From August 2025 you can apply as a domestic student for entry to Adelaide University in 2026.
Applications for 2026 will be via SATAC for most undergraduate and postgraduate coursework programs. A direct application process will be available for 100% online degrees at a later date. In the meantime, you could start your degree at UniSA or the University of Adelaide and continue at Adelaide University.
Entry requirements
Admission criteria
To be eligible for admission, an applicant must have achieved at least one of the following minimum entry requirements and demonstrate that they fulfill any prerequisite and essential criteria for admission. In cases where there are more eligible applicants than available places, admission will be competitive with ranks based on the entry criteria.
Recent secondary education (Year 12)
- Completion of a secondary education qualification equivalent to the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE).
Vocational Education and Training (VET)
- Completion of an award from a registered training organisation (RTO) at Certificate IV (AQF level 4) or higher.
Higher education study
- Successful completion of at least 6 months full-time study (or equivalent part-time) of an undergraduate certificate (AQF level 5) or higher qualification from a recognised higher education institution with an overall Grade Point Average of 4.0 or higher.
English language entry requirements
In addition, international students who speak English as an additional language must have obtained one of the following standards within the last two years prior to admission. Possession of one or more of these qualifications, in addition to the academic entry requirements, does not, in itself, guarantee a place at Adelaide University. Applications are considered on an individual basis and selection is competitive. Where previous study/work experience was conducted in English, the application must be accompanied by certified documentation from the educational institution/employer certifying that the language of instruction/employment was English.
- IELTS Overall 6.5
- IELTS Reading 6.0
- IELTS Listening 6.0
- IELTS Speaking 6.0
- IELTS Writing 6.0
Please access the following link for a comprehensive list of English language tests accepted by Adelaide University and other important information in relation to meeting the University’s language requirements:
Equivalent English qualificationsInternational admissions by country
Country | Score |
---|---|
Australia – ATAR | 80 |
Bangladesh – Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) | 4.90 |
China – Gaokao | 70% |
Hong Kong – Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) | 18 |
India – CBSE and CISCE | 80 |
India – State Board Examinations | 90 |
Kenya – Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) | B+ |
Malaysia – Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) | 3.00 |
Malaysia – United Entrance Certificate (UEC) | 19 |
Malaysia – Matrikulasi | 3.00 |
Singapore - Singapore GCE Advanced Levels | 9 |
Sri Lanka – GCE A Levels | 10 |
Vietnam – Year 12 - Bằng Tốt Nghiệp Trung Học Phổ Thông | 8.30 |
Why Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) (Honours)?
Mechanical engineers are experts in all things that move with the help of machines. They design, build, and maintain the systems that power cars, aircraft, robots and wind turbines.
But they don’t stop there. They come up with solutions to address global challenges – like designing low-cost medical devices to expand healthcare access or building smart irrigation systems for farmers in drought-prone areas.
Do you have a curious mind? Enjoy tinkering with technology and wrestling with complex design problems? Then our Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) (Honours) is the perfect fit for you.
With a strong practical focus, our degree ensures you’ll graduate with the expertise and experience to thrive in your engineering career.
Overview
Our Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) (Honours) provides solid grounding in the core knowledge, principles, technical and professional skills essential to mechanical engineering.
You’ll study core courses covering the building blocks of mechanical design: solid mechanics, fluid mechanics, dynamics, vibration, control and thermodynamics.
Our wide range of electives give you the freedom to explore a little bit of everything. Or you can focus on the areas of mechanical engineering that most interest you – whether that’s advanced materials and mechanics, humanitarian engineering, or net-zero transitions.
But it’s not all theory.
You’ll also have multiple opportunities throughout your studies to jump on the tools and put your learning into practice. Design-and-build projects, practical workshops and up to 450 hours of industry placement provide plenty of chances to hone your technical and professional skillset.
All of these experiences come together to ensure you’ll graduate with the knowledge, technical and professional skills needed to thrive in your career as a qualified mechanical engineer.
Key features
- Get hands-on with countless design-and-build projects.
- Common first year engineering courses provide flexibility to switch specialisations.
- Explore electives in biomechanical engineering, advanced composite materials, renewable energy systems and more.
- Complete a major honours research project and industry-focused design project.
- Apply your skills to real industry projects in up to 12 weeks of professional work experience.
What you'll learn
Your first year has been designed to provide a comprehensive introduction to general engineering principles and skills. Ensuring that, whatever your prior educational experiences, you’ll have every opportunity to excel in your engineering studies at Adelaide University.
