learn it, live it
DON’T JUST LEARN IT, LIVE IT
AT CSU, YOU WON’T JUST BE LEARNING ENGINEERING, YOU’LL BE LIVING IT. DURING THE FIRST PHASE OF THE COURSE, OVER 18 MONTHS YOU’LL ENJOY INNOVATIVE FACE-TO-FACE LEARNING ON OUR VIBRANT CAMPUS AT BATHURST.
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We have purpose-built a state-of-the-art engineering building, which has been constructed with new ways of learning in mind. Rather than lectures, you’ll participate in group-learning workshops that will challenge your thinking and provide plenty of practical experience. You’ll make things, break things and then make them better. The new centre includes collaborative learning zones, a maker studio, project spaces and workshops, and even a pitch zone where you’ll be sharpening your entrepreneurial and communication skills.
ENGINEERS WITHOUT BORDERS AUSTRALIA CHALLENGE One of the highlights of your first year will be the Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Australia Challenge. Working as part of a team, you’ll have the opportunity to develop conceptual designs for humanitarian engineering projects that can make a real difference to community health, well-being and opportunity in Australia and overseas. The challenge can include projects as diverse as water supply and sanitation, energy and transport, permaculture and infrastructure.
FOUR YEARS OF PAID WORK PLACEMENTS There’s no business like real business. After 18 months, you’ll have the basics under your belt and you’ll be ready for your first venture into paid employment. Our unique course structure includes four one-year paid work placements, more than any other engineering degree in Australia. While you’ll continue to study the underpinning theory online, these placements give you the opportunity to develop your knowledge and skills with real-world experience. CSU has a growing list of industry partners who share our vision for developing the engineers of tomorrow. We are working to arrange placements with local, metropolitan, interstate and international organisations where you will have the opportunity to contribute to problem solving and gain understanding and experience of the business side of the industry. It’s all about giving you the opportunity to develop your skills, even as you bring a fresh perspective to the operations of our industry partners.
Engineering — but not as you know it
Engineering that means business
ENGINEERING THAT MEANS BUSINESS
OUR COURSE HAS BEEN DESIGNED IN CONSULTATION WITH INDUSTRY PARTNERS TO MEET REAL-WORLD BUSINESS NEEDS, AND WILL SEE YOU GRADUATE WITH AN IN-DEMAND MIX OF THEORETICAL KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE.
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CSU Engineering is the only Australian engineering course housed within a Faculty of Business. This unique approach means as well as technical excellence, you’ll be learning entrepreneurial communications and financial management skills, which will position you to take a leading role in your chosen field.
MIX IT WITH THE BEST With cohorts of just 50 students, CSU Engineering is aiming to ensure that when you study with us you learn with and from the best. We know innovative thinking isn’t limited to the ‘traditional’ engineer’s profile so we actively encourage applications from women, non-school leavers, regional and Indigenous students. It’s just one more way CSU Engineering will be giving you an unforgettable learning experience.
GET A HEAD START ON THE REST With four years of practical, paid experience behind you by the time you graduate, we believe you’ll be streets ahead in career-readiness. Even before you graduate, you’ll have accelerated progress towards acquiring competencies of a chartered professional engineer (CPEng), fast-tracking your path to being an autonomous professional. What’s more, the additional time afforded by a Masters level qualification will see you achieve much more than the industry’s minimum entry requirements.
Engineering — but not as you know it
Create your own path
CREATE YOUR OWN PATH
YOUR EXPERIENCE AT CSU ENGINEERING WILL BE LIKE NO OTHER. WORKSHOPS INSTEAD OF LECTURES. PROJECTS INSTEAD OF EXAMS. OUR TOPIC TREE INSTEAD OF SEMESTER-LONG SUBJECTS. ADD FOUR YEARS OF PAID WORK PLACEMENT, AND YOU WILL GRADUATE WITH SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE THAT SET YOU APART.
