Pre-Masters (Engineering)

Engineer your future.

What is a Pre-Masters Program?

Our Pre-Masters Program is a pathway program developed for students like you, who want to commence postgraduate studies at UNSW but don't meet the entry requirements.

Our Pre-Masters Program is developed in conjunction with UNSW approved curriculum, which means you will gain the necessary skills and knowledge to build confidence to progress to a UNSW Sydney master's program.

Your journey with a Pre-Masters Program

Completion of undergraduate degree progresses to Pre-Masters Program (15 weeks) progresses to Master's degree at UNSW Sydney

Intakes

January, May, September

Duration

Full time, 15 weeks / 1 Term (12 teaching weeks)

Weekly class time

21-23 face-to-face teaching hours per week

Progression

Master of Engineering (8621) Master of Engineering Science (8338)

Delivery mode

Face-to-face

CRICOS Code

113490D

Program Materials

Delivered via Learning Management System Moodle

Recognition for Prior Learning (RPL)

Based on English level and specialisation, you may be eligible for up to 12 units of credit towards chosen master's degree.

Who is this program for?

Our Pre-Masters Program is designed to assist you by providing additional academic support to meet the entry requirements needed to progress to a postgraduate degree at UNSW Sydney. It offers an opportunity for you to enhance your skills in preparation for postgraduate studies.

At UNSW College, you will receive:

an intellectually engaging and personally fulfilling experience;
an immersive, high-quality teaching and learning environment;
guaranteed entry to master's coursework studies, upon successful completion;
up to 12 Units of Credit (one or two courses) towards your master's program at UNSW Sydney;
student-centred approach to learning;
a fostered sense of belonging to the UNSW Community of Learners from first contact to graduation.

Why study a master's at UNSW Sydney?

Renowned globally for its prestigious engineering programs and cutting-edge research, UNSW Sydney stands as a beacon of innovation and academic excellence. By pursuing a master's degree at UNSW Sydney, you open doors to world-class education and unrivalled career prospects.

#1 in Australia

For Engineering

Times Higher Education (THE). QS World University Rankings by Subject, 2022*

#36 Globally

For Engineering

QS World University Rankings by Subject, 2022

Largest Engineering Faculty

In Australia

8 Schools and 70 Year's

Experience

Career opportunities

Aerospace Engineer
Bioinformatics Engineer 
Civil Engineer 
Chemical Engineer 
Computer Engineer 
Electrical Engineer 
Mechanical Engineer 
Mining Engineer 
Telecommunications Engineer

Your future at UNSW

Once you successfully complete a Pre-Masters Program (and meet the entry requirements), you will be guaranteed entry into your chosen master's degree at UNSW. UNSW is one of Australia's leading research and teaching universities, ranked in the top 20 worldwide. Boasting a career-focused education, vibrant community and flexibility in study options, UNSW will help you discover the best version of yourself.

On successful completion of the Pre-Masters Program (Engineering), you may be eligible to receive up to 12 units of credit as Recognition of Prior Learning towards:

Master of Engineering (8621)
Master of Engineering Science (8338)

Note: All students entering the Pre-Masters Program will undertake at least one master’s-equivalent course (Engineering Project Management) and may receive 6 units of credit towards their chosen master’s degree program*.

Students entering Pre-Masters Program with an IELTS greater than or equal to 6.5 (or equivalent) may undertake a second master’s equivalent course (Economic Decision Analysis in Engineering or Principles of Programming) to receive an additional 6 units of credit towards their chosen master’s degree (i.e. up to 12 units of credit in total).

*Pre-Masters students wishing to enter Master of Engineering specialisations (Civil Engineering (8621), Environmental Engineering (8621), and Mining Engineering (8621)) and the Master of Engineering Science specialisations (Nuclear Engineering (8338)), will be admitted to the master’s degree upon successful completion of the Pre-Masters Program, but will not receive any recognition of prior learning (advanced standing).

Top 20

Worldwide

QS World University Rankings, 2025.

Most

Employable Graduates

AFR Top 100 Future leaders Award.

Leading

Innovation

#1 Australian uni attended by start-up founders.

Program structure

The Pre-Masters Program comprises of three (3) core courses and one (1) elective.

The following is a guide to the selection of courses for the Term of study.
Enrolment conditions must be satisfied before selecting any course within the program.
A core course is one that must be satisfactorily completed to meet the requirements of the program.

Core Courses

Course Code	Course Title	Units of Credit	Face-to-Face hr/week (up to)
AELS1401	Academic Research and Information Skills	2	1
BMGT1402	Innovation and Entrepreneurship	4	4
ENGI1403	Engineering Project Management	6	8

Course Code
AELS1401
Course Title
Academic Research and Information Skills
Units of Credit
2

Face-to-Face hr/week (up to)
1
Course Code
BMGT1402
Course Title
Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Units of Credit
4
Face-to-Face hr/week (up to)
4
Course Code
ENGI1403
Course Title
Engineering Project Management  
Units of Credit
6
Face-to-Face hr/week (up to)
8

Academic Research and Information Skills

This course is designed to help you develop the skills necessary to conduct effective research on academic literature and improve your overall literacy skills. Through a combination of workshops readings, assignments, and discussions, you will learn how to identify research questions, develop innovative research questions, find and evaluate sources, synthesize information, and communicate their findings effectively through writing and presentation

Innovation and Entrepreneurship

This course will introduce you to the fundamental principles and philosophy of innovation and entrepreneurship. It will focus on teaching innovative skills, project management, and entrepreneurial concepts to allow you to put your imagination and skills to the test by identifying real world problems and generating innovative solutions to address these. 

