Environmental Engineering 1

Overview

Environmental Engineering offers you diverse career options in areas including climate change, sustainable systems, bushfire protection, energy systems, water resources, and waste water or waste solid treatment.

environmental engineeringCareer Pathways

industries• Civil

• Energy

• Infrastructure

• Manufacturing

• Mining

• OilandGas

• Minerals

• Pharmaceutical

• TertiaryEducation

• WasteManagement

• WaterManagement

Specialisinginthefieldof:

• Air

• Chemicals

• Freshwater

• Sea

• Soil

Youmightworkonprojectssuchas:

• ContaminantRemediation

• ImpactAssessment

• ResourcePlanning

SpecialisationsAsanenvironmentalengineer,youwilluseyourexpertiseintheassessmentandmanagementoftheeffectsofhumanandotheractivityonthenaturalandbuiltenvironment.Youmaywork,consultorengageinresearchanddevelopmentinthepublicorprivatesectorsinareasincluding:

2 Environmental Engineering

engineering Pathways (environmental)School leavers

Melbourne Model degrees (3 years)

Master of engineering (2 years)Specialisations:

Bachelor of BiomedicineMajors include:

Bioengineering Systems

BiomedicalBiomolecularChemical

Any Bachelors DegreeMust include Linear Algebra and Calculus 2 or equivalents, along with science relevant to intended specialisation.

Note: Duration of Master of Engineering will vary from 2-3years depending on amount of credit obtained from prior study

Bachelor of environmentsMajors include:

Civil SystemsGeomatics

Physical systems

Bachelor of CommerceSequences in the following Engineering areas:

Chemical SystemsCivil SystemsComputing and Software SystemsElectrical SystemsMechanical Systems

Physical Systems

Bachelor of ScienceMajors include:

Bioengineering Systems Chemical SystemsCivil SystemsComputing and Software SystemsElectrical SystemsGeomaticsMechanical Systems

Exit to employment with professional accreditation

Exit to employment (without professional accreditation)

School leavers

Note:Whilethestudystreamhighlightedaboveisconsideredthetraditionalpathway,alternativecourseplanscanachievethesamequalificationoutcome.PleasespeaktoaUniversityofMelbournecourseadvisortodiscussyouroptions.

Choosinganoccupation,gettingthatfirstgraduatejob,andgrowinginyourjobwillrequireplanning,selfawareness,flexibilityandaforward-lookingattitudetohelpmanagethepersonaltransitions,aswellasthetechnologicalandeconomicchangesofthefuture.Withsomanyfactorstoconsideraneffectiveemploymentplanwillincludestrategiesforenhancingcareerawareness&selfawareness,andcanbedoneina4-Stepprocess,startingwith:

1.Doingsomeself-assessmenttoclarifyinterestsandstrengths

2.Gatheringinformationandexploringcareersthatappealtoyouandmatchyourinterests,abilitiesandvalues–using

myFuture(accessibletothepublic)orAdultDirections(viaOnline Career ToolsforcurrentUniversityofMelbournestudents)

3.LearningaboutthejobmarketbyinvestigatingWork Experienceopportunities,browsingcompany/industry websites andtalkingtolotsofpeopleinyourfieldofinterestusingtheinformational interviewingtechnique

4.Developingjobsearchskills–preparingyourjobapplicationsandpreparingforinterviewsusingtheOnline Career ToolsorbookingaCareerConsultationthroughCareers Online(bothservicesavailabletocurrentUniversityofMelbournestudents).

CivilElectrical

environmental

GeomaticsMechanicalMechatronics

SoftwareStructural

Career PlanningForuniversitystudents,careerplanningisaboutchoosingacareerpathrelatedtoyourfieldofstudyandpreparingforemployment.Whileengineeringcanleadtospecificoccupationsitcanalsogiveyouthefoundationforavarietyofcareerpaths.

Environmental Engineering 3

employers AsampleofemployerswhoactivelyrecruitourElectricalEngineeringgraduatesincludes:

Foramoreextensivelistingincludingcurrentemploymentopportunities,UniversityofMelbournestudentscanvisitCareers Online,ouronlinejobsportal.

