The Master of Professional Engineering (Civil)* is a flexible degree that will allow you to fast-track your career in civil engineering. You will develop the strategic and technical skills required to tackle ‘wicked problems’, applying design thinking and systems engineering principles to develop solutions that are both innovative and ethical.

The program offers three unique pathways:

For accredited engineers looking to advance their skills: We offer a 1-year program for graduates of a University of Newcastle Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) degree, or equivalent. You can advance your skills at postgraduate level.

For engineers seeking recognition in Australia: We offer a 2-year program for international students seeking professional recognition from Engineers Australia and the Washington Accord, or those looking to extend their engineering and professional expertise in an Australian context.

For other STEM graduates looking to make a career change: We offer a 3-year program for students whose undergraduate degree is NOT in engineering, but in a related STEM area. This program will qualify you as an engineer, professionally recognised by Engineers Australia.

* This program has been granted provisional accreditation through Engineers Australia.

Why study with us?

Designed around you: choose up to four courses in an area outside of engineering. Diversify your skills in areas such as business, design, or entrepreneurship.
Relevant in the real world: connect with business through industry-based projects, guest lectures, mentorship and case studies.[2]
Ready for your future, ready for the world: our professional practice and leadership courses will help you develop skills in project management, complex problem solving, innovation and communications. Choose a major project that’s linked to industry or focused on research.
Recognised by industry and globally: take your career anywhere in the world with international recognition through Engineers Australia and the Washington Accord.[3] The Academic Ranking of World Universities ranks UON in the Top 300 for Civil Engineering.[4]
Powerful learning: our smaller student cohort means you’ll have greater access to teaching staff and be part of a close-knit student community.

Limits apply depending on the background of the individual and the discipline they now wish to specialise in
Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching www.qilt.edu.au
This program has been granted provisional accreditation through Engineers Australia.
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UON graduate Mark Arkinstall in front of the blue 'Watercube' in Beijing

Imagine if ‘work’ meant engineering a megastructure! UON civil engineering grad Mark Arkinstall worked on the Beijing’s Watercube.

Call 1800 882 121
Outside Australia call +61 2 4921 8856

Call +61 2 4913 8300
Inside Australia call 1800 882 121

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What you will study

You can choose to deepen your skills through advanced civil engineering courses in areas such as hydrology, land surface process and management, or geotechnical and geo-environmental engineering, or broaden your skill base with complimentary management courses in natural disasters, business and the environment as well as project planning, entrepreneurship and innovation. You will also complete a year-long advanced civil engineering project (design-based or theoretical – the choice is yours), which can potentially be linked to industry.

Core courses

1-year students

MPE Thesis A
MPE Thesis B
Engineering Complexity

2-year students

Managing Engineering Projects
Reinforced Concrete Design
Steel Design
Theory of Structures 2
Advanced Analysis for Design
Geomechanics 2
Hydrology
Water Engineering
Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
MPE Thesis A
MPE Thesis B
Engineering Complexity
Core Design 1
Core Design 2

3-year students

Numerical Methods
Engineering Probabilities
Theory of Structures 1
Civil Engineering Materials
Introduction to Geomechanics
Fluid Mechanics
Transportation Engineering and Design
Managing Engineering Projects
Reinforced Concrete Design
Steel Design
Theory of Structures 2
Advanced Analysis for Design
Geomechanics 2
Hydrology
Water Engineering
Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
MPE Thesis A
MPE Thesis B
Engineering Complexity
Core Design 1
Core Design 2

Directed courses

From a list of directed courses, all students choose a minimum of five courses. Examples include:

Infrastructure Development
Sustainable Development
Advanced Structural Analysis
Computational Mechanics
Geotechnical Risk Analysis

Elective specialisation courses

3-year students choose one elective. This can be a course from the directed courses list, but can also be chosen from other areas.

Program structure

1-year program: You will take advanced engineering courses and choose electives to broaden your skill base and enhance your employability. By gaining a highly relevant postgraduate degree you will accelerate your career, opening up opportunities to work at a more senior level.

2-year program: Your study program is designed to build on your prior studies and develop the core technical competencies to ensure you qualify for professional recognition from Engineers Australia* and the Washington Accord. If you are already a qualified engineer in Australia, this advanced engineering program will broaden your skill base allowing for enhanced specialisation in your field and boost your employability. You will choose to focus on areas such as:

Water Engineering
Steel Design
Geomechanics
Hydrology
Advanced Structural Analysis

3-year program: This program provides the perfect pathway to transfer your prior knowledge in science, physics, mathematics or chemistry into an engineering context. You will gain a highly sought-after professional qualification and benefit from the high salaries and job opportunities that engineers enjoy.

* This program has been granted provisional accreditation through Engineers Australia.

Program plans

Download a program plan for further details on your degree's structure and what courses you will study.

These program plans are applicable to new students. Current students should refer to the program handbook to access the plan relevant to the year they commenced.

2019-2020 Semester 1 & Semester 2 Program Plan - Pathway C 233.2 KB Commencing in Semester 1 or Semester 2 2019
2019-2020 Semester 1 & Semester 2 Program Plan - Pathway B 209.9 KB Commencing in Semester 1 or Semester 2 2019
2019-2020 Semester 1 & Semester 2 Program Plan - Pathway A 223.8 KB Commencing in Semester 1 or Semester 2 2019

View the full course list

Career opportunities

Engineers work on a huge range of tasks in many different environments – industries like electronics, energy, food, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, construction, environmental health and transportation. Engineering continues to be one of the most in-demand qualifications in the world, with many countries desperate to fill a shortage of professional skills in this field.

A Master of Professional Engineering will open up even more varied career opportunities, empowering you to take on a leadership role, start your own business or manage major engineering projects.

Salaries: As an engineer you’ll be valued and well rewarded. Starting salaries average around $80,000p.a. In 2015, 85% of our engineers had jobs when they graduated - making the University of Newcastle one of the top 2 universities in NSW for graduate employment rates.
Flexibility: Some engineers work 9-5 in an office, others fly-in-fly out from a project site. You might prefer hands-on fieldwork, design and development, or managing people and projects.
Global opportunities: As a qualified engineer you can travel the world and work almost anywhere you choose. Professional recognition through Engineers Australia lets you work in places such as Canada, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Russia, Turkey, the UK and the USA.

Call 1800 882 121
Outside Australia call +61 2 4921 8856

Call +61 2 4913 8300
Inside Australia call 1800 882 121

Enquire

Master of Professional Engineering (Civil)