CRICOS Course Code: 063385A
ǂ Domestic students can study this diploma online but need to attend on-campus practicals between one and five days per trimester, depending on the Deakin University degree pathway. International students cannot study this diploma online.
* New students can study this diploma at Melbourne Burwood from 2024 if they are on a pathway to the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) majoring in Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics Engineering only. New students on a pathway to the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) majoring in Civil Engineering or Electrical and Electronics Engineering can study this diploma at Melbourne Burwood from 2025.
Deakin College’s Diploma of Engineering is a broad introductory course that will prepare you with the skills and knowledge for a full spectrum of opportunities in the field.
Choose to specialise in civil, electrical and electronics, environmental, mechanical or mechatronics engineering when you enter second year of your Deakin University bachelor degree.
Employment and career options upon completing your Bachelor degree:
On completion of this Diploma you can pathway into the following degrees at Deakin University:
Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (for students commencing the Diploma in 2024 onwards)
Majors: Civil Engineering, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering
See 'Transferring to Deakin University' for campus information.
The following pathways are available to students who commenced the Diploma prior to 2024:
Bachelor of Civil Engineering (Honours)
Bachelor of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (Honours)
Bachelor of Environmental Engineering (Honours)
Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering (Honours)
Bachelor of Mechatronics Engineering (Honours)
For further details about Diploma of Engineering units, unit availability and trimester structures, please download the course and unit outline.
Students are required to complete and pass units worth 8 credit points and 2-3 zero credit point modules.
Choice of units is based on the Deakin University degree you wish to enter.
This module's learning and assessment activities provide students with guidance on what constitutes academic integrity. It will allow students to develop knowledge, skills and good practice principles to avoid plagiarism and collusion and thereby maintain academic integrity.
The unit will commence with a calculus treatment of kinematics of motion in one, two and three dimensions, including parabolic motion. The application of Newton’s laws to a wide variety of phenomena will be investigated and the concepts of work, energy and the conservation laws discussed. Rotational kinematics and dynamics will be introduced, including the concepts of moment of inertia, torque, moment of a force. Also introduced are electrical concepts of charge, field, and voltage. Other topics to be covered are vectors, statics, centre of mass and centroids.
This is a project and design-based unit which introduces students to the fundamentals of electrical systems, covering three main topics; electricity basics including capacitance, resistance, inductance and EMF; electric circuits; and semi-conductor devices. The unit will also introduce students to elements of professional practice including OHS, professional ethics and sustainability in the context of Engineering projects. Students will work in groups, using their knowledge gained through classes, studios and practical experiences, the concepts covered in the seminar sessions, as well as knowledge gained from self-directed learning to complete their design of an electrical systems project meeting specified requirements. Students will communicate the considerations taken in their design in a variety of forms including written assessments tasks and a group presentation.
This unit introduces students to the main classes of materials, their basic structure and the way in which the structure determines their mechanical and functional properties. Case-studies and practicals will be used to highlight the basis for selecting a material in a specific application and to introduce student’s to material testing methodologies. The unit will also introduce students to current research into materials to show how the structure can be manipulated to improve performance in specific applications.During the start of trimester students will undertake various learning activities including classes, tutorials and practical sessions to cover key principles related to materials. Later in trimester students will be predominantly working in groups during tutorial sessions and incorporating both directed and self-directed online learning activities to develop their project and to discuss progress with facilitators. All students will be required on campus during the intensive week for activities related to the project. The unit will also introduce students to elements of professional practice including OHS, professional ethics and sustainability in the context of Engineering projects.
This unit focuses on the principles and practices of human centred design as well as whole system design, within the context of sustainable systems. Design is an essential part of engineering professional practice, and students will explore the process of design ideation, definition and problem solving, by working on an authentic, real-world problem. The unit allows the students to explore human and natural factors that influence design projects, while also considering the values and needs of clients and end users.
This zero credit point module will provide students entering into an undergraduate Engineering program with an introduction to the premise of the project oriented design based learning (PODBL) pedagogy and how it is incorporated within the undergraduate Engineering programs. It will introduce students to the 7 step design process. It will also give an introduction to information literacy as used in PODBL.
This unit also includes safety information for students involved in mechanical and electronics laboratory work. The program encompasses mechanical and electronic hazards, building evacuation procedures, laboratory accident management and first aid procedures, and safety work procedures particular to laboratory and fieldwork.
In this unit the fundamental concepts and skills of programming are introduced. Students will use the C++ programming language to learn and build a foundation in programming skills and knowledge. Students will apply programming techniques and concepts to solve virtual problems which will increase in difficulty through the trimester. By the end of this unit, students will have a general understanding about the layers which exist in programs, have access to different programming skills and methods used to write a program and be able to write and debug simple C++ programs.
