Extended Major Overview
- Description
Environmental engineers apply engineering and scientific principles, including the systems approach, to design solutions in areas such as water resources and wastewater treatment, surface and groundwater systems, and oceans and coastal environments. This may include, but is not limited to, understanding of fundamental environmental processes, environmental risk assessment and management, contaminated site management, environmental regulation, ecological engineering, the impact of climate change on coastal areas such as sea-level rise and beach erosion, oceanography, and environmental modelling. The Environmental Engineering major at UWA offers a strong foundation in the core concepts and practice of environmental engineering. Emphasis is placed on developing strong analytical and research skills, in particular advanced numerical techniques.
Students should be aware that this major does not provide a pathway to an Honours.- Outcomes
Students are able to:
- demonstrate an advanced understanding of physical, chemical and ecological processes, and their coupling in environmental systems
- design solutions to environmental engineering challenges that take into account environmental, safety, ethical, sustainability, legal and economic considerations
- extend knowledge in Environmental Engineering through research, experimentation and analysis
- demonstrate professional knowledge and associated skills in Environmental Engineering, including strong communications skills.
- Broadening guidelines
- All students studying towards a Bachelor's Degree at UWA are required to Broaden their studies by completing a minimum of four units (24 points) of study outside their degree specific major. Broadening is your opportunity to explore other areas of interest, investigate new disciplines and shape your degree in line with your personal aspirations. Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Engineering are encouraged to take units or a minor from outside of engineering, to satisfy broadening. However, you may also select engineering units that are not listed in the unit sequence of your engineering major. Advice can be sought from your Allocated Student Advising Office.
The following broadening units are recommended for students in the Environmental Engineering major of the BE(Hons):
Indigenous Knowledge Focus: INDG1800; INDG2800; INDG3800.
Critical Thinking for the Future Focus: ANTH1002; GEND2903; ANTH2701.
Environmental Economics Focus: ECON1120; ECON2224; ECON3323.
Environmental Policy Focus: GEOG1103; GEOG3303; GEOG3308.
Environmental Politics Focus: IREL1001; SOCS3001; POLS3342.
Renewable Energy Focus: OCEN2001; CHPR2022; GENG4410.
GIS and Remote Sensing Focus: GEOG3301; ENVT4520; ENVT5566.
Oceans Focus: OCEN2002; OCEN3001; OCEN4010.
Suggested units to broaden your study area, are:
(1) CHPR2022 Solutions for Sustainable Future Energy
(2) GENG4410 Fossil to Future – The Transition
(3) INDG1800 Indigenous Ways of Knowing 1 (Introductory)
(4) INDG2800 Indigenous Ways of Knowing 2 (Intermediate)
(5) INDG3800 Indigenous Ways of Knowing 3 (Advanced)
(6) ANTH1002 Global Change, Local Responses
(7) GEND2903 Sex, Gender, Technology and Science
(8) ANTH2701 Culture, Ecologies, Extinction: Environment and Society in a Time of Crisis
(9) ECON1120 Environmental Economics 1
(10) ECON2224 Environmental Economics 2
(11) ECON3323 Business and the Environment
(12) GEOG1103 Urbanisation and Sustainability
(13) GEOG3303 Environmental Policy and Planning
(14) GEOG3308 Climate Change: Policy and Practice
(15) IREL1001 The International Politics of Climate Change
(16) SOCS3001 Environment, Society and Governance in Practice
(17) POLS3342 Global Environmental Politics
(18) OCEN2001 Energy from Oceans
(19) GEOG3301 Advanced GIS and Remote Sensing
(20) ENVT4520 GIS and Remote Sensing in a Changing World
(21) ENVT5566 Advanced Spatial and Environmental Modelling
(22) OCEN2002 The Changing Oceans
(23) OCEN3001 Ocean Engineering Solutions
(24) OCEN4010 Ocean Observational Methods and Modelling - Incompatibilities
MJD-ENGSC Engineering Science
- Courses
Environmental Engineering can only be taken as a degree-specific major in the following degree courses:
- BH011 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)
- CB004 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/ Bachelor of Science*
- CB006 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/ Bachelor of Commerce*
- CB014 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/ Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours)*
- CB034 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/ Bachelor of Arts*
- CB030 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) and Bachelor of Modern Languages*
*Students enrolling in this as part of a combined course must use the code MJDC-EENVE when selecting this as their extended major.
