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Author Topic: Monash and RMIT Aerospace Engineering  (Read 9775 times)  Share 

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power4

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Monash and RMIT Aerospace Engineering
« on: May 22, 2015, 07:15:18 am »
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Hey guys,

I am in bit of a confusion. sorry if this get bit too long.

I enrolled in to Monash B. Engineering 1st semester in this year.but took a intermission as I need time to think about my course.At the moment I don't know which path should I chose. Actually I always wanted to be an engineer. but there wasn't a specific field I wanted to do as it kept changing.

I keep seeing people who study degrees they don't like(engineering specializations) and eventually drop out or else do poorly in the course.So I really don't want that to happen to me hence I would like to study something that will interest me and keep me motivated and later on have a career which I will enjoy.

So after a lot of thinking this is what I feel that I would like to study.

Things that interest me are studying about space,electronics,astronomy, aircrafts and computers.

Things I don't like to learn are Programming,electrical stuff,chemistry and to go too deep in to maths (studying base on maths is fine using calculus and all that, but don't want to specialize maths) and I don't like to work in mechanical related jobs or rather working with large machines and cars and neither I like civil related jobs.

As I always wanted to be an engineer, according to my interests, the closest thing I can get in to is Aerospace Engineering.

So if I have to study Aero at Monash, I'll have to transfer to B.AeroEng from BE which is what I am in now.

so my questions are

1. is internal transferring hard?what do I have to do in order to have a successful transfer?can I transfer after 1 semester of BE which is end of this year?

2. According to what I said about my interests, can someone suggest me another degree/specialization?

3. which uni is better for Aerospace Engineering?

Honestly, my heart doesn't want me to leave Monash and study at RMIT. (distance doesn't matter as I am willing to move. currently living close to Monash) The reason is, I really like the Monash brand name.the recognition outside Australia and its one of the unis I always liked to get in to.More over the Monash campus life can't be compared to RMIT campus life. and I just don't like the idea of studying in the city as well.

BUT I am just considering my options.which is probably the only options I am considering as the hassle of going interstate isn't worth it as its not gonna do any good to me as most if not all those unis can be compared to Monash and RMIT in the context of engineering studies.

Back to the topic.So people say RMIT course is bit easier than Monash.is that really true? from what I gather Melb uni is too theoretical and RMIT is lot more in to practical side and Monash is in the middle. by the little experience I had, even I think Monash is somewhat balanced in that regard.

also people say RMIT has better industry connections and will most probably give me better chance of landing a job.is that really true? what about Monash?do they have same same industry connections as RMIT? or being a GO8 has anything to do with it?

4. Also as a specialization, is Aerospace engineering hard? how does it compare with Mech and Elec? anyone who has studied Aerospace in Monash can give me some insight about the difficulty? and even RMIT for that matter?

5. What about getting a job in Aerospace industry in Australia?is it really hard?are there any graduate jobs rather than jobs which requires experience? what do I need to have in order to get a one? also even if there aren't much job opportunities in Australia, isn't it worth to study what I enjoy?

6. Also I really want to get some work experience abroad as well as do an exchange abroad.I know for internships, RMIT has RIIERP. what about Monash?is it hard to get a one as appose to RMIT? what about exchanges, which one is easy to get in to a top uni, RMIT or Monash? when I look their exchange partners, they look more or less same.

7. Is it worth doing a double degree with Commerce or Business for the sake of increasing my employability? as I can see, commerce or business degree going to lose up the burden in the engineering degree. is that correct? but it will at least take me 5-5.5 years to graduate, which would mean I am going to be close to 28. So given my situation, do you think I am better off just completing a single Aerospace engineering degree soon?

or else, what do you think about studying the Aero eng course full time at uni and may be doing a part time commerce/business course(degree/diploma) online?will that help me when I graduate?

And basically, if I am going to leave Monash and go to RMIT I really need some strong points to back that decision.cause I don't want to go to RMIT and then regret my decision or take the hassle of transferring back to Monash.

Hopefully I will be able to solve this dilemma out from this thread.Any input is highly appreciated! :)
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power4

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Re: Monash and RMIT Aerospace Engineering
« Reply #1 on: May 23, 2015, 04:15:30 pm »
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bump  :-\
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slothpomba

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Re: Monash and RMIT Aerospace Engineering
« Reply #2 on: May 23, 2015, 05:26:29 pm »
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Please refrain from bumping threads only after a day.

