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Frequently asked questions by students with quick answers and links to more detailed explanations

Examiner's expectations

Examiners’ expectations of honours theses

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Common problems with honours theses : what examiners say and how to fix the problem

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Scholarly Resources 4 Students | scite.ai 21 May 2024

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Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Program Rules

UNSW Engineering introduced a new Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) degree in 2015. The information below is valid only for those students enrolled in this new Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) degree or Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) double degrees. For students in old degrees (commenced up to 2014), program rules are available below.

Note that all undergraduate single and double degrees established and running prior to 2015 remain unchanged. Students enrolled in these programs are advised that the program rules, including honours classifications, remain the same and that they should consult with the appropriate handbook entry for more information.

The broad objective of UNSW Engineering’s undergraduate programs is to develop graduates with the strong technical knowledge, skills and attributes required to practise as professional engineers. These skills enable graduates to be independent investigators, self-motivated, critical thinkers, problem solvers, lifelong learners, good communicators, team players and effective managers. They’ll also be economically, environmentally and socially aware.

• Comprehensive, theory-based understanding of the underpinning natural and physical sciences and the engineering fundamentals applicable to the engineering discipline 
• Conceptual understanding of the mathematics, numerical analysis, statistics, and computer and information sciences which underpin the engineering discipline 
• In-depth understanding of specialist bodies of knowledge within the engineering discipline 
• Discernment of knowledge development and research directions within the engineering discipline 
• Knowledge of engineering design practice and contextual factors impacting the engineering discipline 
• Understanding of the scope, principles, norms, accountabilities and bounds of sustainable engineering practice in the specific discipline 
• Application of established engineering methods to complex engineering problem-solving 
• Fluent application of engineering techniques, tools and resources 
• Application of systematic engineering synthesis and design processes 
• Application of systematic approaches to the conduct and management of engineering projects 
• Ethical conduct and professional accountability 
• Effective oral and written communication in professional and lay domains 
• Creative, innovative and pro-active demeanour 
• Professional use and management of information 
• Orderly management of self, and professional conduct 
• Effective team membership and team leadership

Students must complete the following units of credit: 

• 168 UOC Stream 
• 12 UOC General Education 
• 12 UOC Electives* 

* The student chooses courses, being additional electives from the stream’s foundational or disciplinary elective lists. 

All students who complete the program will receive a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) award. In addition, those students who complete the program with an appropriate performance level through the program will receive an award with a Class of Honours. This class is based on the honours weighted average mark (Honours WAM) calculated for each candidate and on the mark awarded for the thesis project component.* 

• Class 1: Honours WAM of at least 80 and thesis course mark of at least 65 
• Class 2 Division 1: Honours WAM of at least 75 and thesis course mark of at least 65 
• Class 2 Division 2: Honours WAM of at least 65 and thesis course mark of at least 65 

  * The thesis project component is weighted as at least a 12 UOC Level 4 course. If the thesis project is run across two terms in two courses (Thesis A and B), the total weighting for each component is to be decided by the school with the total weighting equalling the total UOC of the two courses. 

The purpose of the Faculty WAM is to assist the Faculty in making a recommendation for honours at the end of a student Bachelor of Engineering degree.

A student Faculty WAM is not calculated until the student have completed all degree requirements, including Industrial Training. The Faculty WAM is calculated automatically from the results in a student program, there are  no  choices to be made, either by the student or staff.

• Courses will be weighted according to the following:

Honours WAM calculation notes

• The Faculty WAM will not be the same as the overall WAM shown on your academic transcript on myUNSW, as the courses in your transcript are all assigned a weighting of 1.
• For dual degrees, only the courses which count towards the Bachelor of Engineering degree are included in the Faculty WAM calculation.
• In the event of failure(s) in a course, the first mark obtained is used in the Faculty WAM calculation.
• Academic Withdrawal (AW) grades will count as 00FL (Fail) for the purposes of calculating the Faculty WAM.
• The Faculty WAM is calculated to one decimal place and is not rounded up or down for the purposes of awarding honours.
• Courses completed at another institution either prior to or during enrolment at UNSW are not used. E.g. cross-institutional, exchange programs or courses for which transfer credit was granted.
• The year in the degree when a course is actually taken is irrelevant.

Civil with Architecture

Progression rules.

