Areas of Engineering

Obtained by having a Civil Aviation Safety Authority Instrument of Authority

Aeronautical engineering concerns the theory, technology, and practice of flight within the Earth's atmosphere, the design of aircraft and propulsion systems and study of the aerodynamic performance of aircraft and construction materials.

Assessed by Engineers Australia

Aerospace engineering involves the development of aircraft and spacecraft. The purpose of aerospace engineering is to achieve optimal integrated aerospace systems.

Assessed by Engineers Australia

Biomedical engineering deals with combining design and problem-solving skills in applying engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare purposes.

Assessed by Engineers Australia

Building Services Engineering is concerned with aspects of the built environment, involving air conditioning and mechanical ventilation, electrical light and power, fire services, fire safety engineering, water and waste services, data and communications, security and access control, vertical transportation, acoustics in buildings and energy management.

Assessed by Engineers Australia, The Institution of Chemical Engineers and Professionals Australia

Chemical engineering helps to manage resources, protect the environment, and control health and safety procedures, while developing the processes that make the products we desire/depend on.

Chemical engineering is about changing raw materials into useful products used every day in a safe and cost-effective way. For example: petrol, plastics and synthetic fibres such as polyester and nylon, all come from oil.

Chemical engineers understand how to alter the chemical, biochemical or physical state of a substance, to create everything from face creams to fuels.

Assessed by Engineers Australia and Professionals Australia

Civil engineering involves the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, e.g. dams, bridges, pipelines, roads, towers and buildings, transport systems, gas and water supplies, sewerage systems, harbours, airports and railways. Civil engineering also involves assessing the impact large scale projects have on the environment, and the collection and treatment of sewage and industrial wastes. Other environmental areas include pollution control, environmental control, transport, urban development and municipal services, resource protection of building and construction of other infrastructure and service industries.

Assessed by Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia, Queensland

Civil (Public Works) Engineering is fundamentally the same as Civil Engineering, but is focused on civil works and services delivered to the public, e.g.  airports; road and bridge design, construction and maintenance; drainage, stormwater and floodplain management; transport, traffic and safety; rail; waste, sewage and water management; coastal, marine parks and recreation management; emergency services; asset management; fleet/plant and mechanical services.

Assessed by Engineers Australia and Professionals Australia

Electrical engineering involves the research, design, development, manufacture, installation, operation, maintenance and management of equipment, plant and systems within the electrical, electronic, communication and computer systems areas.

These activities can apply to electricity generation, transmission, distribution, electrical installations in buildings and on industrial sites, electrical equipment manufacturing, instrumentation and control systems applications in industry, communications networks, electronic plan and equipment, and also the integration and control of computer systems.

Assessed by The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Engineers Australia and Professionals Australia

Environmental engineering is concerned with protecting the environment by assessing the impact a project has on the air, water, soil and noise levels in its vicinity. This is done by studying the project’s design, construction and operation, and minimising any adverse effects that it may have on the environment. Environmental engineering is also involved in removing problems caused by past activity, such as cleaning contaminated industrial land, so it can be used for housing. Environmental engineering helps predict what problems may be caused by accidents and assess what may cause problems for the environment in the long term. Environmental engineering is also involved in research and development of alternative energy sources, water reclamation, waste treatment and recycling.

Please contact the Board for further information.

Fire engineering is the application of scientific and engineering principles, rules [Codes], and expert judgement, based on an understanding of the phenomena and effects of fire and of the reaction and behaviour of people to fire, to protect people, property and the environment from the destructive effects of fire.

Assessed by Engineers Australia

Fire safety engineering deals with the protection of life, property and environment through the application of engineering principles, rules and judgement to the fire phenomenon, the effects of fire and the reaction and behaviour of people.

Assessed by The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and Professionals Australia

Geotechnical engineering is involved in the planning, design and monitoring of the process of creating fit-for-purpose mining excavations associated with the surface or underground excavation of an in-situ rock mass, or matters directly associated therewith, including the construction or excavation of in-pit or underground infrastructure, the construction of waste dumps and stockpiles and the placement of backfill.  This discipline does not include geotechnical investigation and design for the construction of civil infrastructure on a mine site, specifically including access roads and rail lines, foundations for the construction of buildings and processing facilities, or tailings dams. The discipline also does not cover civil tunnelling or civil underground storage.

