ALTERNATIVE ENTRY PATHWAY FOR CURTIN ENGINEERING
via the BSc(311148), Multidisciplinary Science major (311162) (TISC code: CUSCC)
For entry in Semester 1
Introduction
This pathway is designed for those students wishing
to take up an engineering degree but who do not meet
the standard Engineering prerequisites.
The pathway is a one semester, full time, approved
enrolment in the BSc degree and gives a
guaranteed entry into the Engineering Foundation
Year (EFY) upon successful completion of all units
with a Semester Weighted Average (SWA)  65%
or 60%, depending on units studied.
Enrolment must be Full Time: 100 credits.
The aim is to allow students to ‘patch’ up deficiencies
in their prerequisites and to ‘prove’ their ability.
Successful students transferring into the EFY will
find it possible to complete an Engineering degree
with a further 8 semesters of full time study.
In the event that the student does not progress into the
EFY, he/she can continue in Science with the
possibility of completing a BSc with a further 5
semesters of full time study.
Requirements
Students must meet the entry requirements for the
BSc degree and must include TEE Applicable
Maths or its equivalent. Other requirements for the
BSc degree are TEE English (or equivalent),
TER  70 and at least one TEE Science subject.
Students who do not meet these requirements
may be considered, but may require a full year to
meet Engineering requirements – see below.
Credit/Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is
given within the EFY only for the Maths units
equivalent to Engineering maths units.
RPL of up to 100 credits will be possible if
continuing in a science degree.
Intake for Semester 1 (February) OR
Semester 2 (July).
The following table shows 3 EXAMPLES of ENROLMENTS in the ALTERNATIVE PATHWAY.
(NOTE that the units of study offered may differ for commencement in Semester 2.)
A pass in TEE Applicable
Maths & Physics
A pass in TEE Applicable
Maths & Chemistry
A pass in TEE Applicable Maths & another
science subject (not Physics or Chem)
Maths 103 (10926)
Maths 103 (10926)
Maths 103 (10926)
NOTE that Maths 103 is equivalent to Engineering Maths 120 (307536)
Physics 101 (302804)
Physics 115 (304741)
Physics 115 (304741)
Chemistry 117 (7230)
Chemistry 101 (7039)
Chemistry 117 (7230)
AND a ‘free choice’ of a
25 cr Science elective, eg Computing Skills 101 (307587), Scientific Computing 101 (310984) – see over
OR
Statistical Data Analysis 101 (307590), 12.5 cr, AND
a 12.5 cr Science Elective – see over
Consult Curtin Handbook for details of units: http://handbook.curtin.edu.au/
STUDENTS WHO DO NOT HAVE AT LEAST TEE APPLICABLE MATHS …
will in all probability require two semesters of study in order to meet Engineering requirements.
Semester 1
Maths 135 (305639) … this may be the only unit
studied – a part-time enrolment.
If they wish, students can enrol in more units.
Semester 2
Maths 136 (305640) (instead of Maths 103) and then
as in the table above. In this case NO credit is
possible within the EFY for the Maths units studied.
RECOMMENDED SCIENCE ELECTIVE UNITS – Sem 1
NOTE: Electives may change depending on demand and staff availability.
12.5 cr Electives
7318
Astronomy 101
Size and structure of the universe. History of astronomy and
celestial coordinates. Tools of the astronomer - telescopes and
associated instruments. Stellar evolution. Birth and death of
stars. Red giants, white dwarfs, supernovae, black holes.
Cosmology, Big Bang, cosmic microwave background, future of
the universe. Life in the universe.
plastics and rubbers - resins, additives, reinforcements, fillers.
Properties of plastics and rubbers - electrical, optical, thermal
and mechanical properties, flammability. Forms of plastics adhesives, films, foams, filaments and fibres, coatings,
composites. Production techniques - moulding, extrusion,
laminating. Health and Safety - hazards, toxicity, waste
pollution, recycling.
7329
Planetary Science 101
The formation of the solar system. The exploration of the solar
system. Mercury - Mariner. Venus - Mariner and Magellan. Mars
- Viking, Pathfinder and Mars Global Surveyor. Jupiter Voyager and Galileo. Saturn, Uranus and Neptune - Voyager.
The minor bodies - asteroids, comets, meteors and meteorites.
Astrophotography and the use of telescopes. Gravity.
7410
Weather Forecasting 101
Weather measurements. Introduction to the atmosphere; solar
radiation and the structure of the atmosphere. Atmospheric
stability, evaporation, condensation and inversions. Storm
development, thunderstorms and atmospheric electricity.