• No Level 4 BE course until 102 UOC of BE stream passed; and 
• No level 3 BE course until all Introductory core passed; and 
• Students must show cause not to be excluded from the program if they have any of the following (BE Progression Rules): 
• 2 fails in any given core course 
• Failed more than 50% of the BE courses after attempting at least half of the BE stream (min. 84 UOC) 
• Have a WAM below 50 with 48 UOC or more of the BE Stream remaining. 

Students who do not meet the Progression Rules are transferred into the Bachelor of Engineering Science (3706), a 3-year non-accredited pass degree. You can see the program structure for 3706 here

Bachelor of Engineering Science Program Rules (3706)

Students have an opportunity to show cause why they should not be transferred; those appeals will be considered by the Engineering Transfer Appeals Committee.  

Students are strongly encouraged to seek advice and support in completing the form, and there are several options for this: 

• Engineering Academic Advisors (Undergraduate Coordinators)  
• Engineering Student Support Services  
• Student Support and Success Advisors   

Please note, BE (Hons) Progression requirements are separate from UNSW’s academic progression requirements. For more information on these, please visit  Academic Progression . 

Students may substitute Advanced Disciplinary courses (Level 5) for Disciplinary courses if they have completed at least 120 UOC of BE stream and have a high enough WAM: 

• Students with a WAM of at least 65 can substitute up to 6 UOC 
• Students with a WAM of at least 75 can substitute up to 12 UOC. 

UNSW Engineering will establish a committee to consider student appeals against transfer out of the Bachelor of Engineering program and will take into consideration academic, medical and personal issues in accord with the UNSW Special Consideration Policy and the Re-enrolment Appeal Committee process.  

Students with previous study and/or experience may be eligible for advanced standing (either credit or exemption). Decisions on this recognition will be made by the Program Authority and/or USNW Engineering. The maximum credit given is 96 UOC (other than for those transferring from programs accredited by Engineers Australia). Further details, see  UNSW RPL procedure . 

The University Medal is the highest honour for undergraduate students at graduation. The University Medal may be recommended for a student where: 

• The student’s Faculty WAM is greater than 85, a thesis mark greater than 65 and no failures, 
• The student has achieved the highest faculty WAM for their cohort, and 
• The student’s performance is comparable with previous awards of the University Medal for the student’s cohort. 

Visit  Current Students  for more information on the University Medals and previous winners. 

These rules apply to students in programs commenced prior to 2015. These do not apply to the BE (Hons) program 3707 or the associated double degrees (including 3761-3776).

• The Bachelor of Engineering is awarded following completion of all requirements for the relevant engineering program including the completion of all specified courses in the program totalling a minimum of 192 UOC. No more than 60 UOC (excluding the 12 UOC of general education courses) of Year 1 courses can be counted toward the degree. 
• The specific requirements for the Bachelor of Engineering in the various disciplines are set out in the relevant sections in the Online Handbook. 
• The degree may be awarded with Honours, based upon the overall performance in the program and in accordance with the Faculty Honours Policy. Honours are awarded in the following classes: Class 1, Class 2 Division 1, and Class 2 Division 2. 
• The standard duration of the program is four years, or eight semesters, of full-time study, each comprising 24 UOC. Students may undertake the program over a longer period on the basis of part load. 
• Each student is required to complete the specified industrial experience in industry prior to graduation. 
• General Education electives may only be attempted after the student has attempted at least 48 UOC. 

Progression in all undergraduate programs at UNSW Engineering is permitted by course. However: 

• Programs will continue to be stated and timetabled by year or stage. A non-standard program is one which involves enrolment in courses from more than one year or stage or comprises courses which are not normally included in that program for a particular year. It cannot be guaranteed that non-standard programs can be completed in the minimum number of years. Students are not permitted to enrol in courses with clashing timetables. 
• Students must satisfy the rules governing re-enrolment. These are set out in detail in the UNSW Calendar Summary Volume. At any time, a student's academic standing is deemed to be one of: Good Standing, Referral, Probation, Suspension or Exclusion. Any student not in Good Standing is required to discuss the situation with the Academic Adviser in the relevant school and may be required to talk to a counsellor in the Careers and Counselling Unit. 
• Students must satisfy the relevant prerequisite and corequisite requirements. This will usually necessitate students completing or attempting all courses of a particular year or stage before proceeding to a course in the next part of a program. 
• A prerequisite course is one which must be completed successfully prior to enrolment in the course for which it is prescribed. 
• A corequisite course is one which must either be completed successfully prior to enrolment in, or be studied concurrently with, the course for which it is prescribed. 
• Only in exceptional circumstances will students be allowed to enrol in a program containing courses from more than two consecutive years of the program or totalling more than 27 units of credit. Students repeating courses will be expected to choose a program that includes previously failed courses and limits their Units of Credit. Details of these limits are available from School Offices and may only be exceeded with the express permission of the Head of School. A failed elective may be replaced by another elective. 
• Students are only permitted to enrol in courses that satisfy the program requirements as specified in the Online Handbook for the program enrolled. Enrolment in any other course is permitted only on a non-award basis, that is, on a full tuition fee basis. 
• Notwithstanding the above, before a student can enrol in any non-standard program, such a program must meet with the approval of the Head of School. 

