About the University

The University of Southern Queensland is an Australian and Queensland Government-accredited University, and has been in operation as a college and university since 1967.

USQ has built a reputation for offering quality academic programmes that are recognized worldwide by other higher education institutions, employers and internationally accredited professional bodies.

Awards

• Commonwealth Awards of Excellence 2004
  
  i. USQ has won the Commonwealth of Learning Award of Excellence for Institutional Achievement at the third Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning currently being held in Dunedin, New Zealand.
• Australian’s University of the Year 2000-2001” Good Universities Guide for “Developing the e-University”
  
  i. Amongst the many universities in Australia, USQ has won the award to be the best university in Australia.
  
  ii. This reflects the quality and its prestige being the best university in Australianot only for 1 year but 2 years consecutively.
• Best Global University for Distance Education” International Council for Open & Distance Education (ICDE), Norway 1999
  
  i. USQ is not only been awarded for its quality and prestige within Australia.
  
  ii. Through the International Council for Open & Distance Education (ICDE) USQ has also bagged this award for its educational leadership and expertise in providing flexible distance learning opportunities.

Recognition & Accreditation

• Member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU)
• Fully funded by the Australian Federal Government
• The Institution of Engineers, Australia
• The Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board of the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers
• The Institution of Engineers of Ireland
• The Institution of Professional Engineers, New Zealand
• The Engineering Council (United Kingdom, with certain Chartered Engineering Institutions)
• The Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology Inc. (USA)
• The Engineering Council of South Africa
• The Hong KongInstitutions of Engineers

For more information about the university, log on to www.usq.edu.au.

 About the Programme

• The Bachelor of Engineering provides students with the knowledge and skills that are necessary to commence practice as a professional engineer and to undertake further advanced level studies in engineering.
• Specifically the program provides students with a core of basic generic and technical skills, common to all branches of engineering, and then permits students to undertake an in depth study of either electrical and electronic, mechanical or mechatronicengineering.
• In addition, students are equipped with knowledge of the industrial and social environments in which they will function as professional engineers
• The program also seeks to instill in students a capacity to communicate effectively and adapt to change.
• The Bachelor of Engineering is primarily vocationally oriented.
• However, the program has been designed to identify students who have the capacity to undertake further study at an advanced level and to make an original contribution to engineering knowledge.
• For these students, an honors program of study is provided to assist them in achieving these goals.

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Benefits of the Programme

• To enable students to acquire, and demonstrate that they possess, the specified generic attributes and capabilities;
• To enable students to acquire in-depth technical competence in one of the following fields: Electrical and Electronic Engineering; Mechanical Engineering or Mechatronic Engineering
• To enable students from diverse and non-traditional backgrounds and locations to enroll in the program and to provide them with opportunities to acquire the skills necessary to complete the program in the normal time;
• To enable students to be empowered as learners through the provision of a wide range of teaching and learning styles and modes in their program;
• To ensure that all students, regardless of the mode of study, have equality of opportunity in acquiring the specified generic attributes and technical competence; and
• To ensure that graduates are eligible for graduate membership of Engineers Australia, and other appropriate professional bodies.

• Exclusive access to USQConnect where every student is issued an personalized User ID and Password
• Allows students to log on 24/7
• Students are able to download notes, participate in forums, post and view questions on the notice board, network with other students all over the world who are taking the module

Link to USQ Connect

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Recognition

i.  Bachelor of Engineering (Hons)

ii.  Degree identical to on campus

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Programme Structure

Module Structure
Students are required to complete 32 modules

Majors Offered:
Mechatronics Engineering

a. The Mechatronic Engineering combines Electrical and Mechanical engineering to provide students with specialist knowledge in knowledge in robotics and automation.

b. On completion of the major, graduates will acquire skills in development of most modern “hi-tech” products.

c. Being able to design an aircraft’s autopilot and its multitude of control systems is one example of a major mechatronic project

d. It prepares students to be a highly effective project leader, and students will be able to a design from its skeletal outline to a fully engineered systems