Engineering Project Management

This course adopts a comprehensive approach to project management, delving into both the technical and managerial aspects. By enrolling in this course, you will acquire a toolkit to enhance your capacity to plan, execute, and supervise tasks that aim to achieve specific organisational objectives in intricate and demanding work environments.

Note: On successful completion of Engineering Project Management, you may be eligible for 6 units of credit toward your chosen master's degree.*

*Pre-Masters students wishing to enter Master of Engineering specialisations (Civil Engineering (8621), Environmental Engineering (8621), and Mining Engineering (8621)) and the Master of Engineering Science specialisations (Nuclear Engineering (8338)), will be admitted to the master’s degree upon successful completion of the Pre-Masters Program, but will not receive any recognition of prior learning (advanced standing).

Students entering the Pre-masters Program with an IELTS equal to 6.0 (or equivalent) must undertake the below.
Course Code Course Title Units of Credit Face-to-Face hr/week (up to)
AELS1400 Academic English for Higher Studies    6 10

Course Code
AELS1400
Course Title
Academic English for Higher Studies   
Units of Credit
6
Face-to-Face hr/week (up to)
10
Students entering the Pre-Masters Program with an IELTS greater than or equal to 6.5 (or equivalent) may choose from two (2) elective options based on master’s specialisation.
Course Code Course Title Units of Credit Face-to-Face hr/week (up to)
ENGI1406 Economic Decision Analysis in Engineering 6 8
CPTG1405 Principles of Programming 6 8

Course Code
ENGI1406
Course Title
Economic Decision Analysis in Engineering
Units of Credit
6
Face-to-Face hr/week (up to)
8
Course Code
CPTG1405
Course Title
Principles of Programming
Units of Credit
6
Face-to-Face hr/week (up to)
8
Academic English for Higher Studies

Academic English for Higher Studies is a unit of study within the Pre-Masters Program intended to support students who do not yet meet UNSW’s English Language requirements. The course is designed to provide a staged, language-supported experiential process through the delivery of a structured research project on a discipline-relevant topic.

Economic Decision Analysis in Engineering

This course provides engineers and managers with the knowledge of principles, basic concepts and methodology of economic decision analysis. It aims to equip you with the expertise in utilising appropriate methods and techniques for making informed economic decisions in the engineering world.

Principles of Programming

This course equips you with both theoretical and practical knowledge of generic programming techniques and Python programming, which can be applied effectively in various specialised courses that require students to have a strong grasp of programming skills and a well-mastered understanding of the Python language.

The course delves deeply into the features of the language, with a strong focus on problem-solving across a wide range of application domains, some of which involve mathematical concepts. The course is designed to be self-contained and does not require any prior knowledge of programming or Python programming, provided that students have the expected mathematical background.

Course Code	Course Title	Units of Credit	Face-to-Face hr/week (up to)
AELS1400	Academic English for Higher Studies	6	10

Course Code	Course Title	Units of Credit	Face-to-Face hr/week (up to)
ENGI1406	Economic Decision Analysis in Engineering	6	8
CPTG1405	Principles of Programming	6	8

How is the program assessed?

There are a variety of assessment methods including - Quizzes, Exams, Assignments, Portfolios, Presentations, Seminars, Case Studies, Reports and Journals.

Entry requirements

Our Pre-Masters (Engineering) is designed specifically for students like you, who want to study a Master of Engineering or Master of Engineering Science at UNSW Sydney - before you start the Pre-Masters Program, you must meet the required English language proficiency and specific academic entry requirements.

Follow the link below to view the entry requirements. Requirements provided should be considered as a guide only and are subject to change. 

View entry requirements

Academic calendars

The academic calendar consists of important dates throughout your study period such as orientation, census dates, study weeks, exam weeks and breaks for your program or course of study.

Orientation	Start of Week One	Сensus	Finish	Start at UNSW
7-May-25	12-May-25	6-Jun-25	22-Aug-25	Term 3 - 15 Sep 2025
27-Aug-25	1-Sep-25	26-Sep-25	12-Dec-25	Term 1 - 16 Feb 2026

Orientation
7-May-25
Start of Week One
12-May-25
Сensus
6-Jun-25
Finish
22-Aug-25
Start at UNSW
Term 3 - 15 Sep 2025
Orientation
27-Aug-25
Start of Week One
1-Sep-25
Сensus
26-Sep-25
Finish
12-Dec-25
Start at UNSW
Term 1 - 16 Feb 2026

Pre-Masters Program fees

2024 tuition fees (international)

A$22,000

2025 tuition fees (international)

A$23,500

For additional information on our fees and other non-tuition fees, please see the Fees page.

Fees are reviewed annually and may exceed the indicative figures listed, so it’s important to remember that indicative tuition fees shown above are not guaranteed. Any update to fees is effective from the start of each calendar year. The indicative fees listed here are for tuition only – other fees and charges are not included.

Scholarships

If you're starting your Pre-Masters Program in 2024, you could be eligible for the Pre-Masters scholarship.

Learn more

Ready to apply?

At UNSW College, every application we receive is carefully considered. When you are ready to join us, click the button below – or visit how to apply for a step-by-step guide.

Apply now

CRICOS Program Code

113490D

Why study with UNSW College?

Your path to a global top 20 university

Successfully complete a Pre-Masters and secure guaranteed entry to UNSW Sydney.

Support as you learn

Our dedicated support teams are here to help you manage life and achieve success at university.

Directly connected to UNSW

The program is accredited by UNSW Sydney and provides full access to UNSW’s world-class libraries, clubs and societies.

I chose to study at UNSW as it has given me a pathway to study at UNSW Sydney. While at UNSW College I have learned to focus on my studies and improve my time management. My classmates are nice, and they all come from different countries UNSW College has made me a more social person.

Ho Yan Tung

UNSW College Student