Students in each program must satisfy the General Education course requirements. No General Education courses may be taken until at least 48UOC have been attempted. The General Education course requirement is normally 12 UOC and is usually taken in the second and third years of study. To meet the 12 UOC General Education requirement, students may take up to 12 UOC of General Education courses, or courses substituted for General Education courses, from any faculty or faculties, other than the faculty that is the authority for the program in which the student is enrolled. Students with an identified need may substitute approved academic English courses for up to 6 UOC of General Education.  

As a general rule, students may not enrol in General Education courses which are similar in content to courses offered in their respective programs. Each faculty has responsibility for deciding what courses may be counted towards the General Education requirement for the students in their programs. UNSW Engineering is committed to providing the widest range of choice of general education electives for its students and strongly encourages students to make the best use of this flexibility. For a comprehensive list of available courses, refer to the  UNSW Online Handbook . 

In the Bachelor of Engineering degree programs, honours are awarded for meritorious performance over the degree program with special attention paid to a candidate's performance in the final year courses and thesis project. 

The award of Honours is based on a weighted average mark (WAM) calculated for each student and on the mark awarded in the thesis.    Honours Class 1: If WAM greater than or equal to 75.0 and thesis mark greater than or equal to 65  Honours Class 2 Division 1: If WAM greater than or equal to 70.0 and thesis mark greater than or equal to 60  Honours Class 2 Division 2: If WAM greater than or equal to 65.0 and thesis mark greater than or equal to 60 

The award of Honours is based on a weighted average mark (WAM) calculated for each student. Each program has its own rules for calculating this WAM but, in general, each course in the program is allocated a weight, usually according to the year in which the course appears in the nominated program and the number of units of credit attached to that course.  

The calculated WAM is not the same as the WAM which myUNSW provides. The rules for calculating the WAM for each program are available from the corresponding School Office. Each School Assessment Committee is responsible for making recommendations on borderline cases, and for monitoring and reporting on the award of Honours in the School. For all schools, the following rules apply: 

• First attempt counts 
• Honours WAM to be calculated to one decimal place 
• Academic Withdrawal (AW) grades will count as fails in Honours WAM calculations. 

In the cases of combined degrees, such as the BE BA, the BE BSc or the BE BCom, the award of the BA, BSc or BCom degree at Honours level requires two additional sessions of study. Students wishing to gain a degree at Honours level in Arts, in Science or in Commerce as part of their combined degree program must meet all the relevant requirements of the School of Arts and Social Sciences, the School of Science or the Australian School of Business and of the appropriate School concerned.  

Students may enrol for the Honours year only on the recommendation of the Head of their School of UNSW Engineering and with the approval of the Head of the appropriate Arts, Science or Business School. For Honours in Science, approval must also be sought from the Science Student Centre. 

Transfer between programs in UNSW Engineering is generally permitted. Transfer must be applied for and is subject to places being available, the student being of Good Standing and a minimum WAM.

Each student is personally responsible for ensuring the completion of the full 60 days (80 days for Mining Engineering students) approved industrial training (or professional practice in the case of Surveying and Spatial Information Systems students) prescribed as part of the requirements for the award of the degree. 

Industrial Training should be concurrent with enrolment and is best accumulated in the summer recesses at the end of Years 2 and 3, but should preferably be completed by the end of Year 4. It may be taken within Australia or overseas. The award of the degree is dependent on the completion of the requisite period of industrial employment at a standard approved by the University. 

