Faculty
The Faculty
From a small cluster of students back in 1961, Monash Engineering has grown to become one of the largest engineering faculties in the country. And we’re making our mark. With our equal emphasis on teaching excellent engineering skills as well as well-rounded people, Monash engineering graduates are endeavouring to solve the major issues of our time.
In March 1961, the very first students to study at what was then the new Monash University stepped onto the semi-rural Clayton campus on the outskirts of Melbourne to commence their studies. Among this first group of 363 students, were 23 students about to embark on their Bachelor of Engineering degrees.
From the very beginning, the Faculty of Engineering was to be an integral part of Monash.
The education and training it would offer and the research it would engage in met a clearly identified need in post-war Victoria and Australia. As a result, as soon as the Monash University Act 1958 was passed, the Interim Council immediately set about breathing life into Engineering at Monash.
Then
Ken Hunt, the first Professor of Engineering at Monash, worked tirelessly to recruit and hire the foundation staff members who would help him establish the Faculty. With them, Hunt readied Engineering for its first student intake. Research activity and teaching exploded as the Faculty came into being. By 1970 all of the Foundation Professors had been employed and five departments had emerged – it was a period of major growth.
By the end of his time as Dean, Ken Hunt had established a strong leadership structure and the Faculty was thriving. In the mid 1970s Hunt resigned as Dean and the Faculty moved into a phase of consolidation and new leadership. The 1970s gave way to the 1980s, by the end of which the Faculty of Engineering had emerged to become one of the strongest Engineering faculties in the country. It was time for new directions and once again, new leadership.
Changes in higher education policy brought about a series of amalgamations and mergers that brought new challenges for the Faculty. As the 1990s gave way to the new century a new period of strategic planning and globalisation had emerged − one that the Faculty of Engineering transitioned into effortlessly thanks to its strong foundations and dynamic leadership over the past 60 years.
Now
Monash Engineering has since grown to become one of the largest engineering faculties in the country. And we’re making our mark. With our equal emphasis on teaching excellent engineering skills as well as well-rounded people, Monash engineering graduates are endeavouring to solve the major issues of our time.
Our engineers are out there, conducting research and working in the field to solve the emerging problems of our society. Think of the major issues of our time – climate change, water, and sustainable energy for development – they’re all issues looking for solutions. And we have teams of engineers and specialists in cross-disciplines, working together to find them.
The Monash difference
Great engineers are so much more than just their skills. That’s why our engineering courses aim to produce highly skilled engineers who are ready for life, ready for work, and ready for the world. We offer a range of programs to help our students become well-rounded engineers.
What’s more, our courses offer flexibility and choice, which means that our students get to shape their degrees according to the areas that ignite their passions the most, (including combining their engineering studies with other disciplines).
Engineering is hands-on. Monash engineering students have the luxury of developing their skills in some of the world’s best engineering facilities. Not surprisingly, our degrees are professionally accredited and internationally recognised.