ItisalsoimportanttoattendeventsliketheGraduate Careers FairinSemester1andstudent-runIndustryNightstobecomefamiliarwithwhothekeyemployersareandthedatesoftheirrecruitingcampaigns.

resources TheCareers and Jobs GuideontheLibrarywebsitehasbeendevelopedforcurrentUniversityofMelbournestudentsinconjunctionwithCareers&Employment.Thisguidewillhelpyoufindqualitylibraryresourcestohelpwith:• Career planning

• Researching industries

• Researching employers

• Employability skills

• Job hunting

• Resumes and job applications

• Interview preparation

Types of employmentwork experienceTherearemanyformsofworkexperience.WiththeintroductionoftheFairWorkAct2009,allworkexperiencemustbepaidunlesstheplacementformspartofauniversitycourse.Forengineeringstudents,workexperiencecouldtaketheformofanindustry-basedfinalyearprojectorapaidplacement(suchasthoselistedbelow).Voluntaryworkfornot-forprofitagenciesisanotherwayofgainingvaluableworkexperiencebuttheseplacementsmustadheretotheVocational Placements & Student Volunteering Policy.

vACATiOn PrOgrAMS

Aredegree-related,structuredpaidworkplacementsusuallyundertakenbystudentsattheendoftheirpenultimateyearofstudy.Thesecanoftenleadtoagraduateposition,socompetitionforplacementsisintense.Wintervacationprogramsareavailablefromtimetotime.

inTernShiPS

Internshipsaresupervised,paidworkplacementsarrangedbetweentheemployerandstudent,sometimesbrokeredbytheuniversity.Rangingfromafewweekspart-timetomultiplesemestersfull-time,internshipsoccurinafieldrelevanttothestudent’squalification.Applicationopeningandclosingdatesforinternshipsarevaried.

CO-OPerATive PrOgrAMS

Enablestudentstoalternatestudytermswithpaidworkandofferhands-onexperiencecontributingtoarealproject,skillsdevelopmentandachancetonetworkwithprofessionalsinthefield.Applicationopeningandclosingdatesforco-operativeprogramsarevaried.

CADeTShiPS

Employedpositionsofferedtostudentsorgraduates,designedtoprovidespecifictrainingormentoring.Cadetshipscanbefull-orpart-timeandvaryfromformalised,structuredschemestoinformalarrangementsbetweenanindividualandanorganisation.Applicationopeningandclosingdatesarevaried.

graduate employment ProgramsIncludesubstantialtraining,developmentandsupport.Someprogramsincluderotationsthroughvariousdepartmentswithintheorganisation.Usuallyofferedbylargeorganisationsandgovernmentdepartments,anincreasingnumberofsmallerorganisationsarenowofferinggraduateemploymentprograms.Manyorganisationsofferanumberofprograms–someforspecificortechnicalroles,andotherswhicharebroaderbased.Graduateprogramsvaryinlength,from1-3years.CompetitionisstrongandfinalyearstudentsmustapplyinMarchorAprilforcommencementinJanuaryorFebruaryofthefollowingyear.

Opportunities to get exposure to industry through the Melbourne School of engineering:Connectwithindustrythroughthecurriculum,via:

• studentprojectsthatarepartneredwithindustry

• guestlecturesledbyindustryleaders

• sitevisitshostedbykeyorganisations

• careermentoringprograms

AECOM

Alluvium

BHP Billiton

BP Australia

Coffey Environments

GHD Pty Ltd

Gloucester Coal Ltd

Golder Associates

Melbourne Water

John Holland

Parsons Brinckerhoff

Shell

Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM)

Thiess Australia

Vic Roads

4 Environmental Engineering

As an environmental field engineer for Golder Associates, Jacob White is responsible for coordinating and supervising environmental site investigations for contaminated land projects. These projects range from remediation studies on refineries and manufacturing facilities to environmental testing to meet EPA guidelines for land development and infrastructure projects:

“Being a field engineer means being able to think on your feet and solving problems on site, which can be very rewarding. You have the independence and responsibility of coordinating and running a worksite, while gaining hands-on technical experience”.

Jacob studied environmental engineering at The University of Melbourne and enjoyed the guest lectures and site visits within the course:

“We had a number of guest lectures and courses run by past and present industry professionals. Environmental engineering at Melbourne involved a number of site visits and field trips, which provided invaluable experience and a glimpse at what a career in those industries would involve.”

During his candidature, Jacob served as Vice President of the Environmental Engineering Students Society. He also participated in a one- year exchange program at the University of Toronto.

