Engineering professional practice
The Engineering accrediting body Engineers Australia, states that 'exposure to professional engineering practice is a key element in differentiating a professional engineering degree from an applied science degree' and requires engineering graduates to have exposure to professional practice.
Who is required to complete Engineering Professional Practice?
All UQ Bachelor of Engineering, Bachelor of Engineering (Honours), Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/Master of Engineering and Master of Engineering students.
What am I required to complete to graduate?
- Complete 450 hours of professional practice approved by the Faculty, and;
- Satisfactorily complete five (5) reflections from your Engineering Professional Practice experiences, referring to the Engineers Australia competencies. See more information here: Reflection Assessment Writing guidelines;
The 450 hours of professional practice can be broken into two parts as outlined below:
450 hours of professional practice
Type A hours | Type B hours |
|---|---|
|
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*you can claim all 450 hours (type A hours) in an engineering environment under the supervision of a Degree Qualified Engineer. 225 hours is the minimum amount of Type A hours you must attain. | Examples of what you can claim
And much more!! |
A minimum of 225 hours in an engineering environment under a degree qualified engineer to be claimed for Type A hours
Remaining hours can be made up of a range of allowable *A professional engineer is someone who is degree qualified in engineering. Supervisors that do not hold an engineering qualification but hold an equivalent or related qualification may be approved on a case-by-case basis by the Faculty. Email your request for approval to employability@eait.uq.edu.au
When completing hours in an engineering environment, students can undertake any type of engineering practice – i.e. the engineering work does not need to be in the same engineering discipline that you are studying. Engineering practice may be undertaken in Australia or overseas.
You cannot be supervised by a near relative or close associate as this would be a conflict of interest. Examples of near relatives are parents, partners and siblings. Examples of close associates are friends and neighbours.
Students who have undertaken industry placements or work experience as part of previous engineering degree or diploma studies may be able to claim these hours.
Students submitting official documentation in a language other than English to support an EPP claim in any category - need to submit the original document AND the English translated version (exact translation, not an extract). The translated document needs to be translated by a registered NAATI qualified translator and the translated version needs to have the NAATI stamp imprinted on the translated document. You can find a NAATI qualified translator here.
1. How it works
This page provides an overview of the EPP process. Follow these steps to complete your Engineering Professional Practice:
1. Identify opportunities
To meet the 450 hours of Engineering Professional Practice requirement, start by locating an eligible placement. Consider also, allowable activities to help meet the requirement.
2. Dot your i's and cross your t's
UQ Insurance states all unpaid placements must be approved at least two (2) days prior to commencement (14 days for international placements). Click here to begin the approval process. Is your placement or activity eligible? Refer to the activity table.
3. Approved
It's important that you do not commence your placement until you have received an approved Unpaid Engineering Professional Practice form back from the EAIT Student Employability Team. You may commence a paid placement without approval.
4. Time for action
Undertake your engineering professional practice placement. Start thinking about your five (5) reflections that you will be writing for your assessment, the earlier you begin the better and don't leave anything out. Refer to step 8 for full details.
5. Gather evidence
To substantiate your claims, gather the required evidence outlined in the activity table.
6. Claim hours
Any professional practice hours you wish to claim towards your Engineering Professional Practice requirement must be submitted via the EPP System. Click here for a step by step guide.
7. Claim approvals
The EPP System - Claim Summary will display a log of your claimed hours and status of verification or approval. The EPP System will allow you to download the Professional Practice Reflections Template from your Claim Summary page when at least 225 hours of Type A hours have been approved by Faculty.
8. Write reflections
At any point during your EPP you may write your five (5) reflections. Reflections must be written in the SEAL format and address the Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competencies. Refer to the writing your reflections guideline to learn more and understand how your assessment will be marked.
9. Submit reflections
Transfer your five (5) reflections to the Professional Practice Reflections Template (refer to step 7) and submit them to UQ Blackboard Organisation: Engineering Professional Practice 2019 for marking. Click here for a step by step guide. Tip: Ensure you have ticked off everything on this checklist before you submit!
10. So, what now?
Your reflections will be marked by an academic in your School as a pass or fail. You will have the option to resubmit if you receive a fail. Your Engineering Professional Practice milestone will be updated in the EPP System and on your studies report in SiNet as 'Completed' by the Faculty.
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