About the School's Engineering Disciplines
The School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering has undergraduate degree programs in:
- Aerospace Engineering
- Manufacturing Engineering and Management
- Mechanical Engineering
- Mechatronic Engineering
- Naval Architecture
See Programs & Plan Charts to find out more about the School's programs.
WHAT ARE THESE ENGINEERING DISCIPLINES?
Aerospace Engineering is about the design, development, construction, testing and manufacture of aircraft and spacecraft.
Manufacturing Engineering and Management involves the application of scientific and engineering knowledge to the development, manufacture and distribution of all types of products.
Mechanical Engineering is an extremely diverse field covering the design, development, construction, operation and maintenance of all types of motor vehicles, aircraft and ships as well as propulsion and power plants and mechanical and robotic components used in many industries.
Mechatronic Engineering combines mechanical design skills and knowledge of control systems, microprocessors and electronics to design and build intelligent machines.
Naval Architecture is concerned with the design, construction and operation of all types of ships and marine vehicles, including commercial, recreational and military vessels.
For all of these, engineers must keep cost and safety in mind.
What do these engineers do?
As an Aerospace Engineer, you could work in the design and manufacture of light aircraft, passenger aircraft and military jets. You could also work in the airline industry on aircraft acquisitions, maintenance and configuration.
As a Manufacturing Engineer, you could work in planning and control of production; product and process design; industrial economic analysis; methods engineering; and operations research. You could use your manufacturing management skills in service industries such as banking and transport.
As a Mechanical Engineer, you could work in the automotive industry, aerospace and transport industries, power generation, refineries, insurance industries, building services, railway systems design, consumer goods design and production and management consultancies.
As a Mechatronic Engineer, you could work in a growing number of fields – many machines, from dishwashers to modern car engines, have a mechatronic component and self-guiding machines are increasingly used in the mining, agriculture and manufacturing industries.
As a Naval Architect, you might, for example, design high-speed ferries – an area in which Australia leads the world. You could be involved in vessel survey or a ship classification society. You might supervise vessel construction or trials, conduct research, or appear as an expert witness.
How much can an engineer earn?
The median starting salary for a Bachelor of Engineering graduate in full-time employment is $57,500 pa. This figure will vary depending on the demand for graduates in specific disciplines. For employment and salary statistics visit Graduate Careers Australia (GCA).
Why study engineering?
Reasons why you might want to study engineering include:
- idealism: to make the world a better place
- money: the availability of scholarships such as School scholarships and the UNSW Co-op Scholarship Program
- career: to belong to a respected profession with interesting jobs or to use your engineering degree in a non-engineering career
- ability: to do what you are good at
- enthusiasm: you might love sailing, or flying, or cars, or electronics, or inventing and making things, or taking things to pieces to see how they work. Or you might just be interested in one of the engineering disciplines we offer in the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering.
Options Chart
View the Options Chart for a graphical display of where you are starting from and possible study and career paths of our graduates.