If you are good at maths and science and enjoy that idea of raw materials being made into a great product, then Chemical Engineering at Monash could be the degree for you!
A Bachelor of Chemical Engineering (Honours) at Monash provides students with all the knowledge and skills they need to work in relevant sectors. We’ll be taking you through all the essential facts about the degree such as the various units you’ll study, what the assessments are like, societies you can join, and more.
Interested? Let’s jump in!
What is a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering (Honours) at Monash?
Core Units for this Degree
How to Get into a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering (Honours) at Monash
What’s the Teaching Format?
What’s the Faculty and Culture Like?
What is a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering (Honours) at Monash?
As a traditional stream of Engineering, Chemical Engineering will allow you to design and develop processes that transform raw materials into products — think things like medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, sustainability products and more!
The degree also has an emphasis on environmental impacts. Subjects often look at pollution control and energy conservation.
These are growing areas amongst engineering, which there is a lot of demand for in the real world. In fact, almost all sectors now need people with Chemical Engineering skills to manufacture products efficiently.
You will also get a basic understanding of things like economics, with in-depth knowledge of chemistry and physics.
Overall, this is a great degree for someone who wants to be incentives and use their skills to benefit others!
Honours and Double Degrees
Honours is automatically inbuilt to this degree. This is great, because it means that you won’t have to stress about particular marks to proceed with your final year of study. It will also make you a cut above many Engineering grads, increasing your chances of early employment.
There’s several double degrees available with a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering (Honours). Here are some of the degrees you can pair it with:
- Biomedical Science
- Pharmaceutical Science
- Law
- Arts
- Commerce
- Science
If you choose to take on a double degree, you will be setting yourself up with a range of options post uni.
Career Paths
As we have already mentioned, Chemical Engineering opens you up to a lot of different options. You could be working on production or design for a variety of products. Career sectors include:
- Food processing
- Mining
- Petrochemicals
- Pharmaceuticals
- Waste and Water
- Environment
Check out what it’s like to work as a Chemical Engineer here!
Core Units for this Degree
Though there are some electives and scope for Minors, Chemical Engineering is largely a fairly rigid degree.
You will take some general Engineering subjects in your first years if study, before getting down to your chosen pathway. You will also take your Honour research subjects in your final year.
Monash uses ‘levels’ for subjects, which roughly correlate with year groups (for example, if you’re in your third year you will be taking a lot of Level 3 subjects), however they can differ.
As you may have noticed, subjects are divided into different categories. You can find out more about your course progression here, or specific Chemical Engineering subjects here.
Common Engineering Subjects
As Monash continues to update its course, some first year subjects will be changed from October 2021. Check back here for more information then!
Engineering design: light, faster, stronger: In this course, you will look at process for analysis and design of structures and mechanisms using engineered materials. You will be taught the fundamentals of engineering through a multidisciplinary approach.
Engineering mobile apps: Students learn how to use IT in modern engineering practice. Much of this course includes working in small teams to develop a mobile app that meets current engineering needs.
Engineering design: cleaner, safer, smarter, Engineering mathematics and Computing for Engineers are other Common Engineering subjects that you will be enrolled in.
Chemical Engineering Knowledge, Application and Professional Practice
Mechanics of Fluids: In this unit, students will learn things like fluid statics and fluid flow. You will examine things like continuity and momentum equations, control volume analysis and viscous pipe flow.
Heat and mass transfer: You will be taught the mechanisms and mathematical representations of conductions, convection and radiation. You’ll also come to understand the analogies between heat and mass transfer using dimensional analysis. This is a really big topic, with a lot in it!
Process control: This is a vital part of Chemical Engineering. You will begin by understanding disturbances and their controls. You’ll also look at common control scenarios, including feedback and cascade systems.
Process design: Are you ready to learn about the inter-related themes associated with design of chemical equipment and processes? This subject has you covered. You’ll examine the four concepts of process safety, mechanical integrity, equipment selection and process operability.
Engineer in society: This one’s pretty self explanatory, but important nonetheless. You will learn how Engineers interact within employment settings, including how to collaborate and propose ideas. You’ll also learn about financial management and reporting.
Design project: Get ready to work in a team to design and evaluate a project. In this capstone unit you’ll combine all of the knowledge you’ve learnt throughout your degree to showcase your best work.
Other key Chemical Engineering subjects you will take include:
- Chemistry 1
- Material and energy balances
- Thermodynamics 1
- Advanced engineering mathematics
- Chemistry and chemical thermodynamics
- Reaction engineering
- Separation processes
- Transport phenomena and numerical methods
- Particle technology
Honours Project
The final two units make up a lot of your Honours work.
Chemical Engineering project A: In this semester-long research project, you will engage in literature reviews before laying out a proposed research method, project timetable, and risk assessment for your project.
Chemical Engineering project B: This subject follows on from the last. You will undertake experiments and research to complete your Honours project.
Professional Development
Within Monash Chemical Engineering, you must complete 420 hours of continuous professional development to graduate. These hours can be comprised of Engineering or general work, though at least half must be Engineering specific, which means you need to secure internships.
The uni doesn’t outright provide these internships for students. However, Monash equips their students with the skills they need to apply, teaching students how to write a cover letter, structure a resume and perform at interviews.
The faculty also runs workshops to assist with this, and you can get in contact with your lecturers if you’re struggling.
The Co-Operative Education Program is Monash’s flagship paid internship program, where students are supported in accessing internship opportunities with relevant industry partners.
There’s a broad array of ways to undertake the second half of your professional development. There are many activities you can count towards your 420 hours. In fact, any experience listed below can be included:
- Provides you with personal or professional skills and experience
- Any experience you participate in outside of the classroom
- One that takes place during the time you are enrolled in a Monash Engineering course
This can include paid and unpaid work, virtual internships and volunteering. You may also be an active member in a club, attend seminars, take on project work for a core unit or network.