MECHATRONIC ENGINEERING COMPULSORY SUBJECTS

MAT1102 Algebra and Calculus I
MAT2100 Algebra and Calculus II
ENG1001 Principles of Professional Engineering and Surveying
MAT1100 Foundation Mathematics
ENG2002 Technology and Society
ENG1101 Engineering Problem Solving 1
ENG2102 Engineering Problem Solving 2
ENG3103 Engineering Problem Solving 3
ENG4104 Engineering Problem Solving 4
ENG4111 Research Project Part 1
ENG4112 Research Project Part 2
ENG3003 Engineering Management
ENG1100 Introduction to Engineering Design
CIV1501 Engineering Statics
ELE1301 Computer Engineering
ELE1502 Electronics Circuit
ELE1801 Electrical Technology
ELE2103 Linear Systems and Control
ELE2303 Embedded Systems Design
ELE3105 Computer Controlled Systems
ELE2504 Electronic Design and Analysis
ENG4004 Engineering Management Science
ENG4406 Robotics and Machine Vision
MEC1201 Engineering Materials
MEC2202 Manufacturing Processes
MEC2301 Design of Machine Elements
MEC2401 Dynamics I
MEC2402 Stress Analysis
MEC3302 Computational Mechanics in Design
MEC3303 System Design
MEC3403 Dynamics II

MAT1102 Algebra and Calculus I
This course investigates the elementary functions of mathematics: polynomials, logarithms, trigonometric functions, their inverses, arithmetic combinations and compositions of these functions and functions implicitly defined through relationships between them. Properties of these functions and the rules for finding their derivatives and anti-derivatives are developed and used in applications and the solution of problems. Systems of linear algebraic equations are formulated and solved in variety of settings. Vectors, matrices and complex numbers are used to formulate and solve problems from various fields of application, and to describe the geometry of two and three dimensional space.

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MAT2100 Algebra and Calculus II
Module 1 covers multivariable calculus including representation of functions of several variables, surfaces and curves in space, partial differentiation, optimization, directional derivatives, gradient, divergence and curl, line integrals, iterated integrals, Green’s theorem. Module 2 is an introduction to differential equations including direction fields, Euler’s method, first order separable, first order linear and second order linear with constant coefficients. Module 3 extends the linear algebra of MAT1102 Algebra and Calculus I to cover vector space, bases, dimensions, rank, nullspace, systems of linear equations, projections, transformations, eigenvaluesand eigenvectors, diagonalisation with applications.

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ENG1001 Principles of Professional Engineering and Surveying
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to engineering and surveying in a stimulating way and to provide them with some understanding and skills which will enable them to effectively learn and understand their profession. Areas covered are the nature of engineering and surveying, the interaction of engineering and surveying with society and the environment, and exposure to a range of professional skills. These areas are covered by a selection of case studies and a number of modules on simple engineering planning and effective communication.

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MAT1100 Foundation Mathematics
This course uses self-paced computer managed instruction methods and group problem solving techniques to encourage students to develop an understanding of mathematical concepts that provide a foundation for the mathematics encountered in tertiary programs in science, engineering, surveying and business. Topics included are: basic algebra, functions and graphing, exponential, logarithmic and trigonometric functions, introductory matrix algebra, and introductory calculus. The self-paced structure and the flexibility of three alternative entry points into the course allow students to work at their own level thereby developing confidence in mathematics and general problem solving.

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ENG2002 Technology and Society
Students of engineering and surveying need to understand and be convinced that through their future professional work they will relate to the rest of society. Throughout their careers they will need to strive to ensure that this relationship is meaningful and successful. Only then will they earn respect for themselves and their profession, and ensure their work will be valued and recognized. For engineers and surveyors to meet their responsibilities towards society they must be able to appreciate how politics, culture, economics and the law affect their work and how their work impacts on different sections of the community and the physical environment. They must also be prepared to deal with the issue of long-term sustainability. The goal of this course is to provide students with the opportunity to develop skills and attitudes that would help them promote and defend their work within their profession and within society at large.

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ENG1101 Engineering Problem Solving 1
This course introduces the student to some important measurement and analytical tools that will provide the basis for future work. The student will be introduced to the concept of a system and to the need for teamwork in most engineering activities. Aspects of physical properties are explained together with statistical concepts and both these are applied to the analysis of complex systems. The course is presented as an initial introduction to problem based learning, and the use of teamwork is emphasized throughout. All students are expected to contribute to and interact in a positive manner with other team members. This interaction is assessed.

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ENG2102 Engineering Problem Solving 2
This course will increase a student’s ability to work as part of an engineering team. It presents a range of engineering theory and application that is learnt within the context of solving a range of real world problems. This course focuses primarily on the use of statistical analysis to solve problems and to evaluate solutions. In addition the student is required to further develop their computer skills to illustrate and present the results of their work.

