Bachelor of Engineering (BE) Degree

The School of Engineering and Computer Science offers a four year Bachelor of Engineering (BE) with three specialisations: Electronic & Computer Systems Engineering (ECEN); Network Engineering (NWEN); and Software Engineering (SWEN). When taking the BE degree, you will be enrolled under one of these specialisations. If you're not sure which you like best, don't worry – you can leave your options open at first year and decide later!

Overview of the BE degree

The Victoria BE is designed to meet the international standards for an engineering degree set by the Washington Accord. Here are the graduate attributes of the BE.

The BE degree is split into several components which you will need to complete. These are:

• Part 1. This consists of six or seven 100-level courses which provide the necessary foundations for the BE. You will need to ensure you take the right courses for your chosen specialisation. If you're unsure about which specialisation you like, leave your options open by taking all the courses required for any specialisation (see page 20). To gain admission to part 2 of the BE, you will need to pass all courses in Part 1 with at least a B average.
• Part 2. This is the core component of the BE, and is made up of various 200-, 300- and 400- level courses. The courses you take will be primarily determined by your chosen specialisation.
• Part 3, consisting of three courses outside of your specialisation forming a coherent addition to your programme of study and approved by the Dean. This is an opportunity to explore some other interests you may have outside of the BE programme.
• Professional Practice. This consists of a number of required courses (ENGR 301, ENGR 302, ENGR 401) which develop a professional approach to engineering.
• Work Experience, consisting of 800 hours of approved work experience in an engineering environment. Normally you would do this in the summers following your second and third years of study. However, other arrangements are possible. Full details of the BE work experience programme are available on the school website for employers and students. Students can manage their work experience through the Work Experience Portal.

BE with Honours

If you achieve good grades during your BE degree, and particularly in your third and fourth year work, you will be awarded the degree with Honours, either First-Class Honours, Second-Class Honours (first division), or Second Class Honours (second division). To be eligible for the award of Honours you would normally complete your third and fourth year courses in two consecutive years.

Massey Papers

By agreement with Massey University Wellington some Massey engineering papers can be credited to your Victoria BE. More.

Electronic and Computer Systems Engineering specialisation

Electronic and Computer Systems Engineering focuses on the development of electronic-based systems to solve real-world problems. These systems are not only based on their physical components, but often also on the signals flowing in the system and the embedded software that provides the system's intelligence. Find out more about Electronic and Computer Systems Engineering

Network Engineering specialisation

The study of networking includes the network elements, protocols, middleware and applications that make up modern networks. The NWEN specialisation equips students with the expertise to design, build, configure and test modern networks and services. The NWEN specialisation is flexible, and students can take a wide variety of courses in software engineering and electronics, as well as core courses in network engineering. Find out more about Network Engineering

Software Engineering specialisation

Software engineers must not only have a range of technical expertise, but must also be able to work with other people — other engineers, clients and systems users. The courses in the Software Engineering programme address these issues. Students learn about the processes for managing software projects involving many people, work together to solve problems and develop experience. Find out more about Software Engineering

Not sure what BE Specialisation you like?

Choosing the right BE specialisation for you can seem daunting, and many students simply don't know which one they like best. A good option is to delay making this choice until you reach the second year – by which time you'll have a much better understanding of what you do and don't like! If you do want to wait until 2nd year before deciding which specialisation you like best, then you should take what we call a common first year. Essentially, this means taking the first-year courses important to all BE specialisations. Whilst this does mean taking more MATH courses than needed for some BE specialisations (e.g. SWEN only requires MATH 161), it does ensure you can move to any specialisation at 2nd year. The common first year looks like this:

This first year requires 16 points of NCEA Level-3 Mathematics. If you have 18 points of NCEA Level-3 Calculus (or equivalent), then you won't even need to take MATH 141 and, instead, you might like to take PHYS 114.

Bridging Courses

If you haven't got enough NCEA credits for your favourite specialisations, don't worry – you can make up for this by taking a bridging course. However, you need to understand that this means your degree may take longer.

Students without enough credits may make these up by taking additional University courses first:

• Students without enough NCEA Mathematics credits may take MATH 132 to make up for this.
• Students without enough NCEA Calculus credits, but who have at least 16 credits of NCEA level-3 Mathematics, may take MATH 141 to make up for this.
• Students without enough NCEA Physics credits may take PHYS 131 to make up for this.