To prepare for real design work, however, requires a good grounding in the basics. Hence in the first year of the course, students build directly on work completed at high school in mathematics and physics and begin introductory engineering studies, surveying and computer programming. In the second year, the course moves on to a deeper study of the mechanics and properties of solids and fluids, subjects which are at the core of civil engineering. In the third and fourth years these subjects are developed further, and three main strands emerge. All of these subjects require mathematical expertise and computer programming capabilities.
Students gain experience in programming for many civil engineering types of problems.
In the third and fourth year design projects, students work in small groups under the supervision of practising engineers and academics. The topic is chosen by the student in consultation with academic staff and is often research oriented. Honours degrees are awarded on the basis of superior performance during the course. There is no separate honours year. The Civil Engineering degree programme is fully accredited by the Institution of Engineers Australia.