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ENG3103 Engineering Problem Solving 3
This course introduces the student to the problem of modeling real world systems. Techniques of numerical computation must be learnt in association with the computer based programming skills necessary to implement them. The course starts to emphasize the inherent uncertainty (or ‘greyness’) in engineering problems, analyses and solutions.

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ENG4104 Engineering Problem Solving 4
The student in this course will continue to develop their skills at solving problems within an engineering context, and to communicate the results in a professional matter. He or she will develop high-level computer programming skills using MATLAB. The non-linear behaviour of typical problems will be explored through the medium of selected case studies, and numerical techniques for dealing with such behaviour will be learnt. The extraction of meaningful data from the noise in a data series will also be an issue. The philosophical approaches to engineering problem solving will now be expanded and explored by the student. In particular, the concept of ‘downstream’ consequences of specific solutions to problems, and the limitations of reductionist analyses will be discussed.

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ENG4111 Research Project Part 1
The project (comprising ENG 4111 Research Project Part 1 immediately followed by ENG 4112 Research Project Part 2) is intended to integrate and augment the student’s total formal knowledge by means of its application to a real problem at the appropriate professional level. This program (comprising the first half of the project) will comprise firstly the selection, negotiation and approval of a project topic appropriate to the student’s major study. Following this student will (i) research the background, context and literature, (ii) develop an appropriate methodology, (iii) demonstrate a sound appreciation of the overall task and its constraints by formal reporting, and (iv) make substantial progress in the execution of the work.

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ENG4112 Research Project Part 2
Following satisfactory progress in ENG 4111 Research Project Part 1 in the preceding semester of offer, and with the continuing guidance of supervisor/s, the student will further develop skills spanning both the technical and nontechnical dimensions of engineering and surveying (including GIS) at the professional level. The student will study the rationale, style and format of the academic dissertation (and appreciate the differences with respect to other forms of technical reporting); and present the total project work (comprising ENG 4111 Research Project Part 1 and ENG 4112 Research Project Part 2) as a dissertation.

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ENG3003 Engineering Management
Engineers have a sound educational base in the theory and application of technology, and they are well placed to play important roles as managers in manufacturing, construction and other engineering industries. Many engineers take on managerial roles during their careers, some within a short time of graduation. It is therefore essential that graduate engineers have an understanding of the basic principles of management and their application in engineering organizations. Graduates also need an appreciation of the social environment within which they will practice, particularly those aspects of the law and ethics pertaining to the engineering profession.

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ENG1100 Introduction to Engineering Design
The rationale for this course is to motivate students by fostering creativity and introducing conceptual design, computer aided design and drafting early in the course. Early training and practice in the engineering design method, the introduction to engineering handbooks and commercial catalogues is necessary for a foundation to which students can relate future studies in the more advanced courses of the course. Engineers need skills in graphical communication and spatial vision in the practice of their profession.

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ELE1301 Computer Engineering
This course provides a fundamental understanding of the operation of the digital computer. It includes digital logic fundamentals; number systems; binary arithmetic; computer architecture; bussing: address modes; memory; instruction sets; machine and assembly language programming; analog to digital and digital to analog converters; input/output methods and general interface techniques with practical examples.

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ELE1502 Electronics Circuit
This course introduces the fundamental ideas, theory and devices of electronics. It develops these ideas in an applied way to the extent that the student will be able after successful completion, to use integrated circuits, resistors and capacitors to arrange and build a range of circuits, and to apply basic scientific and mathematical principles to analyse simple circuits. The course is designed around a group of concrete projects, which the students respond to, build, test and appropriately document. By this approach, a realistic understanding is gained and attention is focused on those aspects of electronics as a component of engineering industry, which are most valuable.

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ELE1801 Electrical Technology
Electrical engineering is about the use of electrical and electronic technology to achieve most of our daily needs. To understand how electricity is used to achieve these needs, in Electrical Technology, students are provided with a working knowledge of electrical components, machines, power supply systems and safety devices commonly encountered in the workplace. Analysis of dc and ac circuits, transformers, motors, generators, power supply systems, batteries and rectifiers form part of the work.

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ELE2103 Linear Systems and Control
Given that all engineering processes are time varying in nature, it is highly desirable to be able to model and thence predict their behaviour in time. This course initiates the skills necessary for the analysis, modification and achievement of specific behaviour in dynamic engineering systems. At present, it is linear analysis, which provides the most general and useful solutions to engineering problems. The ability to control the performance of dynamic systems is an essential part of most engineering tasks. The study of classical control techniques and hardware provides an introduction to many of the problems that face the control engineer. Attention will be restricted to single input single output systems.