This unit focuses on the principles and practices of computer aided design. Design is an essential element of professional practice and requires unique knowledge, skills and attitudes common to a number of engineering disciplines. The unit allows students to develop their technical and professional practice skills for a career in engineering. Students will learn how to design an artefact using sustainable design principles and lay the foundations for 3D modelling and engineering drawings.
This unit aims to develop the fundamental functions of applied mathematics, and to introduce calculus to students who have not previously studied it in secondary school. It is designed to prepare students from a number of different disciplines for learning tertiary level mathematics. Students will explore the algebra of polynomials, exponentials, logarithms and trigonometric functions and learn rules for differentiating and integrating these functions. Applications studied include graph sketching, maximisation and minimisation problems, areas and kinematics.
This unit includes: functions and limits; derivatives and integrals of combinations of polynomials, exponential, logarithmic and trigonometric functions; sequences, series tests and power series; vectors, lines and planes; first order differential equations. Applications studied include graph sketching; approximations to solutions of equations and integrals; formulation of models to solve science and engineering problems.
Students completing SLE133 and SLE155 must complete this SLE010 Laboratory and Fieldwork Safety Induction Program.
In this module, students will develop an awareness of safety measures and protocols to be followed in scientific laboratory work and fieldwork. The module encompasses information about biological and chemical hazards, building evacuation procedures, laboratory accident management, first aid procedures and safe work procedures.
SLE133 is a foundation unit designed to develop and consolidate student understandings and skills in basic chemistry. The learning and assessment activities provide students with the opportunity to study atoms, molecules, and ions, how they change during a chemical reaction and how bonding affects properties such as intermolecular interactions, boiling points, ease of evaporation and the ability of substances to dissolve in water. Students will engage in laboratory work in order to develop their hands on skills in chemical safety and measurement and their ability to perform calculations related to substance measurement. Students will then apply these concepts of bonding, chemical change and measurement to determine the acidity and basicity of substances and the formation of buffers.
You must have completed SLE010 in the current or a previous trimester, before you can attend any laboratory sessions.
SLE155 Chemistry for the Professional Sciences
SLE155 builds on the student’s previous chemistry knowledge about atoms, molecules, properties, reactions, measurement and acidity. Students will extend their knowledge to more advanced chemical naming, structures, and hypervalent bonding. They will be introduced to additional topics such as, chemical equilibria, solution chemistry, simple organic compounds, chirality and thermochemistry.
This unit will lead to further studies in biochemistry, chemistry, and related areas such as food and nutrition, molecular biology and science education. This unit can also be taken as an elective unit for students who want a broader knowledge of chemistry to enhance their degree.
On-campus
On-campus classes run between 9am and 7pm on weekdays. Most units run as 2 x 2-hour classes each week. You can also expect between 4-6 hours of private study per unit, per week.
Online
Online study is only available to domestic students. Recorded content, classroom notes, readings, activities and assessments are available online, to be accessed at any time. An optional one hour live online session is held each week for every unit, and you are strongly encouraged to attend.
You will need to attend on-campus practicals between one and five days per trimester, depending on the Deakin University degree pathway.
Weighted average mark (WAM) required for transfer, by campus:
Trimester Intake | Melbourne Burwood# | Geelong Waurn Ponds | Online | Maximum Credits | |
S467 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (for students commencing a diploma in 2024 onwards) Major sequences: Civil Engineering (WP, O) | T1 T2 | 50# | 50 | 50 | 8 |
S460 Bachelor of Civil Engineering (Honours) (for students who commenced prior to 2024) (WP, O) | T1 T2 | 50 | 50 | 8 | |
S461 Bachelor of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (Honours) (for students who commenced prior to 2024) (WP, O) | T1 | 50 | 50 | 8 | |
S465 Bachelor of Environmental Engineering (Honours) (for students who commenced prior to 2024) (WP, O) | T1 | 50 | 50 | 8 | |
S462 Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering (Honours) (for students who commenced prior to 2024) (WP, O) | T1 | 50 | 50 | 8 | |
S463 Bachelor of Mechatronics Engineering (Honours) (for students who commenced prior to 2024) (WP, O) | T1 T2 | 50 | 50 | 8 |
Units 3 and 4 in one of VCE Mathematical Methods, General Mathematics or Specialist Mathematics with a study score of at least 20; or international equivalent.
Domestic Engineering students who have not achieved this are required to enrol and pass the two mathematics units listed below during their Diploma of Engineering studies. Students studying these additional units in conjunction with their Diploma of Engineering may still complete their Diploma in three trimesters (12 months).
FNDE021 and FNDE023 are offered free of charge once only. Any repeat attempts at any of these units will be charged at the current Foundation Program rate.
International students must be able to demonstrate English language proficiency before being admitted to this course.
View the transfer requirements for the Diploma of Engineering below.