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You start your engineering journey as a Student Engineer with 18 months on campus at our purpose-built facility. Our problem-based curriculum will see you complete a sequence of three semesterlong projects, each addressing real-world engineering issues. The next step is undertaking four oneyear paid work placements as a Cadet Engineer. You will build a portfolio of real world projects completed throughout your placements, including two thesis projects where you are accountable for delivering tangible outcomes to a client. During your time with CSU you will be mentored – both by CSU Engineering and your placement organisations. We are able to provide this unique one-on-one support due to the small number of students we accept each year. You will find this makes an enormous difference to your confidence and growth as an engineer.
CREATE YOUR OWN PATH
CHALLENGE ZERO - A FLYING START Your first challenge is building a Rube Goldberg machine. Form teams and go on a hunt to find any object you can and re-purpose it into a section of the machine. Join it together with other team’s machines and cross your fingers in the hope it runs with ‘no touches.’ This challenge introduces you to CSU Engineering – our culture, our expectations and our team. It’s also a great way to get to know your fellow Student Engineers.
CHALLENGE ONE - HELP CHANGE THE WORLD
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CSU Engineering participates annually in the Engineers Without Border Challenge, a humanitarian engineering design competition where student engineers aim to improve the quality of life for people all around the world. Working in teams, you will create and present a solution to a real humanitarian issue. This challenge helps you to develop a humanitarian mindset, and gives you experience in human-centred design − a core value of CSU Engineering.
Engineering — but not as you know it
In 2016, a team of CSU Student Engineers won the National EWB Challenge, in a field of over 8,000 students from 30 universities across Australia and New Zealand.
CHALLENGE TWO - DREAM BIG Round out your first year as a Student Engineer with this challenge. A session-long team based activity, you will work for a virtual client tackling real world issues with social, environmental, economic and human dimensions. You will be able to present your solution to both technical and non-technical audiences. In 2016 our Student Engineers developed a proposal for a Bathurst Olympic Village. This design accounted for both the short-term needs of an elite sporting event, but also the longer term infrastructure needs of the local population.
CHALLENGE THREE - THE NEXT STEP In this session-long practical project, you will work with a real client to design a solution to an engineering problem. This challenge will fine-tune your project planning, stakeholder management, designing, implementing and reviewing skills, preparing you for your first work placement. In 2017 one of our team projects was to recycle Oregon timber grain silos into residential apartments.
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THE TOPIC TREE
BUILD ON YOUR EXPERIENCE
The Topic Tree is the core of our engineering curriculum. Containing around 1,000 topics averaging 3 hours in length, the Topic Tree covers a range of specialties within civil engineering.
Each subsequent placement builds on your experience and opens up a different branch of the Topic Tree. As you complete your Topic Tree subjects, you will be able to complete your portfolio of real-world engineering experience.
You will complete subject branches on the tree with interconnecting topics within each branch. The completion of your first 240 topics will ensure you are ready for work as a Cadet Engineer on placement.
INTO THE WORKFORCE During the start of your second year you will be either matched with one of our Industry Partners, or you will find one of your own. As a Cadet Engineer, you will live and breathe engineering for the next four years. One day dedicated to study, four days on the job. Your portfolio and theses will draw from the work you do during your placement.
SUPPORT CSU Engineering will ensure your host organisation understands its responsibilities and obligations toward you and your progression. Your host organisation will be committed to your success, mentoring you during your time with them.
A GRADUATE LIKE NO OTHER At the end of your time with CSU Engineering, you will graduate an engineer like no other. Unique, innovative, agile and experienced.