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ELE2303 Embedded Systems Design
This course develops the techniques used in microcomputer design, interfacing and applications. It includes microcomputer architecture; assembly language programming; I/O methods and interface techniques for parallel and serial, synchronous and asynchronous systems; multiple interrupt I/O and DMA; interface examples involving RS232C, centronics and non standard microcomputer interfaces; bus standard including S100, VME and GPIB; and development of software for 8 bit and 16 bit microprocessors. A Microcomputer hardware and software design project is used to develop team design concepts.

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ELE2504 Electronic Design and Analysis
Familiarity with electronic devices and circuits is fundamental to electrical engineering. The material covered here will further develop both in breadth and depth that which was covered in the preceding courses, with a significant emphasis on developing design skills. Topics to be covered will include: semiconductor devices (discrete and integrated), logic families, multistage amplifiers, operational amplifiers, active filters, negative and positive feedback, oscillators, power supplies and selected circuits used in communication systems.

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Telecommunication Principles
The electronic communications industry is an essential part of the modern world. It provides two-way communications for both voice and data services as well as radio and television broadcasts. This course introduces the building blocks and the principles on which typical electronic communications systems operate. It examines the nature of signals in both the time and frequency domain and considers how information signals may be transmitted using modulated carrier signals. Radio frequency transmission lines, radio waves propagation and basic antennas are included. In general, the course considers systems, which operate below 1 GHz.

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Computer Controlled Systems
To apply control to any ‘real’ problem, it is first necessary to express the system to be controlled n mathematical terms. The ‘state space’ approach is taught both for expressing the system dynamics and for analyzing stability both before and after feedback is applied. These concepts involve revision and extension of matrix manipulation and the solution of differential equations. By defining a time-step to be small, these state equations give a means of stimulating the system and its controller for both linear and nonlinear cases. Many of the implementations of on-line control now involve a computer, which applies control actions at discrete intervals of time rather than continuously. It is shown that discrete-time state equations can be derived, which have much in common with the continuous ones. Stimulation does not then rely on a very small time step. The operator ‘z’ is first introduced with the meaning of ‘next’, resulting in a higher order difference equation to represent the system, then shown to be a parameter in the infinite series which is summed to form a ‘z-transform’. It is shown that the discrete-time transfer function in z can be derived from the transform of the continuous system, with additional terms to represent the zero order hold of the DAC. Analysis of stability in terms of the roots of a characteristic equation, are seen to parallel the continuous methods and techniques of pole assignment and root locus are also seen to correspond. Techniques are presented for synthesizing transfer functions by means of a few lines of computer code, to make stable control possible for systems, which would be unstable with simple feedback.

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Signal Processing
Signal processing is the treatment of signals to enable detection, classification, transmission or enhancement. Such signals may, for example, be the apparent noise generated by a mechanical process, music, speech or other audio, or a video image. This course aims to give the student a thorough grounding in the theoretical and practical aspects of digital signal processing. Practical applications of signal
Processing are emphasized via directed experimentation and assignment work.

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Computer Systems and Communication Protocols
In recent times, computing and data communications have tended to converge, such that data communications has become an integral part of almost every computer system. This course is based around two central themes. The first is the logical extension of the material covered in the preceding Computer Engineering courses. This involves a more detailed study of advanced computer design including memory management, virtual memory, process management, cache memory, processor architectures and performance. The second theme is the design, implementation and use of data communication systems. This section, comprising approximately half the course, covers local area network protocols such as Ethernet, together with higher-level protocols such as TCP/IP. An in-depth understanding of the theoretical and practical operation of these protocols is emphasised by implementation examples.

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Electronic Measurement
Central to the profession of all electrical engineering professionals is the measurement of electrical quantities, or, more generally, physical quantities whose values have been rendered electrical by a transducer. Such measurements are almost invariably made with the aid of electronics, and increasingly by sophisticated instrumentation, which provides multidimensional displays and analytical capabilities. Automation of such measurements is also on the rapid increase. However, in the face of these developments the need to comprehend the physical principles of making accurate, precise and trustworthy measurements, particularly of small quantities (microvolts, microamperes), remains fundamental. It is the task of the engineering professional to be able to specify and evaluate equipment for a given measurement tasks; this requires an appreciation of electronic measurement systems: at the system level by an awareness of the range, operating principles and limitations of commercial test equipment; and the circuit level which includes the effects and minimisation of interference, certain commonly employed circuit and IC configurations such as the Phase Lock Loop and frequency synthesis, and choice of components and construction details. An important aspect of the operating requirements of equipment is the need for them to be electromagnetically compatible. It is also the responsibility of professionals to implement measurement systems with regard to their human and environmental impact, and some introduction to these issues is also provided.