JACOB WHITE

Environmental Field Engineer, Golder Associates

Study Area: Environmental Engineering

Graduate 3-5 years experience 10 years

Career Progression (trajectories) – Environmental

Graduate Environmental Engineer

Junior Environmental Engineer

Lead Environmental Engineer

Principal Environmental Engineer

Project Manager

Senior Environmental Engineer

Air Pollution Control Engineer

Civil/Environmental Engineer

Environmental Design Engineer

Environmental Engineer/Hydrogeologist

Environmental Engineer/Scientist

Environmental Field Engineer

Environmental Remediation Engineer

Environmental Engineer – Contaminated Land

Environmental Engineer – Infrastructure and Mining

Environmental Engineer – Land and Groundwater

Environmental Engineer – Manufacturing

Environmental Engineer – Mine Closure

Environmental Engineer – Oil and Gas

Environmental Engineer – Renewable Energy

Environmental Engineer – Transport and Drainage Planning

Environmental Engineer – Water Resources

Environmental Engineer – Waste/Landfill

Hazardous Waste Management Control Engineer

Project Environmental Engineer

Risk Assessor/Environmental Engineer

Tailings Environmental Engineer

Waste Management Engineer

Wastewater Treatment Engineer

Environmental Engineering 5

Careers in ResearchIf you are passionate about a certain field and would like to advance your research skills, enrolling in a research higher degree (RHD) may be a great option for you. RHDs enhance your ability to problem solve, think autonomously and creatively, and analyse. Careers in research are diverse and may include: academic positions at universities; policy-making or research positions at public sector organisations; private sector research and development projects; and self-employed consulting positions on technical or policy issues in your area of expertise.

Alternative CareersAn engineering degree offers you excellent technical and design expertise, but also equips you with the foundations for a diverse range of positions. Over a third of our graduates choose to move into non-traditional engineering roles, including:• Managementconsulting• Finance,economicsandbanking• Marketingandcommunications• Businessanalysis• Projectmanagement• Technicalwriting• Government,policyandintellectual

property management.

ForcurrentUniversityofMelbournestudents,Careers Online advertises numerous ‘generalist’ graduate jobs during the peak recruitmentseason(March-Aprilofyourfinalyear). You will often find that many state and federal government departments and defence agencies will actively recruit for engineers as they value their high-end problem-solving and analytical abilities.

Salary InformationAccording to a survey conducted in 2011 by Engineers Australia, gross mean base salary figures for environmental engineers across the private and public sectors are as follows: New graduate: $59,611

2-3 years: $75,613

4-10 years: $91,648

10-15 years: $116,538

Over 15 years: $148,857

Job OutlookAccordingtotheAustralianGovernment’sJob Outlook website*:

• Job Prospects for Environmental Scientists/Engineers are good.

• Employmentto2015-2016isexpected to grow very strongly. Employment rose very strongly in the last five years, and in the long-term (ten years).

• Theinternetvacancylevelforenvironmental engineers is very high.

• ThemixofindustriesemployingEnvironmental Scientists/Engineers is favourable for employment growth prospects.

* The Data on Job Outlook is updated on a yearly basis and is compiled from national statistics which may not reflect either regional variations or more recent changes in employment conditions.

Graduate Attributes for EmploymentAs a graduate environmental engineer you will have:

• Opportunitiestointeractwithindustryprofessionals through guest lectures, field and project work.

• Asoundfundamentalunderstandingofthe principles underlying Environmental Engineering, and the ability to apply them to complex, open-ended engineering tasks and problems.

• Genericskills,includingmanagement,communication, problem-solving and design and innovation in Environmental Engineering.

• Theeducationalandprofessionalstandardsof Engineers Australia with which the course is accredited.

• Understandingofprofessionalandethicalresponsibilities and commitment to them.

• Generalknowledge.

• Understandingofthebusinessenvironment.

• Abilitytocommunicateeffectively,with the engineering team and the community at large.

• Abilitytofunctioneffectivelyasanindividual and in multidisciplinary and multicultural teams, as a team leader or manager as well as an effective team member.

• Abilitytomanageinformationanddocumentation.

• Capacityforlifelonglearningandprofessional development.

PENNY ROGERS

Environmental Engineer, GHD

Study Area: Environmental Engineering

As an environmental engineer specialising inriverhealth,PennyRogersspendstimeon the field collecting samples, assessing river conditions and understanding the ecology of environments. She works for GHD, one of the world’s leading engineering, architecture and environmental consulting companies.

Pennyrecentlycompletedsomeexcitingfield work in the outback around Alice Springs, an experience she counts among her career highlights:

“It was a great trip and I am lucky to be able to work in such amazing and diverse environments.”

