Chemical & Materials Engineering

Program
Duration
Location
Application
OP Score
Entry Requirements
International Availability
Accreditation
Fees

Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical & Materials)
4 Years full-time
St Lucia
QTAC code 717001
Qld OP 6  /  Rank 90;  ATAR 89.00 (2011 entry)
Qld Yr 12 or equivalent; English; Mathematics B; Chemistry or Physics
UQ International
Engineers Australia and The Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE)
What it costs

Materials engineering is at the basis of all forms of production, and while this ‘enabling science’ uses physics and chemistry in engineering, it also requires collaboration with other fields like chemical engineering.

Chemical engineering is the design, management and optimisation of processes that turn raw materials into valuable products, using the latest knowledge of biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics, integrated with engineering principles and economic consideration. Chemical engineers ensure economic viability, and a minimum loss of materials and consumption of energy, while maintaining safety and environmental standards. This major also applies knowledge within team-based project work. Students tackle real world issues sourced from industries and the latest research.

Materials engineering is concerned with the selection, processing and development of materials to design and make products. Materials - metals, alloys, ceramics, polymers and composites - give manufactured products their functional and aesthetic qualities. Materials engineers apply their knowledge of materials behaviour to optimise processing and improve the properties of products. They are also involved in controlling the service behaviour of materials; improving the performance of machines and structures.

UQ chemical and materials engineering specialises in:

  • Biomaterials
  • Polymers and biopolymers
  • Nanomaterials
  • Light metals development
  • Casting materials
  • Powder metallurgy and aluminium alloys

What are the applications?

Materials engineers can select and design materials for all sorts of purposes. Failure analysis, product development and quality assurance are key applications. Light weight materials, able to withstand high temperatures or tolerate particular surface treatments have enormous advantages when applied to such fields as space and air travel, optical fibre technology and artificial joint development. Light weight tennis racquets and golf clubs, cochlear implants and MP3 players are all products of materials engineering.

Examples of recent applications include advanced cement polymers for joint prostheses, anti-wear strategies for mining industry equipment, and safe storage and transport of hydrogen to enable it to be used as a fuel. 

What does the future hold?

The future is continually evolving for materials engineering, as new applications spawn new technologies, and vice versa. New discoveries in other areas of science and engineering will demand new materials to support them.

For example, UQ materials engineering is currently researching the production of ‘scaffolding’ for tissue engineering, manipulating materials to improve drug delivery and investigating methods to store and transport hydrogen.

Increasingly, materials science is looking to materials in nature for clues. Reproducing the qualities of spider silk, for instance, by unlocking the secrets of its make-up, could have far-reaching applications.

Now, and even more in the future, materials engineers consider sustainability, the carbon cycle and the biodegradability of a product. What is the required life-span of the product? How can we avoid contributing further to land-fill? Can we build in decomposition? 

Employment Opportuntites

There are career paths in design, operation, management, research and consulting in Australia and overseas.

Materials engineers, and materials and testing engineers may be employed in the materials processing and manufacturing industries, including the automobile, whitegoods, steel, aluminium and polymer industries that create wealth and add value to Australia's mineral resources. Materials engineers are employed in large multinational companies and small to medium enterprises, in research establishments, in public utilities and in consulting engineering firms.
 
Chemical engineers work at the cutting edge of fields such as molecular biology, nano-materials and chemistry, mathematics and information technology. They work in a range of industries, government departments and private consultancies, within environmental protection, management and safety; natural resource utilisation and the energy sector; chemical, petroleum and petrochemical industries; biochemical, biomedical and pharmaceuticals industries; computer-aided process and control engineering; advanced materials design and manufacture; minerals processing and related industries; food processing and product design and development.
 
Visit our Careers in Chemical Engineering page for further information.
 


UQ Bonus Rank Scheme
 
The UQ Bonus Rank Scheme offers students who complete Year 12 in Australia a chance to improve their rank to gain entry to their preferred program.  For more information please click here.

Full program details and entry requirements

Credit for Previous Studies

Non-Award Enrolment
 
If you have the skills and background to enrol in individual courses, but you are not qualified to enter an award program, you may be eligible to enrol as a domestic non-award student on a fee-paying basis, for training purposes. This option is not available to international students.

The University's Enhanced Studies program allows students in selected high schools to enrol in first year level university courses, while completing their Year 12 studies.

Full list of BE courses 

Study information for Materials Engineering students 

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