Cloud forms and their recognition (slide set) and formation of
rain. Motion and the general circulation of the atmosphere.
Introduction to the dynamics of the atmosphere; forces,
thermal wind, local weather; boundary layer meteorology, air
pollution and sea breeze systems. Highs, lows and fronts. Visit
to the Bureau of Meteorology. Further topics to be selected
from tropical meteorology, atmospheric chemistry, climate
change and global warming, weather satellites, technology and
applications, cloud seeding and/or the origins of the ice ages.
5215
Planet Earth 101
The solar system, its structure and formation. Formation of the
earth. Internal structure, chemical composition. Geomagnetic
field, its source and character. Palaeomagnetism. Plate
tectonics. Gravity and the shape of the earth. Seismology. The
oceans, their origin and circulation. Formation of the
atmosphere, energy balance and the anthropogenic effects.
Ozone levels, atmospheric ionisation and effects on
communication.
7474
Marine Acoustics 103
Basic concepts of sound propagation. Field trip - Canning
River - noise measurements, tone source measurements using
different tone frequencies, towing experiment to observe the
variations of sound level with changing distance between the
source and receivers. Device for generating and receiving
sound in water. Noise in the ocean. Ray acoustics and
principles of refraction. Deep water propagation. Wave
acoustics. Shallow water acoustics. Bioacoustics - sound
production and reception and use of sound by marine animals.
Impact of anthropogenic noise on marine animals. Applications
to environmental assessment and marine resource estimation.
Defence applications of marine acoustics. Commercial
applications of underwater acoustics.
1633
Scientific Photography 101
Introduction to the overall philosophy of photography and
cameras, particularly 35mm SLR. Safety and care. Camera
principles and the interdependency of exposure on film speed,
aperture and shutter speed. Camera accessories, tripods, flash
units. Accessory and supplementary lenses, lens speed, focal
length, depth of field, macro lenses and field of view.
Microscopes, Kohler illumination, darkfield, phase contrast and
oblique illumination. Photographic principals. The nature and
manipulation of light. Spectral power distribution curves, colour
temperature and properties of various light sources. Filter
theory and practice with respect to both colour and
monochrome films. Linear polarisation and its application to
nature and strain relationship of materials. Film structure.
Monochrome film, grain structure and film speed. Photographic
paper emulsions. Colour films. Basic colour chemistry and
processing. Ultraviolet and infrared reflectance and
fluorescence photography. Underwater photography.
Equipment requirements and the techniques. Principles of the
Scanning Electron Microscope with demonstration of actual
techniques. Digital photography: equipment and techniques.
1681
Materials and Technology 112
Introduction to plastics and rubbers - history, classification,
advantages/disadvantages, uses. Polymer chemistry and
structure - polymerisation reactions, structures. Ingredients of
306114 Geology 103 - Evolving Earth Systems
The interplay between physical, biological and geological
processes has influenced Earth systems and evolution for
over four billion years. Examination of the key processes and
outcomes of significance to Earth, life and environmental
scientists, and to others needing to understand the way the
Earth and the life upon it have interacted
Statistical Data Analysis 101 (307590)
Exploratory data analysis: numerical and graphical summaries,
and transformations of univariate data; graphical evaluation
and basic regression analysis of bi-variate data; probability
calculations for normal distribution and checks for normality;
designof experiments, different types of random sampling;
central limit theorem; confidence intervals and hypothesis tests
for single mean, two means and variances; checking
assumptions; interference for more than two means: analysis
of variance. The package SPPS will be used to perform most
of the statistical analysis covered in this unit.
Design for Small Craft 100 (4949)
Introduction – revise necessary maths and definitions of
physics, the weight schedule, buoyancy. Form definition –
form coefficients, calculator methods for hydrostatics. Drawing
of lines, fairing. Small angle stability – GM, free surface.
Large angle stability – GZ curve, dynamic stability.
Construction – scantling tables, sources (and software).
Principles of resistance. Model tests, standard series. Foils,
rudders, keels, sails. Powering, propeller theory and selection,
jets, thrusters and others. Sailplans, sail carrying power, hull
balance. For a vessel of your choice – design project.
25 cr Electives
Software Technology 151 (1902)
Cell Biology 101 (1754)
Plant Biology 101 (1756)
Hardware Fundamentals 101 (12702)
Human Biology 133 (1643)
Geographic Information Systems 181 (4536)
Mathematical Modelling 101 (302283)
Psychology 123 (13019)