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Electrical Plant
Electricity touches almost every aspect of our lives and occupations. In Electrical Plant students develop skills and knowledge in the selection, installation, operation, control and maintenance of electrical equipment such as transformers, power supplies, motors, generators and other types of energy converters found in the workplace. It provides students with skills to carry out performance analysis of electrical equipment, power generation and supply systems and conduct energy audit of electrical installations.

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Power Electronics Principles and Applications
Power Electronics deals with study of semiconductor devices in the electric energy industry. The power semiconductor devices, such as the diode, thyristor, triac and power transistor, are used in power applications as switching devices. The modern electrical engineer requires a knowledge of these devices and their application in rectification, inversion, frequency conversion, dc and ac machine control, and switch-mode power supplies. Engineers need to be aware of the undesirable effects any power electronic equipment imposes on both the supply system and the load, and how these effects may be minimized.

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Fields and Waves
It is a common requirement of an electrical engineer to convey electrical energy from one place to another, whether for the purpose of power or information transport. A pair of conductors used for this purpose, constitute a transmission line, and for any appreciable distance a.c. voltages and currents on the line must be regarded as a traveling wave – whether from a power station, in a radio receiver, or across a digital circuit board. The electric and magnetic fields associated with voltage and currents may be similarly propagated as a traveling wave; such fields also constitute the basis of electrical machines and are the cause of much unwanted interference. Therefore, an understanding of both wave propagation and electro – magnetic fields is essential in all branches of electrical engineering.

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Communication Systems
The purpose of this course is to provide an introduction to the specialized techniques and components, which are common to both analog and digital communication systems.
Topics studied include phase locked loops, noise, modulation methods, electromagnetic propagation, antennas and optical fibre communication. The relevance of these topics is illustrated by reference to existing communication systems such as the telephone network, TV, cellular mobile and microwave radio, radar, radio navigation aids, and satellite communication systems. The course is intended for final year electrical degree students, and assumes a knowledge of electromagnetic fields and Maxwell’s equations.

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Engineering Management Science
Management science techniques are used extensively in modern engineering industry to plan, organize and control construction and manufacturing. Management science is also referred to as ‘operations research’ and utilizes quantitative analysis to assist with the decision making process. In this course several analytical techniques will be investigated including network analysis, project management, linear programming, stimulation and quality control. Many of these quantitative methods are used, not only in engineering production and project work, but also in the management of other processes.

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Engineering Materials
Material science and engineering has come into its own as a field of endeavour during the past 25 years. The central theme in this development is the concept that the properties and behaviour of a material are closely related to the internal structure of that material. The properties (which may be regarded as the responses of the material to its immediate environment) are functions of:

(i) the kinds of atoms present and the type of bonding
among them, and

(ii) the geometrical arrangement of large numbers of atoms,
microstructure and macrostructure. As a result, in order to modify properties, appropriate changes must be made in the internal structure. Also, if processing or service conditions alter the structure, the characteristics of the material are altered.

Over the same period noticeable changes have taken place in the teaching of engineering materials to the engineer student. Previously, elementary courses emphasized the mechanical properties of materials with long dull lists of chemical specifications and descriptions of processing. More recently, elementary courses seek to provide a thorough grasp of the structures encountered in the principal families of materials – metals, ceramics and polymers – and then to show how the properties of important engineering materials depend on these structures.

This course seeks to provide a background knowledge of the more commonly used engineering materials. This will be achieved by promoting an understanding of the interrelation of structure and properties in the principal families of materials and the mechanisms by which the structural changes may be accomplished.