Students should, in general, work with professional engineers and take an active part in the design of simple equipment, solving of engineering problems, or any other work which is relevant to the profession of Engineering. 

On completion of the requisite number of days of industrial experience (professional practice) employment, every student must submit a report, typically 2000-3000 words, summarising the work done and the training received and including a description of the organisation of the company. Industrial Training may be assessed as a compulsory part of a nominated course in each program. Students must complete the industrial training requirement in order to receive a completed assessment for that course. Further detailed information for each program is available from the corresponding School Office. 

Field projects, site visits and industry seminar lectures are a requirement of some courses and may involve additional expense.

Formal part-time programs, which provide courses at times suited to part-time students, are not offered at undergraduate level. However, it is possible for students to progress with a program which has a part-time load (less than 18 units of credit in any session). Very few undergraduate courses are offered in the evenings and students need to be able to attend classes as the timetable demands.

All BE programs (except Civil Engineering with Architecture, Food Processing Engineering, Geoinformation Systems and Surveying) offered by UNSW Engineering are fully accredited by Engineers Australia, meeting the examination requirements for admission to graduate and corporate membership. Civil Engineering with Architecture has provisional accreditation and will seek full accreditation in the next accreditation round in May 2011.  

Food Processing Engineering, Geoinformation Systems and Surveying will seek provisional accreditation in May 2011. Provisional accreditation will also be sought for an ME and a BE ME, both in Electrical Engineering. Substantial or complete recognition is accorded to EA fully-accredited BE programs by overseas engineering institutions. 

For a definitive list of UNSW Engineering programs accredited by Engineers Australia, please refer to Engineering Australia’s List of Accredited Programs at the level of Professional Engineer. 

Engineers Australia (EA) has as its first objective the promotion of the science and practice of engineering in all its branches. EA has its national headquarters in Canberra and functions through a series of divisions, the local one being the Sydney Division. Within each division are branches representing the main interests within the profession, e.g. civil, mechanical, electrical, engineering management and environmental engineering. Students of an approved school of engineering may join the Engineers Australia as a student member (StudEA). 

Student members receive the monthly publication Engineers Australia and for a small fee they also receive The Transactions which contains articles on a particular branch of engineering. Student members are invited to participate in the Excellence Award for Work Experience, the National Young Engineer of the Year Award and to avail themselves of other EA services including the Mentor Scheme and industrial experience guidance. Information about membership of EA is available from School Offices. 

The award of the BE degree in Chemical Engineering is sufficient academic qualification for corporate membership of the Institution of Chemical Engineers. The award of the BE in Industrial Chemistry is sufficient academic qualification for corporate membership of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute. Both degrees are recognised by Engineers Australia. 

The degree of BE in Surveying and Spatial Information Systems is recognised by the Board of Surveying and Spatial Information of New South Wales as meeting the requirements for entry as a candidate to become a Registered Surveyor in New South Wales. The degree is also recognised by the Institution of Surveyors, New South Wales, and the Spatial Sciences Institute for admission as corporate members. Students wishing to become Registered Surveyors after graduation are advised to gain practical experience under a Registered Surveyor during their program. Details are obtainable from the Registrar, Board of Surveying and Spatial Information of NSW, P.O. Box 143, Bathurst NSW 2795. 

The award of the BE degree in Aerospace Engineering is recognised by the Royal Aeronautical Society as giving exemption from the formal examination requirements for corporate membership. Advancement from graduate membership to associate membership grade is awarded on a case by case basis after a further period of some years of professional experience. 

The award of the BE degree in Naval Architecture is recognised by the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA), London, as the academic qualification for corporate membership. On completion of the degree, a Naval Architect may apply for Associate Membership of the RINA. Following four years of relevant experience, associate members may then apply for corporate Membership of the Institution. 

The award of the BE degree in Mining Engineering from UNSW is a recognised tertiary qualification required for corporate membership of the Australasian Institution of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM). On completion of the degree, a Mining Engineer may apply for Graduate Membership of the AusIMM. Following three years relevant experience after graduation, graduates may apply for Corporate Membership of the Institute. The BE degree in Mining Engineering is also required in some jurisdictions to obtain the statutory qualification of Mine Manager. 

All software required for coursework is provided on the computers in the School computer laboratories. Some students find it convenient to buy their own computer and software so that they can also work at home. 

Information regarding fees for UNSW programs can be found on the  Current Student  site. 

