Bachelor of Engineering (Hons)
The University of Waikato
Key Information
Campus location
Hamilton, New Zealand
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
4 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
Request info
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
Request info
* Domestic Fees: $7,286 per year / International Fees: $32,331 per year
Scholarships
Explore scholarship opportunities to help fund your studies
Introduction
Bachelor of Engineering (Hons)
The Bachelor of Engineering with Honours is the basis for a professional career in engineering, and at Waikato you're provided with plenty of opportunities to apply what you’ve learnt in real-life work situations.
The Bachelor of Engineering with Honours (BE(Hons)) focuses on how problems can be solved by using design and engineering processes. At every stage of your degree, you'll be involved in creating, designing and realising sophisticated engineering products.
You will have the opportunity to showcase your research and design work at the Oji Fibre Solutions Engineering Design Show – a conference-style event open to industry and the public.
As a Waikato engineering student you will also complete 800 hours of work experience – usually paid – with a company or organisation that suits your interests, and you’ll make valuable industry contacts which in many cases leads to part or full-time work.
Our Cooperative Education Unit actively seeks and oversees your industrial work placement, ensuring a good fit for your area of study and career goals.
Specified programmes
At Waikato our eligible engineering programmes are fully accredited by the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ); meaning your degree is internationally recognised and you can work just about anywhere in the world.
You can choose from the following specified programmes:
- Civil Engineering
- Chemical and Biological Engineering
- Electronic Engineering
- Environmental Engineering
- Materials and Process Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Software Engineering
Facilities
Students can work in specialised laboratories including the Large Scale Lab complex that features a suite of workshops and laboratories dedicated to engineering teaching and research, such as 3D printing, a mechanical workshop and computer labs with engineering design software.
The computing facilities at the University of Waikato are among the best in New Zealand, ranging from phones and tablets for mobile application development to cluster computers for massively parallel processing. Software Engineering majors will also have 24 hour access to computer labs equipped with all the latest computer software.
Build a successful career
Engineering professionals lead the way in innovation through improving infrastructure, building smarter technologies and working to discover alternative and renewable energy sources and environmentally friendly materials and practices.
Increasing the number of trained engineers is seen as essential for New Zealand's growth in technology-related enterprises.
Engineers enjoy competitive salaries. A recent Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ) survey found that in 2014 the median base salary for graduates with up to one year’s experience is $52,000.
Career opportunities
- Biochemical Engineer
- Electronic Engineer
- Food Technology Engineer
- Mechanical Engineer
- Product Designer
- Software Engineer
- Civil Engineer
Practical experience
Work placements are a major feature of the BE(Hons) and you will complete 800 hours of relevant work experience during your degree. Our Cooperative Education Unit actively seeks and oversees your industrial work placement, ensuring a good fit for your area of study and career goals, and monitoring the quality of your work experience. They are the leader in New Zealand for co-operative education programmes, with an average 250 students placed in industry every year. By the time you graduate you will have the credibility of paid experience to take to your interviews. At every stage of your degree, you will be involved in creating, designing and realising sophisticated engineering products. These hands-on projects also help to develop the 'soft skills' sought by potential engineering employers, such as effective project management and the ability to work as a team. In your first year, you will complete a number of compulsory papers including the popular Foundations of Engineering. Teams of students are challenged to design and build model boats over the course of the semester, culminating in a race day on the University’s Oranga Lake. During your second year you will begin to specialise, depending on the programme you have chosen to study. Then in years three and four, work placements will form a large part of your study. By the end of your fourth year, you will have also worked in groups to complete a major research and design project with potential for commercial application – like the pine tree seed planter designed and built in collaboration with tree improvement and treestock production business ArborGen Australasia. You will showcase your project at the end of year Oji Fibre Solutions Engineering Design Show – a conference-style event open to industry and the public.
Admission and enrolment
The areas of study within the BE(Hons) have individual entry requirements. For guaranteed entry you are expected to have studied the listed subjects at Level 3 NCEA, CIE AS, A Level or equivalent with certain levels of attainment. Civil Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Mechanical Engineering
- Calculus - a minimum of 16 credits in NCEA at Level 3 in Mathematics with Calculus.
- Physics - a minimum of 14 credits in NCEA at Level 3 in Physics.
Chemical & Biological Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Materials & Process Engineering
- Chemistry - a minimum of 16 credits in NCEA at Level 3 in Chemistry
- Calculus - a minimum of 16 credits in NCEA at Level 3 in Mathematics with Calculus.
- Physics - a minimum of 14 credits in NCEA at Level 3 in Physics.
Software Engineering
- Calculus - a minimum of 16 credits in NCEA at Level 3 in Mathematics with Calculus.
- A minimum of 14 credits in NCEA at Level 3 in two other approved subjects for University Entrance.
All other applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis and pathways are available. We encourage you to apply for your desired stream of study and we will work with you on a pathway if you do not meet these requirements. Each programme has a set of compulsory papers that you must study. Some papers have specific entry requirements and if you do not have the required background you may be directed to take certain papers in your first year of study.