If you’ve read up on what it’s like studying a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) at QUT and now you’re looking for an in-depth personal opinion on the course, you’ve come to the right place.
We got to talk to Shlok, a QUT Engineering student, who walked us through the ins and outs of the degree. The pros and cons, the good and the bad and the ups and downs.
Let’s get started!
Why should you study an Engineering degree at QUT?
Top 3 Pros of an Engineering Degree
Top 3 Cons of an Engineering Degree
Mistakes You Shouldn’t Make
Things to Know Before Starting QUT Engineering
What Makes this Degree Different
Motivations for Studying QUT Engineering
Potential Career Paths
Why should you study an Engineering degree at QUT?
“What I really like about this degree is that the degree is all about teamwork and team projects, something that you kind of expect in an engineering field.
“Normally, a lot of people would expect that engineering is just physics and maths and doing problems, but at QUT you actually get to apply this knowledge in real world applications, for example building, making circuits and using that knowledge and doing it with a team is really enjoyable,” Shlok highlighted.
The Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) at QUT is a 4-year undergraduate degree for budding engineers searching for a practical program that offers a wide range of options when it comes to majors and minors. You’ll become familiar with all the nuts and bolts of engineering while gaining valuable industry-level experience in QUT’s state of the art facilities and professional equipment.
Get ready to live as an engineer as your studies span across QUT’s laboratories and the classroom. You’ll get to test your brilliant ideas in the lab and get your smarts on in the classroom where you’ll learn from your superiors and gain the important knowledge to back up your hypotheses. You can be certain that you’ll gain an extensive, hands-on education to prepare you for the engineering industry once you graduate.
As long as you continue to receive commendable marks, you’ve gotten yourself a one way ticket to graduating Engineering with Honours. As its name suggests, the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) at QUT combines the Engineering undergraduate program with an in-built Honours course.
Top 3 Pros of an Engineering degree
#1: Develops practical skills
According to Shlok, one of Engineering at QUT’s defining factors is the value placed on developing essential transferable and lifelong skills. Through the varying coursework, assessments, experiments and readings, you’ll graduate confident in the knowledge that you’ve got what it takes to score that full-time gig you’ve got your eyes on.
“It provides opportunities to develop foundational skills and knowledge that I need in my career. QUT is kind of known for real world applications, so how we apply knowledge in the real world,” Shlok explained.
He added, “Even in first year, we’re encouraged to think outside the box and all of our assessments, projects and assignments are based on a real project.”
You’ll get to refine valuable skills like problem solving, critical thinking, innovation and analysis, all super important in the engineering industry.
#2: Interactive classes and content
In the past couple years, words like lockdown, isolation and Zoom classes have overtaken classic uni culture. Whatever happened to being able to blame delayed trains for absences and getting to sit face-to-face with those slightly irritating group members?!
If you’re ready to get back into the swing of things… and possibly leave your pyjamas at home for tutorials, QUT’s Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) would be perfect.
Shlok told us that students at QUT are always encouraged to interact and genuinely engage in classrooms and with their peers.
“It provides lots of interactive opportunities to engage with other students face to face. Teamwork and team projects are what Engineering is all about!” Shlok said.
You’ll be getting involved with this interactive content through weekly tutorials and lectures, so get ready to be on campus for at least 15 hours a week to get through it all.
“On a weekly basis, we cover each topic regarding Engineering. It depends which Engineering degree you choose but for first years, everything is going to be constant for everyone. For example, we start with elementary physics and try to work our way up. By second year, it just divides into what major you’re doing,” Shlok explained.
#3: Passionate tutors (with actually helpful feedback)
Not only will you have access to accomplished engineers as your tutors but they’re also genuinely looking out for you to ensure you’ve got your head around everything. As long as you take the initiative to ask questions, they’re always going to be there to help out.
Shlok mentioned that these helpful attitudes span across the entire QUT Engineering community!
“It’s a really good community I would say. In our faculty, there’s a lot of groups regarding different majors. So, there’s electrical, there’s civil, there’s mechanical, and these societies encourage us to be a part of them and also partake in the events so that we’re able to grow connections with the people from the industry.”
You can take a look at all the Clubs and Societies at QUT right here!
Top 3 Cons of an Engineering degree
#1: It’s a degree that requires a lot of hard work
As we all know, performing well in an Engineering degree is no easy task! It’s a program that requires a lot of study, hard work and commitment.
“For most people, the course here is quite difficult. As I said, we have to apply it to the real world and applying the theory to a real application is quite daunting and quite unsettling at first,” he said.
Shlok added, “Obviously, you’ll get more experience as you do more but to start, it’s quite challenging to apply the theory work to impact the real world.”
So, it’s quite a fast paced environment and it may feel like you’re being thrown into the deep end. But this hard work at first is really going to help you in the long run. Don’t let this aspect discourage you! It’ll all be worth it.
#2: Large assignment weightings
“The second is assignment weighting. So this is quite a personal one because, for instance, we actually have an assignment this semester where we have to make a crane. Our group spent about 80-90% of the time working on that one project and it was probably only about 20% of our grade,” he pointed out.
