Studying Mechanical Engineering

As its name suggests, mechanical engineering deals with design and production of machines. Machines come in all shapes and sizes—not only are they found in factories, but they also take the form of vehicles, air conditioners and power generators. For this reason, mechanical engineering is a very broad discipline.

In Australia, you can either pursue a degree in mechanical engineering or choose a specialisation. Universities guide students in choosing one best suited to their education background and career aspirations.

Some of the specialisations offered are:

• Materials Engineering
• Medical Engineering
• Manufacturing Engineering
• Mining Engineering

Australian universities deliver well-organised, industry-relevant programmes that are valued by employers. In fact, most of the programmes are embedded with a work experience option, which involves either undertaking a work placement or completing a suitable project at an external organisation or company.

Most of Australia’s 37 universities offer programmes in mechanical engineering.

Some of the universities where you could study are:

• Federation University
• Swinburne University
• Monash University
• RMIT
• University of Wollongong

Salary and Career Prospects

Mechanical engineers are employed by transport companies (Airbus Group Australia), electricity and power companies (Power Direct), utilities (Water Utilities Australia), mining companies (BHP Billiton), manufacturing (ABB Grain), the government and academia.

Some of the roles graduates take up are Mechanical Engineer, Design Engineer, Mining Engineer and Manufacturing Engineer.

Salaries vary depending on qualifications, job role, location and experience. As a guide, mechanical engineering professionals earn around an average of $72,000 a year (59 lakhs INR approx).

Why study in Australia?

Australia has cemented its place as one of the best study destinations for international students. There are 37 universities in Australia; with 7 featuring in top 100 and 15 in top 250 in QS World Rankings 2019.

Tourism, financial services, education, mining and agriculture are the largest sectors in Australia. Prominent IT and technology companies like Google, Microsoft, Apple, in addition to home-grown brands like Atlassian, Gridware, Aconex operate in Australia. Cities of Melbourne and Sydney have a thriving start-up and innovation landscape.

Australians enjoy year-round good weather, high salaries, access to spectacular beaches and a healthy work-life balance. The country is vast and beautiful and has something to offer for everybody, be that opera, music concerts, films, outdoor activities or beaches and surfing.

International graduates are typically offered post-study work visas of up to 3 years upon graduation.