These are very specific questions and only a tiny slice of our user base (people deep into an aerospace engineering degree) can answer them, it'll be wise to wait a little longer for some answers.

You can also try posting on http://www.whirlpool.net.au forums.

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power4

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Re: Monash and RMIT Aerospace Engineering
« Reply #3 on: May 23, 2015, 05:40:41 pm »
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Please refrain from bumping threads only after a day.

These are very specific questions and only a tiny slice of our user base (people deep into an aerospace engineering degree) can answer them, it'll be wise to wait a little longer for some answers.

You can also try posting on http://www.whirlpool.net.au forums.

alright I'll wait some time to get some answers :)
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power4

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Re: Monash and RMIT Aerospace Engineering
« Reply #4 on: June 01, 2015, 05:48:48 pm »
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bump   :-\
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JinXi

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Re: Monash and RMIT Aerospace Engineering
« Reply #5 on: June 10, 2015, 01:23:31 am »
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Hey there I'm in my Final year of Aero Eng in Monash and will try my best to answer your questions. Note that everything I say is of my opinion from what I've experience so far and is by no means the actual scenario.

1. is internal transferring hard?what do I have to do in order to have a successful transfer?can I transfer after 1 semester of BE which is end of this year?
Do you have a 70%+ WAM, if so, it shouldn't be a problem. Best to speak to the faculty office on this matter since they'll be the ones processing it.

2. According to what I said about my interests, can someone suggest me another degree/specialization?

You stated that you liked space,electronics,astronomy, aircrafts and computers, and disliked programming,electrical stuff,chemistry, deep in to maths (theoretical I guess)?, or hands on mechanical work and civil.

From that alone it seems as though Aerospace is indeed the best specialization for you, but there is a decent amount of programming (MATLAB) and some computational softwares towards the later part of your degree. Also, I won't kid you that the maths in certain topics (Aerodynamics, Fluids, Thermo, Flight Dynamics) can get quite intense. Maths is unavoidable in engineering apart from in Civil.

Had you considered a Bachelor of Applied Science (Aviation)/Bachelor of Business (Management) at RMIT? https://www.rmit.edu.au/study-with-us/levels-of-study/undergraduate-study/bachelor-degrees/bp284/#pageId=overview. I'm not sure if you'll want to work in an airport though but thats the only thing I can think of that fits your interests since you can't avoid programming and maths in an Aerospace engineering course.

3. which uni is better for Aerospace Engineering?
To be fair it doesn't matter. It's true that RMIT offers more hands on applied stuff but if you're keen you'll be able to get them through other means anyway. Also, the brand name for RMIT and Monash Aero Eng is about the same from what I've heard in the industry. Go with whichever is more convenient and trust your gut on this.

Back to the topic.So people say RMIT course is bit easier than Monash.is that really true? from what I gather Melb uni is too theoretical and RMIT is lot more in to practical side and Monash is in the middle. by the little experience I had, even I think Monash is somewhat balanced in that regard.
From what I've heard from friends that transferred from Monash to RMIT, it's somewhat true as RMIT focus less on theoretical stuff. I could do Aero assignments from equivalent units in RMIT with relative ease. Melbourne Uni does not offer Aerospace Engineering. Best university in Australia for Aerospace Engineering is Uni Queensland in my opinion but I'm not sure if you're open to moving interstate so I won't go into detail other than that they work on cool stuff in collaboration with Airbus.

also people say RMIT has better industry connections and will most probably give me better chance of landing a job.is that really true? what about Monash?do they have same same industry connections as RMIT? or being a GO8 has anything to do with it?
No. Its almost entirely up to how you network and build connections. 3 of my past 4 internships are from connections that I've made (One through friends, two through multiple networking events, keeping in touch etc.etc.) If you're resourceful, it doesn't matter. In fact it's counterproductive to think that a university will provide you with a job and slack off in terms of networking and going through the brutal job seeking process. G08 doesn't mean anything for Aerospace if you're considering between RMIT and Monash.