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UNSWorks is intermittently unavailable

Some functionality of UNSWorks is currently affected due to unplanned system outages. You can still deposit your theses to UNSWorks, but intermittent outages may delay the processing of theses deposits.

See our  news item  for more information.

Finding UNSW theses

UNSW PhD or Masters by Research theses can be located via  UNSWorks . For honours theses, contact the UNSW faculty, school or the author directly.

For more information on rights of use and removing material in UNSWorks see  Copyright - UNSWorks .

Finding Australian and international theses

Australian theses.

To find Australian theses, search via:

Library collection To find UNSW Library’s collection of Australian and international theses in print, search  Library collection  for a title or keywords. Refine your results by selecting  Refine my results > Resource types > Dissertations  in the column on the left.

Trove - Australian print and digital theses Trove includes theses at all levels, including PhD, masters and honours. To limit your search to Australian theses only, use  Trove - Research & Reports  search. Tick the  Australian content  box. Next to  Format - select  Thesis  from the drop-down list.

International theses

To find international theses, search via:

BASE BASE academic search engine provides access to the repositories of 8,000 institutions. 60% of the full-text documents are open access.

CORE CORE aggregates open access research outputs from repositories and journals worldwide.

DART-Europe e-theses portal DART-Europe is a partnership of research libraries and library consortia working to improve global access to European research theses.

EBSCO open dissertations Includes the content from American Doctoral Dissertations in addition to theses and dissertations from around the world. Coverage from 1955.

Open access theses and dissertations OATD provides access to open access graduate theses from over 1100 colleges, universities, and research institutions.

Theses Canada Theses and dissertations in the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) collection.

Web of Science The Web of Science ProQuest Dissertations & Theses collection provides access to the citation information of theses form around the world. To search for thesis citations, change the search from Web of Science Core Collection to ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Citation Index .

Non-UNSW theses

To obtain a thesis that is not available via the resources listed above, contact the library of the holding/publishing institution directly. Conditions of access to a thesis are determined by the author and holding library, and is outside the control of UNSW Library.

Depositing your thesis

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UNSW Thesis Template

UNSW Thesis Template 2020 based on: https://ctan.org/tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/unswthesis

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First refuelling for Russia’s Akademik Lomonosov floating NPP

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The FNPP includes two KLT-40S reactor units. In such reactors, nuclear fuel is not replaced in the same way as in standard NPPs – partial replacement of fuel once every 12-18 months. Instead, once every few years the entire reactor core is replaced with and a full load of fresh fuel.

The KLT-40S reactor cores have a number of advantages compared with standard NPPs. For the first time, a cassette core was used, which made it possible to increase the fuel cycle to 3-3.5 years before refuelling, and also reduce by one and a half times the fuel component in the cost of the electricity produced. The operating experience of the FNPP provided the basis for the design of the new series of nuclear icebreaker reactors (series 22220). Currently, three such icebreakers have been launched.

The Akademik Lomonosov was connected to the power grid in December 2019, and put into commercial operation in May 2020.

Electricity generation from the FNPP at the end of 2023 amounted to 194 GWh. The population of Pevek is just over 4,000 people. However, the plant can potentially provide electricity to a city with a population of up to 100,000. The FNPP solved two problems. Firstly, it replaced the retiring capacities of the Bilibino Nuclear Power Plant, which has been operating since 1974, as well as the Chaunskaya Thermal Power Plant, which is more than 70 years old. It also supplies power to the main mining enterprises located in western Chukotka. In September, a 490 km 110 kilovolt power transmission line was put into operation connecting Pevek and Bilibino.

Image courtesy of TVEL

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• Victor Mukhin

Victor M. Mukhin was born in 1946 in the town of Orsk, Russia. In 1970 he graduated the Technological Institute in Leningrad. Victor M. Mukhin was directed to work to the scientific-industrial organization "Neorganika" (Elektrostal, Moscow region) where he is working during 47 years, at present as the head of the laboratory of carbon sorbents.     Victor M. Mukhin defended a Ph. D. thesis and a doctoral thesis at the Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia (in 1979 and 1997 accordingly). Professor of Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia. Scientific interests: production, investigation and application of active carbons, technological and ecological carbon-adsorptive processes, environmental protection, production of ecologically clean food.   

Title : Active carbons as nanoporous materials for solving of environmental problems

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