Assessed by Engineers Australia

Heritage and Conservation Engineering is concerned with conservation of heritage places, works, materials, structure, services and objects, assessment of heritage significance of the above, preparation of heritage impact studies, preparation of conservation management plans for places, works and objects.

Assessed by Professionals Australia

Information, technology and telecommunications engineering deals with the development, modification, testing and support of computer software, hardware, and communication technologies. Information, technology and telecommunications engineering may encompass software application, databases, websites, mission critical systems, networks, servers, personal computers and peripheral devices.

Assessed by Engineers Australia

Information, telecommunications and electronics engineering deals with scientific engineering design to develop computer modelling tools, broadband capability, improve telecommunications systems, hardware and software, systems for media broadcasting and sound, and sophisticated electronics.

Assessed by Engineers Australia

In-Service Inspection of Amusement Rides and Devices Engineering involves a thorough understanding of the legal and regulatory requirements, the capability to scope and conduct inspections to AS3533, the capacity to report appropriately on inspections and a commitment to relevant CPD.

Assessed by Engineers Australia and Professionals Australia

This category is for practitioners who undertake functions recognised as being managerial rather than technical in content. Such managerial activities might typically include general management in an engineering environment; policy development; quality assurance and total quality management; design and delivery of training programs; marketing of engineering products or services; financial or human resource management.

Assessed by Engineers Australia and Professionals Australia

Mechanical engineering is a diverse discipline that encompasses the teaching, practice and leadership of others in the development and application of scientific principles to mechanical systems. Mechanical engineering covers the ability to solve problems that deliver and optimise safe, sustainable and ethical solutions for the design, production and operation of devices, machines, structures, processes and systems involving mechanical elements. Mechanical engineering frequently overlaps and/or combines with other engineering technologies to create multi-disciplinary projects/solutions.

Assessed by The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy

Metallurgical engineering involves the investigation, planning, design and the process of converting minerals produced by mining into primary commodities of economic value in sufficient quantity to be used in the manufacture of economic goods.

Assessed by The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy

Mining engineering deals with the investigation, planning, design and the process of extracting naturally occurring minerals containing useful commodities from the earth’s crust.

Assessed by Engineers Australia and The Royal Institution of Naval Architects

Naval architecture deals with the safe design and specification of marine vessels and structures. Naval architecture can also be involved in the construction, repair, refit or operation of such marine vessels and structures.

Assessed by Engineers Australia

Pipeline Engineering is multidisciplinary in nature, drawing on a broad range of general disciplines (such as civil, structural, mechanical, environmental, chemical, electrical and materials engineering) and applying them to the special area of practice of engineering of pipelines. The objective of pipeline engineering is the transportation of gas and liquid petroleum, energy transmission and related fluids through safe, efficient, environmentally sustainable and commercially successful pipelines.

Assessed by Engineers Australia

Petroleum engineering deals with four main sub-disciplines which are reservoir, drilling, production, and formation evaluation engineering. The focus is on achieving optimal integrated exploration, technical assessment, production and development of oil, gas and geothermal resources and reserves upstream of processing plants, refineries and power stations.

Assessed by Engineers Australia

Pressure equipment design verification is the process which assures the integrity of the equipment for the stated design and operating conditions. As a minimum, this must ensure compliance with the relevant equipment standards as well as any additional requirements deemed necessary to ensure the equipment integrity. Design verification is not concerned with functionality but is concerned with the equipment safety. The design verifier issues a certificate of design verification which includes a brief description of the equipment, its relevant design and operating conditions, principal design parameters such as maximum pressure and temperature, safe working loads, limiting wind and seismic conditions and the fluid to be contained. The certificate lists the document numbers of calculations, drawings and applicable design code(s), and includes a declaration that the verifier believes the equipment complies with the design specification and standards for the stated conditions, subject to any required modifications of observations.

Assessed by Engineers Australia and Professionals Australia

Structural engineering deals with the understanding, prediction, and calculation of the stability, strength and rigidity of built structures. Structures can include buildings, bridges, in-ground structures, footings, frameworks and space frames.

Assessed by Engineers Australia

This specific area of practice is for civil engineers whose practice includes geotechnical aspects of subdivisions and the foundations of buildings up to three storeys. The area applies to practitioners with experience in the design, specification and construction of foundations, earthworks, earth retaining structures and pavements relevant to subdivisions and low-rise buildings, including site investigation techniques, relevant codes of practice and Australian Standards and good construction practices.