From second year, you’ll start to take core courses covering the fundamentals of mechanical engineering. These include:
- Solid mechanics
- Dynamics
- Mechanical engineering practice
- Thermodynamics
- Fluid mechanics
- Acoustics and vibrations
- Control systems
- Manufacturing processes
- Computer-aided design.
In fourth year, you can choose from a wide range of elective courses. You may wish to keep your options quite broad – or you might prefer to choose courses that align to your interests and future career ambitions.
The degree is strongly hands-on and practical. To ensure you graduate career-ready, you’ll complete:
- Professional practice topics that include design-and-build group projects, where you’ll work with your peers to engineer a solution to a complex problem.
- Up to 450 hours of work experience in industry under the supervision of a qualified engineer.
- A major industry research project.
Your assessments will include a combination of reports, case studies, presentations, essays and assignments, online quizzes, examinations, industry-relevant research projects, lab/practical team-based projects, e-portfolios and reflective practice.
You’ll be able to complete majority of first year common courses and second year courses at either our Adelaide City or Mawson Lakes Campus with some potential cross-campus study required. Throughout your degree, you’ll gain access to cutting-edge facilities across both campus locations to enhance your overall learning experience.
Majors
The Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) (Honours) is also available with majors in the following:
- Aerospace Engineering
- Mechatronics and Robotics
- Mining Engineering
- Energy Resources.
What courses you'll study
Complete 192 units comprising:
- 132 units for all Core courses, and
- 12 units for all Work integrated learning, and
- 0 to 36 units for Electives, and
- Either:
- At least 12 units from Discipline courses, or
- 48 units for one Major from Major
Complete 132 units for ALL of the following:
Course name | Course code | Units | |
---|---|---|---|
Course name
Engineering Programming
|
Course code
COMP1006
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Electrical Engineering Systems
|
Course code
ENGE1000
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Engineering Design and Prototyping
|
Course code
ENGI1001
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Engineering Materials
|
Course code
ENGI1002
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Engineering Modelling 1
|
Course code
ENGI1004
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Professional Engineering Practice
|
Course code
ENGI1005
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
|
Course code
ENGM1000
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Engineering Mathematics
|
Course code
MATH1016
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Engineering Modelling 2
|
Course code
ENGI2001
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Engineering Project Management
|
Course code
ENGI2003
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Mechanics of Materials
|
Course code
ENGM2000
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Mechanical Engineering Practice and Design Project
|
Course code
ENGM2002
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Dynamics
|
Course code
ENGM2004
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Fluid Mechanics
|
Course code
ENGM2005
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Mechatronics Foundations
|
Course code
ENGM3000
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Mechanical Systems and Design Project
|
Course code
ENGM3002
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Thermodynamics
|
Course code
ENGM3003
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Acoustics and Vibrations
|
Course code
ENGI3001
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Systems Engineering and Professional Practice
|
Course code
ENGI3006
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Applied Control Systems
|
Course code
ENGM3004
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Engineering Research Project Part A
|
Course code
ENGI4900
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Engineering Research Project Part B
|
Course code
ENGI4901
|
Units
6
|
Complete at least 12 units from the following:
Course name | Course code | Units | |
---|---|---|---|
Course name
Manufacturing Technologies and Processes
|
Course code
ENGM2007
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Computer-Aided Engineering and Design Project
|
Course code
ENGM4015
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Advanced Mechanics of Materials
|
Course code
ENGM5000
|
Units
6
|
Complete one Major from the following:
Major name | |
---|---|
Major
Mechatronics and Robotics
|
|
Major
Mining Engineering
|
|
Major
Aerospace Engineering
|
|
Major
Energy Resources Engineering
|
Complete 12 units for ALL of the following:
Course name | Course code | Units | |
---|---|---|---|
Course name
Professional Engineer Career Preparation
|
Course code
ENGI3900
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Professional Engineer Engagement with Professional Practice
|
Course code
ENGI3901
|
Units
6
|
Complete 0 to 36 units comprising:
- 6 units from Level 2 Electives, and
- 6 units from Level 3 Electives, and
- 24 units from Level 4 Electives
Course name | Course code | Units | |
---|---|---|---|
Course name
Drilling Engineering and Well Completion
|
Course code
ENGP4014
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Engineering Chemistry
|
Course code
ENGP2004
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Engineering Geology and Surveying
|
Course code
ENGI1011
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Environmental Systems and Sustainability
|
Course code
ENGV3003
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Human Anatomy and Physiology A
|
Course code
HBIO1002
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Introduction to Politics
|
Course code
POLI4000
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Microcontroller Programming
|
Course code
ENGE2006
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Poverty Reduction: Doing International Development
|
Course code
POLI1008
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Process Engineering
|
Course code
ENGP1000
|
Units
6
|
Course name | Course code | Units | |
---|---|---|---|
Course name
Heat Transfer
|
Course code
ENGI3002
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Emerging Materials Technologies
|
Course code
ENGM3005
|
Units
6
|
Course name | Course code | Units | |
---|---|---|---|
Course name
Advanced Control
|
Course code
ENGE4005
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Advanced Fluid Mechanics
|
Course code
ENGM4010
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Advanced Vibrations
|
Course code
ENGM4006
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Biomechanical Engineering
|
Course code
ENGI4005
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Biomedical Imaging
|
Course code
ENGE4015
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Biomedical Instrumentation
|
Course code
ENGI4004
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Brewery Engineering
|
Course code
ENGP4003
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage
|
Course code
ENGP4020
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Combustion and High Temperature Processes
|
Course code
ENGP4004
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Computational Fluid Dynamics
|
Course code
ENGM4009
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Defence Leadership
|
Course code
ENGI4008
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Engineering Acoustics
|
Course code
ENGM4005
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Environmental and Climate Risk Analysis
|
Course code
ENGV4003
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Essentials of Humanitarian Engineering
|
Course code
ENGM4014
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Finite Element Analysis
|
Course code
ENGM4008
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Industrial Automation
|
Course code
ENGP4018
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Industry 4.0
|
Course code
ENGI4007
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Intelligent Production Systems
|
Course code
ENGP4017
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Machine Learning and Vision Systems
|
Course code
ARTI4001
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Materials Selection for Engineering Design
|
Course code
ENGM4007
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Model-Based Systems Engineering
|
Course code
ENGM4011
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Refrigeration and Air Conditioning
|
Course code
ENGM4012
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Robotics and Automation
|
Course code
ENGM4002
|
Units
6
|
|
Course name
Sustainable Engineering Design and Net-Zero Transitions
|
Course code
ENGM4013
|
Units
6
|
Career outcomes
Mechanical engineering is a very broad field with many different areas and sub-fields. Experts in mechanically powered systems, mechanical engineers can work at any stage of the system lifecycle. From conception to design and development, production, operation, maintenance, right through to phase-out – mechanical engineers are there at every step.
You could develop water treatment and desalination plants, ensuring a steady supply of clean water to regions facing water scarcity. Maybe you’ll help design affordable orthopaedic implants that can be customised for each patient. Perhaps you’ll test consumer products to ensure they are well-made, safe, and fit for purpose.
Whatever your area of interest, there’s a career path for you. You could work in a wide range of sectors including:
- Aerospace and defence
- Automotive
- Biomedical technology
- Construction and infrastructure
- Consulting and engineering services
- Consumer products and electronics
- Manufacturing
- Medical device manufacturing
- Renewable energy and smart grid technologies
- Thermal and energy control in buildings
- Robotics and automation
- Transportation and logistics.
Industry trends
A global shortage of engineers, combined with record levels of government spend in infrastructure, advanced manufacturing and critical technologies, means that qualified mechanical engineers are in high demand (Engineers Australia, 2023).
Accreditation
Adelaide University is working through relevant approvals for program accreditation ahead of students commencing in 2026.
How to apply
FAQs
Explore answers to some of our most frequently asked questions.
Adelaide University is South Australia’s largest university with seven campuses across the state. Adelaide City Campus is in the heart of the central business district (including eastern and western precincts), while our Magill, Mawson Lakes and Waite campuses are located within the inner suburbs of Adelaide. Our Mount Gambier, Roseworthy and Whyalla campuses are set in the regions of South Australia. Building on our digital and online learning successes, we aim to also deliver online education to more students than any other Australian university.
Each of our campuses is equipped with cutting-edge, discipline specific facilities, contemporary study spaces and well-resourced libraries. Our city and suburban campuses also feature on-site gyms and eateries, and health services on, or nearby, campus.
You will be well supported academically, socially, emotionally and spiritually with access to on-campus facilities and services such as counselling, learning support, childcare, prayer rooms and more.
You will be well supported through a range of services at Adelaide University to ensure you get the most out of your student experience. Support services include:
- Academic learning support, including after-hours support provided via Studiosity through live online chat assistance with writing, referencing, mathematics and more.
- Advice and advocacy regarding access, adjustments and inclusivity if you have a disability, impairment, chronic health condition or significant caring responsibilities.
- Libraries providing flexible study spaces, access to books, computer suites and online resources – as well as referencing support, search tips and more.
- Career development hub, including extensive self-help resources, online learning programs, on-campus events, workshops and networking, one-on-one advice, and job search support.
- Qualified counsellors who can provide confidential support to manage your mental health and wellbeing.
- On-campus medical clinics on-site where you can make an appointment with a General Practitioner (GP) to discuss acute and preventative health care matters.
- Information and advice for international students regarding accommodation, student life, visa and work rights and academic policies and procedures.
- An active and visible LGBTIQA+ Ally Network that ensures the University provides a supportive environment where all staff and students can safely work and study free of harassment or discrimination.
- Prayer rooms on campus, including gender specific spaces for worship purposes.
- Campus security available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to ensure all students feel safe on campus.
- A range of scholarships offered to commencing and continuing students each year to make university life a little easier.
- A number of social outlets including student lounges, gyms, student-led clubs, sports teams and free events throughout the year.
Your tuition fees will depend on your program of study and enrolment load. You can find the annual fees relevant to your program on the specific degree page under the ‘fees’ section. The annual fee payable for your chosen program will also be outlined in your Offer of Admission.
Adelaide University will open in January 2026. Your studies will start at different times depending on what study period you’ve applied for. Adelaide University is currently using a semester model, which means most degrees start in Semester 1. Some degrees are also available to start in mid-year, sometimes with a different degree structure.
Studies at Adelaide University typically commence in:
- February for Semester 1
- July for Semester 2.
Some degrees, such as the Bachelor of Medical Studies and Master of Business Administration, will have different starting dates. View the relevant degree page for more detail.
For other key dates, including census dates and exam periods, you can view our Academic calendar.
Your study experience and support
Adelaide University sets you up for success in your studies – and your social life. You’ll have access to work placement and internship opportunities, overseas study tours and exchanges, networking events with guest speakers and more. Our campuses are equipped with purpose-built facilities including lecture theatres, libraries, workshops, laboratories, and spaces that simulate real work environments. These are all supported by the latest technologies and a 24/7 online learning platform with personalised study information and resources.
You’ll have everything you need to live well and thrive during your studies, with health services on campus, gymnasiums, technology zones and modern student lounges. Get involved in campus sport or join our student clubs that will connect you to your passions – and the people who share them.
Adelaide also has a variety of accommodation options to suit your individual requirements and budget, with options ranging from dedicated student accommodation to private rentals. One of the world’s most liveable cities, Adelaide has lots of leafy parks, gardens and social hubs – and some of the highest living standards globally. No matter where you are in Adelaide, you’re only a short distance from beaches, vineyards, museums, art galleries, restaurants, bars and parklands. Visit the accommodation web page to find out more.
Student services
We’re here to support you on your student journey. Adelaide University offers a range of support services and facilities, including:
- Career advice and mentoring services
- Personal counselling
- LGBTQIA+ support
- Academic support
- Fees and finance help
- Security services
- Accommodation services
- Common rooms
- Prayer rooms.
You’ll also have unlimited access to our dedicated student support hub. Visit in-person or online, or contact our friendly team by phone. We can assist you with anything study-related including enrolment, identification cards, timetables, fees and more.
Your campus
You'll be studying at one of our renowned campuses, accessing cutting-edge facilities and contemporary study spaces.
Study hours
Your courses will require a combination of different learning formats, including lectures, tutorials, workshops, seminars and practicals. Aside from your classes, you’ll also need to allocate additional time for independent study. This may include assignments, readings, projects and contributing to online discussion forums. As a rough guide, full-time studies may require 12-26 hours of class time and 14-18 hours of independent study per week.
Assessment
During your studies at Adelaide University, you’ll complete a mixture of practical, professional and research-based learning. Your assessment types will vary depending on the degree you’re studying, but may include:
- Case studies
- Essays and assignments
- Examinations
- Group projects
- Internships and placements
- Practicals
- Presentations
- Reports and project documentations
- Research projects
- Workplace and classroom contributions.