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:

Visit the activity table

450 hours of professional practice

Type A hours	Type B hours
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 professional practice activities.
*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 Up to 75 hours of paid work outside of an engineering environment may be claimed– i.e. working at Kmart or McDonalds. (Category 3) Significant industry exposure through pre-approved UQ Courses (Category 5) Up to 75 hours of tutoring at UQ may be claimed, including tutoring in a non-engineering course (category 4) Up to 75 hours of engineering-related site visits may be claimed, approved site visits (category 6) Up to 160 hours may be claimed through an approved study tour (category 9) And much more!!

Type A hours

Type B hours

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 professional practice activities.

*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

Up to 75 hours of paid work outside of an engineering environment may be claimed– i.e. working at Kmart or McDonalds. (Category 3)
Significant industry exposure through pre-approved UQ Courses (Category 5)
Up to 75 hours of tutoring at UQ may be claimed, including tutoring in a non-engineering course (category 4)
Up to 75 hours of engineering-related site visits may be claimed, approved site visits (category 6)
Up to 160 hours may be claimed through an approved study tour (category 9)

And much more!!

Supervision Requirements:

To claim Type A hours, you must be supervised by a professional engineer that 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.

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 performing professional engineering services in Queensland as part of an internship or work experience must be directly supervised by a Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland (RPEQ) who takes full professional responsibility for the services as required under the Professional Engineers Act 2002. More information is available via the Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland.
Students performing professional engineering services outside of Queensland should be aware of any similar Act or legislation.

3. How to find professional practice

It is your responsibility to find your own professional practice. Here are a few of the many ways you can find your Professional Practice.

The EAIT Student Employability Team aim to provide you with the support to do this through the following ways:

One-on-one consultations to discuss topics related to your resume, cover letter, job applications, job search strategies through to how to submit your professional practice hours. Book a consultation.
Delivering employability related workshops
Arranging Employers on-campus events where you can hear from industry on employability and recruitment related topics
Advertising student opportunities via the EAIT Student Employability Facebook Group
The Student Preparation Kit (PDF, 24.2 MB) is a useful resource for preparing tips on resumes, cover letters, interviews, networking, LinkedIn and more!

Here are some further resources that will assist you in finding professional practice:

UQ StudentHub
GlobalGrad advertises opportunities specifically for international students
Undertake UQ’s free online employability course Employ101x: Unlocking your Employability (remember to use your UQ email address when registering)
Seek and CareerOne – sign up for alerts so you are alerted when suitable jobs become available
Keep an eye on websites such as GraduateOpportunities.com, GradConnection and GradAustralia for the dates key graduate and vacation programs open as well as handy job-related resources
Use your network! Up to 80% of jobs are not advertised and uncovering these opportunities often comes down to who you know! Talk to family, friends, colleagues and peers. Who do they know? Continue to build your professional network by attending industry events
Create a good LinkedIn profile and start building your online network. LinkedIn is a great tool to identify key contacts in your industry. Check out the LinkedIn for Students clip on YouTube.