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Engineering Staticsna
Fundamental to engineering work is the ability to make predictions about how things will behave when they are subject to some actions. For example when the Sydney Harbour Bridge was designed by engineers, they needed to be able to predict how it would behave so that they could be confident that it would not fail when loaded by cars, trucks and trains. Making such predictions is never easy. There is however a range of mathematically based analytical techniques, which can be used to make reliable and accurate predictions. In this Course you will be introduced to one such analytical tool called Engineering Statics, which can be used to make predictions about how forces affect structures such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge. You will use the technique to predict how forces cause beams, columns and machine parts to bend, stretch and possibly break. In later design courses you will make extensive use of Engineering Statics

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Management science techniques are used extensively in modern engineering industry to plan, organize and control construction and manufacturing. Management science is also referred to as ‘operations research’ and utilizes quantitative analysis to assist with the decision making process. In this course several analytical techniques will be investigated including network analysis, project management, linear programming, stimulation and quality control. Many of these quantitative methods are used, not only in engineering production and project work, but also in the management of other processes.

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Thermodynamics
Thermodynamics is that branch of physics, which seeks to derive relationships between properties of matter, especially those which are affected by temperature, and a description of the conversion of energy from one form to another. Mechanical engineering systems are primarily about energy exchanges. All mechanical engineers must therefore be well grounded in those relationships, which describe those exchanges. They must also be skilled in analyzing machinery and systems for the energy exchanges occurring.
Thermodynamics is therefore an essential and most important part of any mechanical engineering course of study.

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MEC2202 Manufacturing Processes
Manufacturing involves the transformation of raw materials from their initial form into finished, functional products. Man achieves this transformation by numerous methods utilizing a variety of processes each designed to perform a specific function in the transformation process. Inherent in the design and operation of processes must be a knowledge of the properties of engineering materials and specific methods to utilize these properties during the various stages of the manufacturing process. Because of the competitive nature of the manufacturing industry, engineers are constantly striving to create new materials, better transformation methods and processes which are cheap to operate, efficient, fast and accurate. Small batch production predominates n Australia are manufacturing methods and processes best suited for this type of production have to be
designed and installed to achieve the greatest possible productivity. This course provides an introductory study of manufacturing processes and is complemented by further studies at higher levels of the program. Various material forming and cutting processes are considered, and theoretical knowledge is reinforced by practical demonstrations and videos.

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MEC2301 Design of Machine Elements
Design is one of the most important engineering functions for it is through design that new products and processes are born and that old ones are impr Design requires a breadth of knowledge extending over many areas, and a sound analytical ability. It requires an ability to recognize the phenomena involved and to synthesise an integrated solution. Design requires sound engineering judgement as well as a good grasp of the underlying basic science and mathematics. This course aims to integrate the knowledge
that the students has gained earlier in their course and to focus the students analytical skills towards synthesis of solutions by working through the design of several simple, commonly used devices.

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MEC2401 Dynamics I
A working knowledge of the basic laws of motion and of the concepts of force, energy, momentum and impulse, is fundamental to the study of mechanics and the solution of many engineering problems. In this course these basic concepts are reviewed and a number of techniques are developed to assist in the analysis of the plane motion of particles, bodies, interconnected bodies, mechanisms and geared systems.

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MEC2402 Stress Analysis
Every structure or machine has to perform its intended function within a predetermined and acceptable probability of failure. Stress analysis addresses the stability and strength of structures and machines while under load. It predicts how force is carried through a structure or machine and how the materials at any point in any individual member resist the force. As such, stress analysis is essential to the design function and the analysis function. Every engineer who has to make a judgement on the strength and stability
of any structure, machine or mechanism, no matter how simple or how complex, must understand the fundamental principles of stress analysis.

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MEC3102 Fluid Mechanics
This course presents the fundamental concepts of fluid behaviour both under static and dynamic conditions. This course is designed to enable the student to analyse and design any practical problem in which fluid is the working medium. The content of this course includes statics and dynamics of fluid flow, dimensional analysis, internal viscous flow, eg laminar and turbulent flows in pipes and ducts. Also, viscous flow around bodies, boundary layer and compressible flow. The theoretical knowledge is reinforced
by practical work, videos and a project.

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MEC3203 Materials Technology
The engineer uses a wide variety of materials from platinum to rocks to construct bridges, automobiles, jet engines, process plants, electronic components, etc. These materials have widely varying properties and consequently it is necessary for the engineer to have a sound working knowledge of the characteristic properties and behaviour during processing/fabrication and in service of the common types of engineering materials. This course extends the basic course “Engineering Materials”, to show how the basic
principles of materials science are used in the development of contemporary engineering materials.

