College of Engineering and Aviation
Take your career to new heights with our aviation courses or make a big impact on local communities with our engineering courses.
Engineering
Study engineering with us and benefit from our strong industry links and practical placement opportunities. Our Engineering courses have been developed alongside key stakeholders in the sector and have a focus on industry-relevance to ensure you graduate work-ready. Our courses are fully accredited and prepare you for a range of careers from professional engineers to engineering associates.
With majors in civil, electrical, mechanical, mechatronics and mining engineering, you will be prepared to solve complex real-world problems within a social and humanitarian context.
We are rated five stars and ranked in the top five Australian universities for undergraduate median starting salary, postgraduate median starting salary, postgraduate full-time employment, and postgraduate skills development*.
*The Good Universities Guide 2021
Aviation
Choosing to study Aviation with us can lead to exciting career opportunities as a pilot. Whether you are interested in becoming a commercial pilot or pursuing a career in the airline industry, studying aviation will be the launchpad to a rewarding career.
Our Aviation courses have been developed in consultation with industry to design unique course structures that combine aeronautical knowledge and flight training with licensing requirements, so you graduate highly competitive and work-ready.
We have strong strategic partnerships with 12 flight partners across Australia to deliver our aviation courses so our students can study from almost anywhere. Our key partnerships and pathway programs with Aviation Australia, Kakadu Air, and Skytrans provide a unique opportunity for our students beyond graduation.
Contact us
For engagement opportunities and questions, please contact the college at CoEA@cqu.edu.au.
Transcript
[Music]
I was four years of age and I was invited by the captain of a Boeing &717 aircraft to go to the cockpit and I just stood there as a four-year-old in awe looking at all the buttons and switches and 20 years later pursuing that dream of my childhood dream of becoming a pilot. You're sitting up there at 35,000 feet with a magnificent view outside of your armchair and it's it's it's a really good feeling. My name's Steve Thatcher and I'm the foundation professor for aviation at CQUni.
I chose CQUni because of their flexibility and the fact that they were based in Cairns. I like the lifestyle up here the coastal lifestyle. My mission in life, or my passion if you like, is to promote aviation education and training. I have an immense respect for the lecturers they all bring a wealth of knowledge and it's fascinating to learn of their stories and their experiences in the pilot seat. One thing I've learnt from my flight training is that there is never a day where you're not learning something new. If you want to be an airline pilot this flight operations course is probably the best course available in Australia at the moment because it's totally focused on being an airline pilot.
Worldwide we're going to need eight hundred thousand pilots over the next 20 years so this tremendous scope for people entering the course to be able to exit with some you know very good job prospects. This course is highly geared towards becoming a commercial pilot so you should be able to walk into a pilot job at the successful completion of this degree. As you can see outside the windows we're sitting right between the domestic terminal and the international terminal at Cairns International Airport and that gives the students a great experience by becoming embedded in the industry.
We've also managed to acquire a 737 sim it's the most advanced simulator of any University in Australia. It's based on a 737ng which is the ones that you fly around in a with Virgin and Qantas in Australia. My goal is eventually to get into the big airlines that be the end goal I suppose – is flying for an Australian carrier. We are designed here to produce a student that the airlines need and want. I know that it's hard work now, but it will eventually pay off, there is nothing else that I can imagine myself doing other than being a pilot this is what I've been put on this earth to do.
[Music]
We are committed to providing our students with up-to-date industry knowledge to ensure our graduates are work-ready. Internships play an essential role in developing required skills and expertise whilst enhancing your employability, networking opportunities, and employment prospects.
Industry exposure to professional engineering is crucial to preparing students for real-world practice. Our college offers all students the opportunity to work in an industry-relevant organisation and experience on-the-job training when enrolled in CV82 Master of Engineering.
Engineers Australia strongly advocates that engineering courses include a minimum of 12 weeks of work experience in addition to other course requirements to achieve Engineers Australia’s stage one competencies. Our Master of Engineering includes an embedded internship program to ensure our graduates are equipped and ready to enter the workforce.
We are ranked number one in Australia for postgraduate engineering starting salaries.*
*The Good Universities Guide 2021
We encourage our students to experience different cultures and as an undergraduate engineering student, you have the opportunity to travel to a developing or marginalised community in the Asia-Pacific region as part of a two-week international mobility tour.
By participating in the Engineers without Borders Humanitarian Design Summit, you will have the opportunity to live with your adopted community to identify wants, needs, strengths, and opportunities for social innovation. You will hold collaborative discussions and through applying principles of human-centred design, sustainable development, and rapid prototyping, you will empower communities to build capacities and strengthen their capabilities.
Experiencing new cultures and applying engineering skills and knowledge in challenging international contexts, is an enriching adventure which equally advances your confidence, experience, and employability.
Visit the CQUGlobal Outbound page to find out more about study abroad opportunities.
We have proudly partnered with Queensland Resources Council and QMEA to bring to you the Shape your future / Innovate our world initiative.
Studying aviation with us provides you with the opportunity to experience valuable real-life industry practices so they are set up to succeed in their careers when they complete their qualifications making our graduates highly employable*.
We have strong strategic partnerships with flight providers across Australia so you can study almost anywhere in Australia. Benefit from a unique course structure that will see you graduate with a degree in aviation with us while completing flight training at your nearest approved flight provider.
You will graduate with over 200 hours in flight training and your Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) plus the option to satisfy requirements to a pathway into the airlines.
We have partnered with the below Flight Training organisations so you can study aviation with us in most locations across Australia.
* Undergraduate Full-Time Employment - The Good Universities Guide 2024
Flight providers
Queensland
New South Wales
Victoria
Western Australia
South Australia
Northern Territory
* The above flight partners list is correct as of September 2024.
