坎特伯雷大学

Engineers design the future. They provide innovative solutions to meet the needs of our modern world. From buildings and bridges, to apps and smart devices, to pharmaceuticals and renewable energy, engineering feats are everywhere.

The Bachelor of Engineering with Honours is a four-year professional degree. The degree is accredited by Engineering New Zealand, allowing our graduates to work as professionally qualified engineers all over the world.

Forest engineering is a hybrid of engineering, forestry and management. It requires people who can combine skills to solve engineering problems in the natural environment, with a focus on balancing economic, societal and environmental requirements.

Forest engineers construct and evaluate the operational systems that make the forest industry ‘work'. This can include:

• designing and building new roads
• developing or modifying forestry equipment
• planning harvest operations
• optimising transport logistics
• integrating new technologies
• supervising employees and contractors
• ensuring safety standards are maintained.

Forest engineers work with public and governmental agencies. They look after the environment, and may steer projects through the resource consent process. Forest engineering graduates know the forest environment and forest products and processes, and they provide the essential link between the forest and the final product.

Studying Forest Engineering includes courses and expertise taught through the School of Forestry and the Department of Civil and Natural Resources Engineering. There is a real focus on 'hands-on' engineering practices, with many field trips to expose students to real-world engineering problems and opportunities. The Forest Engineering programme at UC is the only one of its kind in Australasia.

How do I plan my degree?

The Bachelor of Engineering with Honours requires a minimum of 480 points:

• 75 points of compulsory courses (plus two 0-point compulsory courses)
• 45 points of first-year engineering courses
• 360 points of engineering discipline courses.

The first year of the degree comprises nine courses (120 points), made up of six compulsory courses and three first-year courses, which vary depending on which Engineering discipline you want to specialise in. Find guidance online to structuring your first year to keep your options open if you are undecided on which discipline you wish to pursue.

The first year is followed by three years of study in one of the Engineering disciplines. Some disciplines also offer the opportunity to include a minor subject. Entry to the second year of the degree is limited and based on your performance in the first year.

All students must also complete 800 hours (approximately 100 days) of practical work placement.

Career opportunities

Forest engineers have a wide skillset that provides work opportunities both at home and abroad. Graduates can take up employment in the forest industry, but because of the multidisciplinary nature of forest engineering, job opportunities are also available in areas including general engineering consultancy, local and regional councils, government agencies, resource management and research.

Careers in these organisations are challenging, creative, stimulating and offer great scope for advancement.