Water, Geotechnical and Transport
Create solutions for society and the natural environment
What is Water, Geotechnical and Transport Engineering?
Water Engineers work聽across all aspects of the water cycle in natural and engineered systems. This includes ensuring the availability, management of clean water, flood management and stormwater systems, and coastal engineering. Geotechnical Engineering covers the design of anything that sits on, interacts with or goes through the ground. Transport Engineers aim to make transportation systems efficient, reliable, affordable and sustainable. They do this through areas such as network planning and modelling, safety, public transport analysis and environmental modelling.
Why study Water, Geotechnical and Transport Engineering?
This area of engineering has a heavy bearing on society, the natural environment and daily life. You鈥檒l work to ensure reliable, safe and effective resources for humans whilst protecting the planet. Learn from our broad range of leading engineers and scientists solving problems and providing societal guidance聽in the areas of: hydrology and the impacts of climate change; water supply options; wastewater and coastal management; geotechnical design; landslide and earthquake resilience; and network behaviour and optimisation.
Why choose UNSW?
Water Engineering is an area of expertise at UNSW, we鈥檙e ranked 8th in the World in Water Resources Engineering by the Shanghai rankings.聽We're ranked 1st in Australia for Civil and Structural Engineering, and 17th in the world for Civil and Structural Engineering according to the QS World University Rankings by Subject, 2024. We have our own Water Research Laboratory at our Manly campus and we conduct extensive research in the area especially around climate issues like erosion and flooding. Our school is first in Australia for Civil and Structural Engineering, and 16th in the world for Civil Engineering.
Our academics are world-leading experts in the areas of earthquake design, dam engineering, geothermal energy, rock mechanics, mine design and petroleum engineering to name a few. In this study area, you鈥檒l learn across a variety of areas including human factors in design, the impact of electric and autonomous vehicles, housing markets, environmental modelling and even epidemiology.
What about careers?
Take your civil engineering career to the next level聽and make a difference to your community or other communities in need聽with a specialist role in water, geotechnical or transport engineering. Grow your skillset and gain the required knowledge to work in聽one of聽these areas, combining this skillset with your foundational knowledge in Civil Engineering will聽equip you for a rewarding role as a specialist engineer in the area of water,聽geotech聽or transport. Specialist Civil Engineers聽have a strong projected growth with a variety of career options on offer.聽
Career options include:
- Coastal Engineer
- Geotechnical Engineer
- Hydraulic Engineer
- Hydrologist
- Hydropower and Reservoir Management
- Port Engineer
- Transport Network Engineer
- Water Engineer
What are my study options?
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Our specialised degree, the聽Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Civil Engineering) will provide you with strong skills and knowledge to enter the water, geotechnical and transport engineering industry.
We offer a range of engineering program specialisations that can be undertaken in our Engineers Australia accredited degrees. You can study Water, Geotechnical and Transport Engineering in the following undergraduate degrees/compatible degrees:
- Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Civil Engineering)
- Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Civil Engineering with Architecture)
- Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Environmental Engineering)
- Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Chemical Engineering)
- Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Chemical Product Engineering)
Double degrees
- Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/ Bachelor of Commerce
- Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/ Bachelor of Science
- Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/ Bachelor of Arts
- Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/ Master of Biomedical Engineering
- Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/ Bachelor of Computer Science
- Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Civil)/ Bachelor of Surveying
- Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/ Bachelor of Engineering Science
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Supercharge your Water, Geotechnical and Transport Engineering career with postgraduate study in:
- Master of Engineering Science (Water Engineering: Catchment to Coasts)
- Master of Engineering Science (Water, Wastewater & Waste Engineering)
- Master of Engineering Science (Geotechnical Engineering & Engineering Geology)
- Master of Engineering Science (Transport Engineering)
- Master of Engineering Science (Chemical Engineering)
Graduate Diplomas & Certificates
- Graduate Diploma in Engineering Science (Transport Engineering)
- Graduate Diploma in Engineering Science (Water Engineering: Catchments to Coasts)
- Graduate Diploma in Engineering Science (Water, Wastewater and Waste Engineering)
- Graduate Diploma in Engineering Science (Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology)
- Graduate Diploma in Engineering Science (Chemical Engineering)
- Graduate Certificate in Engineering Science (Chemical Engineering)
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A doctoral degree will allow you to specialise in a specific piece of research.