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MEC3204 Production Engineering
The design and organization of methods used in manufacturing is of fundamental importance to a manufacturing firm. Methods may also be termed the management of a process, the way in which physical facilities are arranged to provide an environment, which is inductive to efficient, fast transformation. A measure of this efficiency is the time in which the transformation occurs. Time being one of the critical factors involved in the measurement of productivity. The transformation process requires an exact knowledge of the size, shape and finish desired on the finished product. In manufacturing, the ability to measure accurately both size and form, is of paramount importance to the quality and performance of the end product. Because of the wide diversity of types of processes, materials and products associated with manufacturing, the management function of a firm must be highly organized, efficient and responsive to provide an environment capable of meeting the demands and needs of its customers. Engineers must keep abreast with advancing production and operations techniques to ensure that their products remain competitive. Computer technology has made tremendous inroads into the manufacturing scene over the past decade and firms must incorporate computer monitoring and control in their operations if they are to remain in today’s manufacturing arena.

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MEC3302 Computational Mechanics in Design
This course will provide students with an understanding of the operation and limitations of computer aided engineering (CAE) systems, and provide opportunities to develop the basic skills required to operate such systems. Material presented will include the architecture of CAE systems, numerical methods, finite element methods, computer graphics, engineering methods of CAE, optimization, solid feature based parametric modelling, and technical information management systems. The advantage of a CAE
process is demonstrated by several engineering assignments that students must complete on a CAE facility throughout the semester. Considerable emphasis is placed on the appropriate use of the finite element method in the design process.

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MEC3303 System Design
Most engineering products form part of a system, which can be broken down into sub systems, assemblies and components. A considerable amount of design synthesis and analysis has to be done on the system as a whole before a product or process design specification can be drawn up. It is therefore important that the engineer is able to recognise what forms a system, a subsystem and a component, and how the performance of the whole system is affected by the performance of its constituent parts. In system design, the engineer considers the widest implications of a product, project or process at the design stage, including not only the technical interactions of the various subsystems, but also the political, sociological and socio-economic implications. This course leads the students to an understanding of the philosophy and methodology of the design process in the context of systems, which embrace political, sociological, economic, technical and ergonomics aspects. It then provides practice through assignments and workshops in developing the student’s ability to discern the relevant factors and design accordingly, to interact within a design team, and to communicate ideas and concepts through oral and written presentation. An essential skill for the design engineer is to be able to work across disciplines and therefore they often have to “learn”
new specializations. In this course the student is introduced to a number of specialist topics not covered elsewhere in their course of study. This is a senior course and it is assumed that the student has the maturity, knowledge and skills base commensurate with having completed the first two years of their undergraduate course.

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MEC3403 Dynamics II
The application of the principles of Mechanics is abound in our daily life. Buildings and bridges are designed to operate under normal conditions with the help of the principles of Statics. Under extraordinary conditions such as earthquake or high wind speed, the design is governed by the principles of Dynamics (loading conditions vary significantly with time). Mechanical systems are inherently dynamic. Moving parts exist in many products and equipment: simple household electrical appliances, office equipment, cars, robots production factories, mining, construction, agricultural machineries, ships, aeroplanes and spacecrafts, etc. Knowledge of dynamics plays an essential role in the design and analysis of any of these systems. Apart from pure mechanical functionalities, modern systems incorporated more robust and accurate control with the help of electronic devices. Flexible and intelligent systems such as robots, computer controlled factories, autonomous vehicles are now common. These achievements are possible because very detailed and accurate system dynamics is understood and advanced electronics and control are available. This advanced course covers the formulation of vector mechanics for general three-dimensional systems of rigid bodies and the theory of vibration and its applications. The principles and methods covered are essential to the understanding of mechanical systems.

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MEC4103 Heat and Mass Transfer
This course further develops the basic physics concepts and principles of heat transfer in its three different modes. The three modes are conduction, convection and radiation. Application of these principles to practical industrial applications is an important aspect of this course. It also introduces the principles of mass transfer and applies them to common industrial situations.

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ELE3105 Computer Controlled Systems
To apply control to any ‘real’ problem, it is first necessary to express the system to be controlled n mathematical terms. The ‘state space’ approach is taught both for expressing the system dynamics and for analyzing stability both before and after feedback is applied. These concepts involve revision and extension of matrix manipulation and the solution of differential equations. By defining a time-step to be small, these state equations give a means of stimulating the system and its controller for both linear and nonlinear cases. Many of the implementations of on-line control now involve a computer, which applies control actions at discrete intervals of time rather than continuously. It is shown that discrete-time state equations can be derived, which have much in common with the continuous ones. Stimulation does not then rely on a very small time step. The operator ‘z’ is first introduced with the meaning of ‘next’, resulting in a higher order difference equation to represent the system, then shown to be a parameter in the infinite series which is summed to form a ‘z-transform’. It is shown that the discrete-time transfer function in z can be derived from the Laplace transform of the continuous system, with additional terms to represent the zero order hold of the DAC. Analysis of stability in terms of the roots of a characteristic equation, are seen to parallel the continuous methods and techniques of pole assignment and root locus are also seen to correspond. Techniques are presented for synthesizing transfer functions by means of a few lines of computer code, to make stable control possible for systems, which would be unstable with simple feedback.