YOUR FUTURE WITH A WORLD LEADER In 2017 CSU Engineering was one of a small group of universities chosen to be part of a benchmarking study that will be used to reform undergraduate engineering education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
‘CHARLES STURT UNIVERSITY IS AMONG A SMALL GROUP OF UNIVERSITIES RECOGNIZED AS A WORLD LEADER IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION.’ Ian A Waitz Dean of Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
MORE ABOUT THE COURSE
AT CSU ENGINEERING THERE ARE NO PREREQUISITES OR ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR APPLICANTS. BECAUSE WE’RE LOOKING FOR A DIFFERENT KIND OF ENGINEER, WE CAN ACCEPT STUDENTS WITH DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS, AND WE WILL DESIGN OUR STUDENT WORKGROUPS TO ENSURE THE RIGHT MIX OF PEOPLE WITH A DIVERSE MIX OF TALENTS.
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Over five-and-a-half years, the CSU Engineering course will see you graduate with two degrees: Bachelor of Technology and Master of Engineering (Civil Systems) and an impressive portfolio of work competencies and experience.
Engineering — but not as you know it
WE’VE PLANNED THE COURSE IN THREE PHASES: The curriculum is built on three pillars: a Challenge / Project / Thesis pillar; a Performance Planning and Review pillar; and a mastery of topics from the Topic Tree pillar. The look and feel of each pillar will be very similar from year to year; however, the level of knowledge and skill demonstrated by the Student Engineers in their portfolio is expected to increase each session, reaching (and exceeding) the Engineers Australia Professional Engineer competencies by the end of stage three.
Phase One (18 months) Experience three sessions of face-to-face, group-based learning in our purpose-built facilities on CSU’s Bathurst Campus. Setting the pace for the rest of the course, Phase One introduces you to the three learning pillars. At the end of Phase One, you’ll be ready to step into your first of four one-year paid work placements. Phase Two (2 years) The three learning pillars continue as you develop your skills and knowledge while you’re embedded in paid workplace positions with our industry partners. As you start to develop your portfolio and work towards your Cornerstone Thesis, you will continue online study of the underpinning theory and develop your skills through Performance Planning and Review. Phase Three (2 years) As your career continues in paid employment, you will have the opportunities to implement and further develop your skills as a professional engineer. As you consolidate your engineering portfolio and work towards your Capstone Thesis, you will continue to study advanced and specialist topics in civil engineering online as you grow from cadet to professional engineer.
COURSE OUTLINE
Session 1 Session 2
Phase 3
Phase 2
Session 3
Face-to-face
Phase 1
Project and Portfolio Based Learning Pillar
1st Work Placement
2nd Work Placement
3rd Work Placement
4th Work Placement
Performance Planning and Review Pillar
Civil Engineering Topic Tree Pillar
Engineering Challenge 0: 2pt Engineering Challenge 1: 14pt Engineering Challenge 2: 14pt Engineering Challenge 3: 14pt Engineering Portfolio – Introductory: 14pt Engineering Portfolio – Developing: 14pt Engineering Cornerstone Thesis: 24pt Engineering Portfolio – Consolidating: 14pt Engineering Portfolio – Advanced: 14pt Engineering Capstone Thesis: 32pt
Performance Planning & Review – Student Engineer: 4pt
Topic Tree – Student Engineer: 48pt
Performance Planning & Review – Junior Cadet: 6pt
Performance Planning & Review – Intermediate Cadet: 6pt
Topic Tree – Cadet Engineer: 72pt
Performance Planning & Review – Senior Cadet: 6pt Performance Planning & Review – Professional Engineer: 4pt Engineering Portfolio – Professional: 2pt
PROJECT AND PORTFOLIO BASED LEARNING PILLAR Practical, project-based learning includes realistic challenges during your first 18 months on campus, as well as real projects brought from work placements and your theses over the next four years. You’ll build a portfolio that shows the work you’ve done, the knowledge and skills you’ve acquired, along with a reflective self-assessment of your learning.
PERFORMANCE PLANNING AND REVIEW PILLAR As you grow from student engineer to professional engineer, these subjects play an important role in your development as a reflective practitioner. This part of the curriculum is about providing both you and the academic with a reality check
Advanced Topics in Civil Engineering: 16pt
to help you maintain your progress at an appropriate rate. It also helps maintain balance between project-based learning and mastery-learning pillars of engineering theory.