Example Study Plans
- BE Environmental Engineering (with Bridging) SEM-1-2025 [docx]
- BE Environmental Engineering (with Bridging) SEM-2-2025 [docx]
- BE Environmental Engineering SEM-1-2025 [docx]
- BE Environmental Engineering SEM-2-2025 [docx]
See study plans for more information.
Units
Key to availability of units:
- S1
- Semester 1
- S2
- Semester 2
- NS
- non-standard teaching period
The list below includes the Bachelor of Engineering foundation units as well as the Environmental Engineering major units.
Level 1
Degree-specific major units
Take all units (36 points):
Availability | Unit code | Unit name | unit requirements |
---|---|---|---|
S1, S2 | CHEM1001 | Chemistry—Properties and Energetics |
|
NS | GENG1000 | Engineering Practice 1 |
|
S1, S2 | GENG1010 | Introduction to Engineering |
|
S2 | GENG1014 | Earth Systems Engineering |
|
S1, S2 | MATH1011 | Multivariable Calculus |
|
S1, S2 | MATH1012 | Mathematical Theory and Methods |
|
S1, S2 | PHYS1001 | Physics for Scientists and Engineers |
Bridging units
Students can only take up to 12 points of bridging in the BE.
Students who have not achieved a scaled mark of at least 50 in Mathematics Specialist ATAR or equivalent are required to complete MATH1722. Students who have not achieved a scaled mark of at least 50 in Physics ATAR or equivalent are required to complete PHYS1030. Students who have not achieved a scaled mark of at least 50 in Chemistry ATAR or equivalent are required to complete CHEM1003.
Availability | Unit code | Unit name | unit requirements |
---|---|---|---|
S1, S2 | CHEM1003 | Introductory Chemistry |
|
S1, S2 | MATH1722 | Mathematics Foundations: Specialist |
|
S1, S2 | PHYS1030 | Physics Bridging Unit |
|
Level 2
Degree-specific major units
Take all units (54 points):
Availability | Unit code | Unit name | unit requirements |
---|---|---|---|
S1, S2 | CITS2401 | Computer Analysis and Visualisation | |
S1, S2 | ENSC2004 | Engineering Mechanics | |
S1 | ENVE2013 | Coastal Engineering Processes |
|
S2 | ENVE2606 | Grand Challenges in Environmental Engineering |
|
S1 | ENVE2607 | Modelling in Environmental Engineering | |
S2 | ENVT2251 | Hydrology and Water Resource Management |
|
NS | GENG2000 | Engineering Practice 2 |
|
S2 | GENG2010 | Principles of Hydraulics |
|
S2 | GENG2012 | Data Collection and Analysis | |
S1, S2 | GEOG2201 | Geographic Information Systems |
|
Level 3
Degree-specific major units
Take all units (30 points):
Availability | Unit code | Unit name | unit requirements |
---|---|---|---|
S1 | ENVE3402 | Engineering Hydrology | |
S1 | ENVE3403 | Flow and Turbulence in Environmental Systems |
|
S1 | ENVE3405 | Ecological Engineering and Nature-based Solutions | |
S2 | ENVE3608 | Environmental Monitoring and Analysis | |
S1 | ENVE3609 | Designing as an Environmental Engineer |
|
NS | GENG3000 | Engineering Practice 3 |
|
Level 4
Degree-specific major units
Take all units (48 points):
Availability | Unit code | Unit name | unit requirements |
---|---|---|---|
S2 | ENVE4401 | Contaminant Fate and Transport |
|
S2 | ENVE4601 | Advanced Environmental Modelling |
|
S2 | ENVE5502 | Water and Wastewater Engineering |
|
S2 | ENVE5551 | Environmental Engineering Design Solutions Part 1 |
|
S1 | ENVE5552 | Environmental Engineering Design Solutions Part 2 |
|
S1, S2 | GENG4411 | Engineering Research Project Part 1 |
|
S1, S2 | GENG4412 | Engineering Research Project Part 2 |
|
S1, S2 | GENG5010 | Professional Engineering Portfolio |
|
S1 | GENG5501 | Coastal and Offshore Engineering |
|