As Shlok explained, the actual practical stuff, in this case, was worth far less than the theoretical side of the assignment. So don’t miss out on those important theory classes! They’ll come in handy.
Still, like any university course, you can expect your assignments to vary significantly. Some will test you on your practical skills while others will focus on your theoretical knowledge. You can expect to be required to give presentations, complete group work and create informed hypotheses.
#3: Shlok couldn’t name a third!
There you go, folks. So far, Shlok has loved his degree and has felt like its pros far outweigh its cons. If you’re pondering the prospect of studying the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) at QUT, let this be your sign!
You got this. Also, keep in mind that everyone has a different experience at uni. The parts that Shlok hasn’t loved, may be the aspects that best work for you!
Any regrets?
Shlok told us that while he doesn’t have any regrets about taking the actual course per se, he admits that he wishes he had gotten involved in faculty events and networking opportunities earlier than he did.
“Our faculty has provided us with the opportunity to meet people from the industry and join clubs. As a first year, I didn’t really know what I was doing so I didn’t join the Chemical Process Engineering Club like I was supposed to,” he said.
Here’s your reminder: Join the uni clubs! It’s so worth it.
Shlok added, “If someone’s going to QUT, I’d recommend that they join the Engineering clubs. They really help with what to expect from the degree, the type of people you want to be working with and where you should get internships.”
As a student in the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) program, you’ll be served by QUT’s Faculty of Engineering. You’ll get to know accomplished tutors and have access to a range of Engineering resources to get you prepared for the workforce.
A cool part of Engineering at QUT is that you’ll naturally be involved in all the projects that QUT is a part of! And, there’s a lot. You could engage in QUT’s partnership with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab to work on aerospace aviation or get stuck into predictive management by working with the global leader, DINGO.
What do you wish you had known before starting QUT Engineering?
It’s totally normal to get some low marks, and that’s okay!
Shlok advised any potential students to be prepared to get a couple bad grades when you’re getting started. Learning all this new content and figuring out how to effectively apply these theories to the real world can be really challenging, especially if you haven’t done anything like it before.
So, there’ll be times when you won’t do as well as you had expected but that’s normal and natural.
“The professors here want you to be critical thinkers and problem solvers but it takes time to kind of settle into that in terms of engineering and in terms of this degree. So, I wish I had known to not feel bad or feel let down if you don’t get the grades you aim for because that happens to everyone,” Shlok explained.
He also told us that it’s common for great HSC performers to be a little shocked by this sudden change in marks.
“I’m sure there are people who got really good ATARs but are quite struggling with the course content. And that’s fine. The faculty told us not to feel let down but to learn from the experience,” he noted.
What makes this degree different from the ones offered at other universities?
#1: Globally recognised program
Shlok explained that when it came to choosing the perfect uni, it was a tough call between QUT or USYD. Both unis are great but Shlok felt as though QUT provided more globally recognised opportunities like work experience, labs and internships.
“I felt like QUT gave me qualifications that were highly recognised in the industry. The degree here is highly recognised and highly acknowledged by companies who are interstate and overseas for internships,” Shlok said.
#2: Wide variety of majors
Another great feature of the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) program at QUT is the wide variety of majors on offer! While most unis give students the opportunity to specialise, QUT is unique for its wide scope of potential chances to tailor the degree to your own interests.
Your major options include:
- Chemical Process
- Civil Engineering
- Computer and Software Systems
- Electrical and Aerospace Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Mechatronics Engineering
- Medical Engineering
You can browse them all right here!
What inspired you to choose QUT Engineering?
“Firstly, my father is an electrical engineer himself so he tells me stories about what he does, what his objectives are, what his plans are, what the company is doing, and that kind of interests me quite a bit,” Shlok said.
Shlok had plenty of motivating factors when it came to choosing to study Engineering at QUT. Not only was he able to check out the profession by observing his father, but his natural desire to critically think and problem solve also helped him score the perfect degree!
“Engineering allows me to be an out of the box thinker so it allows me to keep venturing into seeing what I can do and what I’m capable of,” Shlok explained.
What are the possible career paths?
As expected, once you graduate from the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) program, there’ll be a lot of positions ready for you with the word ‘engineer’ at the end. Which is great!
You’ve learnt what it takes to become a great engineer and you’ve graduated with the practical and theoretical skills needed to smash it in the industry. Often your job will revolve around the major you’ll choose to specialise in.
If you enjoyed your major then it’s likely you’ll search for a position in the same field! Still, it’s good to remember that it’s not your only option.
If you graduate and realise you’d like to stick to academia or maybe get stuck into logistics, they’re options too! Importantly, the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) degree teaches some valuable and transferable skills which will be appreciated in almost any field.
Learn about 20 careers you can pursue with a Bachelor of Engineering here!
Gemma Billington is a Content Writer at Art of Smart and an undergraduate student at the University of Technology Sydney. While studying Journalism and Social and Political Sciences, Gemma enjoys spending her time at the gym or reading about Britain’s medieval monarchy – ideally not at the same time. She currently creates and administers social media posts for Central News and writes for the student publication, The Comma. After completing her undergraduate degree, she hopes to study a Masters of Medieval History and is very excited about the prospect!