CIVIL ENGINEERING TOPIC TREE PILLAR The Topic Tree is all about giving you the power to build your knowledge to fit your own learning needs. Rather than being constrained by subjects that define when and where you learn particular material, your engagement with the Topic Tree will be motivated by the practical challenges of your project-based learning during your first three sessions, and then in parallel with your industry work placements for the remainder of the degree. So you can harvest knowledge on a ‘just-in-time’ rather than a ‘just-in-case’ basis.
WHERE WILL YOUR JOURNEY TAKE YOU?
AS A CSU ENGINEERING GRADUATE, THE WORLD WILL BE YOURS FOR THE MAKING. THROUGH YOUR STUDY AND WORK PLACEMENTS YOU MAY ALREADY HAVE FOUND YOUR PLACE OR YOU MAY CHOOSE TO WORK TOWARDS DEVELOPING YOUR SPECIALISATION. HERE ARE JUST SOME OF THE CAREER PATHS YOU COULD CHOOSE.
Engineering — but not as you know it
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CIVIL ENGINEERS
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS
Civil engineers help shape the structures and projects we see around us every day. These critical pieces of infrastructure may include roads and bridges, buildings, gas and water supply, sewerage systems or transport such as railways and airports. As a civil engineer, you’ll be looking at materials to best meet design aims and specifications. You’ll also be considering project challenges such as safety, economic and environmental impacts.
Structural engineers focus on ensuring structures are built to withstand natural and man-made pressures such as wind, waves and earthquakes or vehicular or human traffic. Structural engineering can be experimental, investigating innovative solutions for construction, often working alongside engineers in other disciplines such as mechanical or electrical engineering.
GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERS Geotechnical engineers are a specialist area of civil engineering primarily involved with the engineering behaviour of earth and rock materials, often as the first step in investigation and design of civil projects. The principles of soil and rock mechanics determine the relevant engineering, mechanical and chemical properties of earth materials to facilitate analysis and design of foundations, tunnels, excavations, slopes, pavements, water retention and other earth structures.
WATER ENGINEERS Water engineers or hydraulic engineers make a special contribution to life in one of the world’s most arid countries. Work in this field extends beyond infrastructure of water delivery, to waste and water treatment, water quality, flood mitigation, controlling watercourses or protecting coastal environments.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
AS A CSU ENGINEERING GRADUATE, YOU COULD… DEVELOP AND MANAGE CLEAN WATER PROJECTS FOR REMOTE COMMUNITIES GUARD AGAINST EARTHQUAKE DAMAGE AND ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS – EVEN FOR NUCLEAR REACTORS DESIGN THE STRUCTURE OF ONE OF THE WORLD’S TALLEST SKYSCRAPERS CUT DOWN ON AIRPORT DELAYS BY DESIGNING A BETTER RUNWAY SYSTEM BRING AN ENGINEERING PERSPECTIVE TO THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE MAP POTENTIAL LANDSLIDES AND EARTHQUAKES HELP CONTROL WATER COURSES, INCLUDING FLOOD MITIGATION ENSURE STRUCTURES ARE BUILT TO WITHSTAND NATURAL PRESSURES, SUCH AS WIND, WAVES AND EARTHQUAKES CHANGE THE WORLD IN WAYS ONLY YOU COULD IMAGINE…
Engineering — but not as you know it
Frequently asked questions
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What can I do to increase my chances of being selected for this course? CSU is looking for students with a passion to become engineers who can make a difference in the world. An important part of this is having a vision for what engineering is, and what it can be. It is advantageous to do your research about the profession, and the way in which engineering makes the world a better place, so that you understand how you may make your own contribution.
