Charles Darwin University (CDU) has become Australia's first and only university accredited to offer 100 per cent online engineering courses without the need for any on-campus delivery.
From Semester 1 2023, CDU will be able to offer its students the opportunity to complete engineering courses fully online after being awarded accreditation from Engineers Australia.
This means that students who are studying a Bachelor of Engineering Science, Bachelor of Engineering Honours and a Master of Engineering can choose to study at CDU remotely from anywhere in Australia.
CDU has moved to introduce fully online engineering courses to better support the workforce needs of Northern Australia, which is currently experiencing a shortage of engineers.
College of Engineering, IT and Environment Dean, Professor David Young, said CDU is well equipped to deliver fully online degrees which will help to meet Northern Australia's demand for engineers.
"During COVID-19, CDU was able to continue to deliver subjects online without any disruptions, so we are well equipped to deliver our engineering courses fully online," Professor Young said.
"CDU has made a long-term commitment to invest in engineering education as there is a significant need for locally trained engineers in Northern Australia."
"It can be difficult to find people who are prepared to commit to long-term employment in Northern Australia so providing an option for students to study fully online will help to address this demand by providing realistic study options and pathways for students."
Students who choose to study engineering fully online will learn through various methods including take home kits, teamwork, guest lectures by practicing engineers, work experience and laboratory work where students can remotely navigate machinery at labs located on campus at CDU.
Discipline Chair of Engineering and Information Technology at CDU, Professor Friso De Boer said a variety of strategies have been developed to ensure fully online students get an experience as close as possible to if they were studying on campus.
"It is really important to us at CDU that students studying 100 per cent online have the best experience they can have when studying at CDU," Professor De Boer said.
"Fully online students will learn through a range of methods including take home kits, videos, simulations and real time labs where students can remotely navigate machinery that is located on campus.
"This will aim to resemble as closely as possible, the hands-on experience of on-campus students."
Students who study engineering at CDU, whether it be through on-campus learning or fully online learning, have some of the best employment opportunities of graduates from any university in Australia.
According to the Good Universities Guide 2023, CDU is number three in Australia for engineering employment outcomes with students going on to work at organisations such as Power and Water, NT Government and INPEX.