BeforecommencingatGHD,Pennycompleted vacation work for both consultancies and government agencies within the field of Natural Resources ManagementandRiverHealth,experiencesthat offered great insights into the river health industry. She also worked for the UniversityofMelbourneasaresearchassistant.

Pennyenjoyedthefieldtripopportunitiesand peer networking:

“GraduatingfromMelbournegavemeanexcellent peer group for when I started working full time.”

Job Search Sites• Careers Online

• Engineer Jobs/Environmental Engineering

• Engineering Career

• Engineering Jobs Australia

• Enviro Jobs

• Grad Connection

• H2Oz

• Job Search Australia/Engineers

• Just Engineers

• MyCareer – Environmental Engineering Jobs

• Seek – Environmental Engineering Jobs

recruiters• Recruitment and Consulting Services

Association’s Member Index

• Seek recruiter search

Professional Associations• APESMA

• Australian Water Association

• Consult Australia

• Engineers Australia

• Society for Sustainability and Environmental Engineering (a society of Engineers Australia)

Licensing and registrationThereisnoformalsystemofregulationforengineersthroughoutAustralia.EngineeringservicesareregulatedunderavarietyofActsinadhocareas,manyofwhichrelatetoengineersinthebuildingandconstructionindustry.

EngineersinQueenslandarerequiredbylegislationtoberegisteredthroughtheBoard of Professional Engineers in Queensland (BPEQ).

Inotherstatesandterritoriesengineersoperateundertheself-regulatorysystemoperatedbytheNational Engineering Registration Board (NERB).

international Students/graduatesWorking in Victoria: An Engineer’s Guide

Overseas Qualifications Assessment Team (OSQA)Engineers Australia

Useful Links

ShAiSTA POTTAChirA

environmental engineer, Parsons Brinckerhoff

Study Area: environmental engineering

Desalinationplants,powerstationsandwindfarmscountinShaistaPottachira’sportfolioofprojectsasanenvironmentalengineerforParsons Brinckerhoff:

“ThebestpartofmyjobisbeingabletocontributetoconservingtheenvironmentandknowingthatIworkonmajorprojectsthatwillshapeAustralia.”

Shaistaenjoysthediversityofworkthatherroleoffers:

“Idon’thaveatypicaldayattheoffice,whichiswhatmakesitsogreat!Iworkondifferentprojectsandproposalsthroughouttheday;Imaybecalledtogooutintothefieldorattendclientmeetings.IalsoleadtheYoungProfessionalsNetworkfortheMelbourneofficeatthefirm,soamidstprojectworkI’mrunningcommitteemeetingsandorganisingprogramsandevents,whichIlovedoinginadditiontoengineering.”

Duringherstudies,Shaistawasanactive

volunteer,assistingintheVictorianStudents’AidProgramandundertakingvoluntaryworkinBrazilwithglobalyouthorganisation,AIESECaftercompletingherstudies:

“IwentonadevelopmenttraineeshiptoBrazilfor4.5monthswhereIworkedinaswimmingprogramforchildrenfromdisadvantagedcommunities.Iendedupformingquiteclosetiestothechildrenandtheirparents.Theysayyoutrulygrowasapersonwhenyou’vebeenthrownintoacompletelyunfamiliarsituation,andIwantedtochallengemyselfpersonallythisway.”

Thelong-lastingfriendshipsshedevelopedduringherstudiesandthesummersontheSouthLawnremainfondmemoriesforShaista:

“GraduatingfromMelbournegavemealoveoflearningandanopenmindedviewoftheworld.”

EnvironmentalEngineeringPathways.AuthorisedbytheIndustryRelationsManager,MelbourneSchoolofEngineering.PublishedbyTheMelbourneSchoolofEngineering,July2012.

Copyright:©CopyrightUniversityofMelbourne2012.CopyrightinthispublicationisownedbytheUniversityandnopartofitmaybereproducedwithoutthepermissionoftheUniversity.

CRICOSprovidercode00116K.Disclaimer:TheUniversityhasuseditsbestendeavourstoensurethatmaterialcontainedinthispublicationwascorrectatthetimeofprinting.TheUniversitygivesnowarrantyandacceptsno

responsibilityfortheaccuracyorcompletenessofinformationandtheUniversityreservestherighttomakechangeswithoutnoticeatanytimeatitsabsolutediscretion.