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ELE2504 Electronic Design and Analysis
Familiarity with electronic devices and circuits is fundamental to electrical engineering. The material covered here will further develop both in breadth and depth that which was covered in the preceding courses, with a significant emphasis on developing design skills. Topics to be covered will include: semiconductor devices (discrete and integrated), logic families, multistage amplifiers, operational amplifiers, active filters, negative and positive feedback, oscillators, power supplies and selected circuits used in communication systems.

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ENG4004 Engineering Management Science
Management science techniques are used extensively in modern engineering imdustry to plan, organize and control construction and manufacturing. Management science is also referred to as ‘operations research’ and utilizes quantitative analysis to assist with the decision making process. In this course several analytical techniques will be investigated including network analysis, project management, linear programming, stimulation and quality control. Many of these quantitative methods are used, not only in engineering production and project work, but also in the management of other processes.

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ENG4406 Robotics and Machine Vision
Robotics and machine vision are specialized aspects of mechatronics, the fusion of digital control with electronics and mechanisms to realize an application of value to
manufacturing and other industries. Mechatronic control system design requires the ability to embrace nonlinearities in both the system and the controller. Kinematic methods are taught for the design and analysis of robot manipulators and similar mechanisms. Aspects of control theory cover modeling and synthesis of nonlinear controllers such as the saturating drives demanded for real life actuator systems. The vision syllabus ranges over the variety of image acquisition systems now available, leading on to methods of image analysis. Image filtering and edge detector are compared with more pragmatic methods and examples are taken from research outcomes such as the vision guidance system now being implemented on agricultural tractors.

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MEC2202 Manufacturing Processes
Manufacturing involves the transformation of raw materials from their initial form into finished, functional products. Man achieves this transformation by numerous methods utilizing a variety of processes each designed to perform a specific function in the transformation process. Inherent in the design and operation of processes must be a knowledge of the properties of engineering materials and specific methods to utilize these properties during the various stages of the manufacturing process. Because of the competitive nature of the manufacturing industry, engineers are constantly striving to create new materials, better transformation methods and processes which are cheap to operate, efficient, fast and accurate. Small batch production predominates n Australia are manufacturing methods and processes best suited for this type of production have to be designed and installed to achieve the greatest possible productivity. This course provides an introductory study of manufacturing processes and is complemented by further studies at higher levels of the program. Various material forming and cutting processes are considered, and theoretical knowledge is reinforced by practical demonstrations and videos.

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MEC2301 Design of Machine Elements
Design is one of the most important engineering functions for it is through design that new products and processes are born and that old ones are impr Design requires a breadth of knowledge extending over many areas, and a sound analytical ability. It requires an ability to recognize the phenomena involved and to synthesise an integrated solution. Design requires sound engineering judgement as well as a good grasp of the underlying basic science and mathematics. This course aims to integrate the knowledge that the students has gained earlier in their course and to focus the students analytical skills towards synthesis of solutions by working through the design of several simple, commonly used devices.

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MEC2402Stress Analysis
Every structure or machine has to perform its intended function within a predetermined and acceptable probability of failure. Stress analysis addresses the stability and strength of structures and machines while under load. It predicts how force is carried through a structure or machine and how the materials at any point in any individual member resist the force. As such, stress analysis is essential to the design function and the analysis function. Every engineer who has to make a judgment on the strength and stability
of any structure, machine or mechanism, no matter how simple or how complex, must understand the fundamental principles of stress analysis.

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Assessment Structure

Assignments 60%
Examinations 40%

All assignments and exams are set an assessed by the USQ faculty to ensure that the quality and value of the degree is maintained and standardised.

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Entry Requirements

i. Minimum A-Levels
ii. Polytechnic Diploma Holders or equivalent

To find out if your existing qualification meet the entry requirement, email us

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Contact Us

Contact us to find out more about our programmes.

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