About the Naval Architecture Discipline

Naval Architecture is concerned with the design, construction and operation of all types of ships and marine vehicles. These include commercial vessels (such as cargo vessels, container vessels, tankers, fishing vessels, tugs, dredges, pilot boats, offshore supply vessels, oil rigs, and passenger and vehicle ferries), recreational vessels (such as yachts, cruisers and runabouts) or military vessels (such as frigates, patrol vessels, minehunters, submarines and amphibious support craft).

Naval architecture consultancies are significant employers of naval architects. Their work in the field of high-speed ferries has been particularly successful and Australia holds a leading position worldwide in the design and construction of fast passenger craft. Government departments, both state and federal, employ naval architects, as do ship classification societies such as Lloyd's Register and Det Norske Veritas. Naval architects supervise the construction of vessels to ensure that the contract specifications are met. They are employed by ship owners and repairers, and can be involved in the maintenance, repair and modification of existing vessels. They can conduct tests and trials, be involved in marine research, write software, and appear as expert witnesses.

Our naval architecture undergraduate degree plan shares its first two years with the other four in the School and no choice is required until third year. The Faculty flexible first year entry allows even more choice of program during the first two semesters. Final year features a concentration on the design of yachts and high-speed craft, two areas in which Australia is doing well, as well as the student's own design project. Many combined degrees are available too, as are postgraduate coursework and research degrees.

Undergraduate Degrees

For information on
      •  common years 1 and 2 of our BE degrees
      •  combined degrees
      •  scholarships
see Prospective Undergraduate Students.

Postgraduate Degrees

For information on
      •  general postgraduate coursework degrees
see Prospective Postgraduate Coursework Students.
Note: There are no specific naval architecture options for coursework programs.

For information on
      •  postgraduate research degrees
      •  research topics in the naval architecture field
      •  scholarships
see Prospective Postgraduate Research Students.

Staff

For information on staff in the Naval Architecture discipline, go to Staff and sort by “Research Group” or “Research Area”.

Laboratories

For information on laboratory and computing facilities, see Labs & Computing.

Research Activities

For information on current research activities, go to
      •  Staff and sort by “Research Group” or “Research Area”
      •  Research & Publications

Consulting & Testing

Consulting and testing for industry is available via MECHLAB @ UNSW.