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Do I need to be an Australian citizen? Yes. This course is currently available only to Australian and New Zealand citizens and permanent residents. What type of placements will I get? We will have a range of placement opportunities for our students. There will be both private and public sector positions which will span the full range of civil engineering disciplines. Where will I undertake the placements? CSU’s Bathurst Campus is located in regional NSW, and has strong industry links within the region where many of our placements will be arranged. We aim to support a variety of opportunities for our student engineers and will also seek to offer metropolitan, interstate and international placements. Are the industry placements arranged by Faculty, or do I need to source these? We certainly encourage students to show initiative and source their own placements; however CSU will also ensure there is an adequate number of placements available. Placements will not be automatically allocated to students; you will be expected to apply competitively to the host organisations and be selected for these positions.
Are the industry placements set at a standard pay rate? Or are they set by the host employer? There will be a minimum pay rate for placements set in accordance with the Professional Australia guidelines. Employers will be free to offer a higher salary if they would like to; this will be up to you and the organisations to negotiate. What kind of support will I receive while on their placement? Every placement includes a designated study day each week, so you can focus on the academic aspects of your studies. Every host organisation will have a designated mentor to guide you through your placement, and assist you in combining your academic studies with your practical engineering work. During work placements, you will continue to work in groups with your colleagues, putting the teamwork and problem solving skills you developed on campus to practical use. Is accommodation available in Bathurst? All CSU Engineering students are guaranteed an offer of 18 months on campus accommodation for the face-to-face component of the degree. Can I defer my place in the course? No. To facilitate managing our industry placement pipeline, this course can currently not be deferred.
HOW TO APPLY
BECAUSE WE ARE A NON-TRADITIONAL SCHOOL, WE HAVE A NON-TRADITIONAL SELECTION PROCESS – WE’RE NOT RECRUITING STUDENTS, WE’RE HIRING STUDENT ENGINEERS.
Engineering — but not as you know it
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All applicants will be required to submit the Supplementary Application Form along with their application. This form allows us to learn more about your passion and vision for engineering, allowing us to treat you as a person, not just a number. The link to the application form and application process can be found at: www.csu.edu.au/courses/engineeringcivil-systems Shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview, and successful applicants will be selected based on this. Interviews will take place in Bathurst, with successful UAC applicants receiving offers commencing in the December round and continuing in the January rounds. The top applicants will receive unconditional offers, so no matter what your eventual ATAR may be, you’ll be assured of your place at CSU. You can also apply directly to CSU at: www.csu.edu.au/courses/engineeringcivil-systems. Shortlisted direct applicants will be invited for an interview and those applicants who are successful at interview will receive their offer directly from CSU.
SCHOLARSHIPS CSU is currently working with donors and industry partners to develop CSU Engineering scholarships. In addition, there are other University-wide scholarships such as the CSU Excellence Scholarships and the CSU Accommodation Equity Scholarship that you may be eligible to apply for. Visit: futurestudents.csu.edu.au/help-withcosts for further details.
CSU STUDY LINK If you feel you may be under-prepared in mathematics, CSU’s STUDY LINK offers a Mathematics for Calculus program as well as other short programs that can bring you up to speed.
CAMPUS LIFE – IT’S NOT ALL HARD WORK CSU Engineering is offered exclusively through our campus in the NSW regional centre of Bathurst. As a student at CSU you can enjoy an exciting social life both on and off campus. The fun starts in Orientation Week when you will meet your fellow students and get a taste of the wide range of clubs and special interest groups, sports, events and a calendar of activities that will keep you occupied and entertained throughout your time at CSU. We’re proud to be part of the local community and in Bathurst you’ll find restaurants, shopping and nightlife, vibrant community organisations, sporting competitions, and above all, a friendly welcome. At every step, Student Support is here to help you negotiate your path through your degree… and through campus life. Find out more at: futurestudents.csu.edu.au/ unilife
CAN WE HELP?
FOR MORE COURSE DETAILS AND TO DOWNLOAD THE SUPPLEMENTARY APPLICATION FORM: www.csu.edu.au/engineering 1800 334 733 facebook.com/CSUStudentEngineers @CSU_Engineering
ENGINEERING… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT