51³Ô¹Ïapp

What is Flexible Engineering?

With so many exciting and innovative areas of engineering to choose from, it can be difficult to decide which area of engineering is right for you and your career aspirations. Our Flexible First YearÌýis an option when you study the UNSW Bachelor of Engineering. If you're uncertain which of our 19 specialisations to choose the Flexible First Year gives you the opportunity to explore the broad range of engineering specialisations on offer before choosing a discipline that is right for you at the end of your first year.

Why study this study area?

If you’re certain you want to be an engineer but aren’t sure which direction to take, this study area will let you explore a range of engineering specialisations so you can see what you enjoy and what you’re good at before deciding on your final specialisation.

Flexible First Year students enrol in five core subjects that are part of all our Engineering disciplines (two maths courses, as well as courses in physics, computing, and engineering design). You’re then encouraged to select electives from the options listed in the handbook, focusing on those required in the disciplines you’re considering for your degree. After completing the Flexible First Year, you can transfer into the engineering discipline of your choice.ÌýThe electives you have taken will either count towards your chosen discipline, or count as your first year engineering electives.

Why choose UNSW?

We're ranked #1 in Australia for Engineering and Technology and 31st globally according to the QS World University Rankings by Subject, 2024. With a wide range of student projects, an award winning ChallEng program that connects you with academics and industry mentors as part of your learning and a continued focus on hands-on learning, your education will ensure you hit the ground running when you graduate.

What about careers?

As long as you choose your first-year electives carefully, you should complete your degree in the same time as those who chose that path from year one. You will also graduate fully qualified and with the exact same knowledge in your area of choice. From your second year you can specialise in a particular field of engineering, which opens up a huge range of career options.

We offer such a wide range of disciplines there are many possible combinationsn for your Flexible First Year. As an example of how to choose your courses for your first year, we've listed possible enrolment sequences for several sets of disciplines below. These sequences include courses that will count towards the listed disciplines as well as giving you a taste of those areas of study so that you can make a more informed choice between them:Ìý