More information is available here!
Monash as a whole offers some opportunities for students to take on internships, including through Monash Industry Team Initiative (MITI).
How to Get into a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering (Honours) at Monash
The ATAR for a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering (Honours) at Monash is currently 87. This changes year to year, and often sits around the low 90s.
You will also need to satisfy some prerequisite criteria, including having studied English with a score of at least 25 in English other than EAL, or 27 in EAL (or the equivalent for other states). You will need to have done the same for Maths, and also achieved 25 in either Chemistry of Physics.
You may also consider Monash College, which can offer you a diploma before eventually enrolling into the second year of an Engineering degree. This will add nine months to your study plan, but is a great way to get to where you want to be.
Scholarships
Monash offers an abundance of scholarships, including some targeted specifically at Engineering students.
One great one is the Women in Engineering Scholarship, which, if you’re a high-achieving female, you’ll be automatically assessed for when you apply to Engineering! There are also several scholarships for high achieving students of any background.
What’s the Teaching Format?
At Monash, you will be taught by some of the best Chemical Engineers around! Staff here are genuinely devoted to your learning and tend to be around if students need any support.
As well as this, Monash has an intuitive class structure, which we will go through now! You’ll be taught across semesters through lectures, workshops and labs.
Class Structure
Lectures
In each subject, lectures are the time where you are introduced to new topics as a cohort and there are typically around 30 to 200 students in attendance.
A lecturer will run through any important information, consider things you may find challenging, and work through visuals that explain the topic. Though lectures aren’t generally compulsory, it will really help your learning if you go.
Workshops
Workshops are held to complement lectures, allowing students to dive deeper into the content, in smaller classes of 30 students.
These also provide a collaborative learning environment, where you can work on questions with your peers. They’re a great opportunity to dive deep into challenging topics.
Labs
Labs are a key part of class for almost all units. In these, you will put theory into action! You will work in small groups to test what you have learnt into lectures and workshops.
Staff will often be there to assist you, grace you and answer questions! You won’t have a lab every week. Most subjects break 100 odd students into smaller groups, with several labs per group throughout the semester.
How much time is spent in class?
Monash recommends 4-6 contact hours per subject, with additional study in your own time. This means most semesters, you will be taking around 25 hours of scheduled class per week.
What are the assessments like?
At Monash, you can expect some hefty assessments for Chemical Engineering! You will generally have three to four assessments per subject.
Two of these will likely be exams, at the end and midway through the semester.
You can also be marked on things like lab reports and findings, research pieces or attendance and knowledge throughout the subject. Though it may seem intense, assessments are designed to help you learn all content and achieve highly!
Skills Learnt in this Degree
Because Chemical Engineering is such a broad and important degree, you will come away with a lot of key skills.
These include:
- Team work
- Leadership
- Responsibility
- Adaptability
- Critical thinking
- Maths skills
Many Chemical Engineering students feel the weight of what they are learning. It’s important, because your skills will be used to implement change in the world. However, you also have a responsibility to ensure those who use your products are safe.
You will work with classmates, making you adaptable and good at collaborating. There’s also opportunity to take leadership in assessments or societies.
Chemical Engineering is ever-changing, with different career prospects jumping up on the regular! You can use your degree to jump on new trends, which requires some adaptability.
What’s the Faculty and Culture Like?
Monash boasts an incredibly welcoming Engineering sector. There are many students ready to make friends and encourage their cohort.
On a faculty level, staff are highly specialised in their fields and regularly available to assist students.
“The faculty is very helpful, even if when you ask them questions whoever you are talking to cannot immediately help you, they get back to you, so that’s appreciated.” — Romalya Ranasinghe
Societies
There are several societies you can join as a Chemical Engineering student at Monash.
The Society of Monash University Chemical Engineers (SMUCE) is one of the biggest, where students are able to meet each other. There are often organised fun activities like trivia or pub nights.
SMUCE can also connect students with professionals through industry networking events, including weekly seminars. You can find out about jobs through SMUCE postings, too. And just for good measure, you can enjoy an annual ball!
You could also look at Female Engineers at Monash (FEM) which invites women to support each other through their degree. There are a variety of social and industry event available to the 500 members.
If you are interested in broader societies, you can check them out here!
Accessibility at Monash
Accessibility is important at Monash, particularly for involving students in campus life and classes. At the simplest level, Monash provides navigation on its online platforms so that all students can use sites freely, increasing independence.
You can also find a number of disability support services at the university, which are available for any ongoing physical or mental condition. You can register for assistance if you’d like to find out more.
As students progress through their degree, Monash also offers GradWISE, which is a program created to help students with a disability gain employment.
Mentoring
Engineering at Monash has a number of associated mentorships for students.
Peer Assisted Study Session (PASS) provides tutorials on specific units for 12 to 30 students at a time. The leaders of these groups are peers who know the content well. This program is university-wide and offered for many different subjects.
Friends and Mentors in Engineering (FAME) is specific to Engineering students. It provides all first year students with a mentor from the faculty. This will help you not only on an academic level, but to be eased into uni social life and understand campus.
Now you know everything about a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering at Monash, it’s time to start considering if this is the right degree for you!
Lucinda Garbutt-Young hopes to one day be writing for a big-shot newspaper… or maybe just for a friendly magazine in the arts sector. Right now, she is enjoying studying a Bachelor of Public Communication (Public Relations and Journalism) at UTS while she writes on the side. She also loves making coffees for people in her job as a barista, and loves nothing more than a sun shower.