4. Also as a specialization, is Aerospace engineering hard? how does it compare with Mech and Elec? anyone who has studied Aerospace in Monash can give me some insight about the difficulty? and even RMIT for that matter?
Yes it is hard. We do most of the work that Mechanical students does, plus a little extra (Aero/Flight Dynamics/Flight Design) and a little less design work. Many of the units that Aerospace students takes are shared with Mechanical. My lowest marks are all in units which are specialized to Aerospace Engineering so that should give you a clue. (On average 10% lower).

As for electrical engineering, they tend to do alot more programming and circuits stuff which we touch on in Aerospace but don't go into much detail. Overall its really different so its hard to compare.

5. What about getting a job in Aerospace industry in Australia?is it really hard?are there any graduate jobs rather than jobs which requires experience? what do I need to have in order to get a one? also even if there aren't much job opportunities in Australia, isn't it worth to study what I enjoy?
The aerospace industry at the moment is shit in Australia for graduates. To give you a feel, Aerospace networking events in Melbourne typically attract ~200+ students with ~8 employers, of which 3 of them won't have openings, 3 of them hiring on a 'needs basis' (Read unless you're a genius don't bother), and 2 of them actually hiring a handful. The aerospace defence research force is also undergoing a restructuring at the moment which will result in 600+ experienced aerospace engineers looking for jobs by the end of this year.

Two of my friends that got into an internship at Boeing Aerostructures Australia (Down in Port Melbourne) are both at top in Aerospace and top in Mechanical Engineering faculty in Monash. One of them plays sports at a national level, and the other is in the orchestra also at a national level. Both has done extra research with supervisors in Monash during their 2nd/3rd year on top of their normal study load. That's the kind of competition you're going up against to get an Aerospace Engineering internship at a top firm.

However, I believe that the industry is at the lowest point at the moment and may pick up within 4-5 years, which is a good time in your case. The reason being that by looking at other countries nearby with a decent aerospace industry (China, Singapore), their Aero industry had just started picking up again, and Australia is typically 2-3 years behind these countries. I've been approached by recruiters from the aerospace industry in Singapore and they told me that an aerospace graduate in Singapore has a 99.8% chance of being hired, and is currently the second highest paid graduate role apart from dentists.

If you're willing to go abroad you'll be fine, if not, it's a toss in the dark.

6. Also I really want to get some work experience abroad as well as do an exchange abroad.I know for internships, RMIT has RIIERP. what about Monash?is it hard to get a one as appose to RMIT? what about exchanges, which one is easy to get in to a top uni, RMIT or Monash? when I look their exchange partners, they look more or less same.
Monash does have exchange programs with University of California (UC) which is has one of the top engineering school in the world. That said, exchange programs are normally awarded on a academic basis, meaning that to stand a chance to go to UC, you'll be looking to average about 85% WAM+, or a minimum of 80%+ to even stand a chance. Monash also has exchange programs with University of Lulea (Sweden) which has a pretty sick Aerospace course where they actually test rockets and stuff if that's what you're into.

As for work experience, if you're looking at non-relevant ones, join a club like AIESEC, EWB etc. and you'll get the opportunities.

7. Is it worth doing a double degree with Commerce or Business for the sake of increasing my employability? as I can see, commerce or business degree going to lose up the burden in the engineering degree. is that correct? but it will at least take me 5-5.5 years to graduate, which would mean I am going to be close to 28. So given my situation, do you think I am better off just completing a single Aerospace engineering degree soon?

or else, what do you think about studying the Aero eng course full time at uni and may be doing a part time commerce/business course(degree/diploma) online?will that help me when I graduate?
Yes its going to be useful, but only if you're looking to work in the finance/bank/business sector and not the engineering sector. Some engineering companies frown upon double degrees as it reduces the amount of engineering work that is done. Remember that one extra year of university is one year of building industry contacts whilst working.

Also, commerce is something that can be self taught. I did a couple of business/finance papers alongside my course last year. The workload was crazy and I slept 4 hours on average through the semester. My university marks took a slight beating, but I got a couple of offers from big financial institutions this year for their graduate programs. I think what impressed them most was me taking the tests alongside a university course. Remember that the workload for a full time aerospace engineering course is pretty intense if you intend of getting good grades (80%+ WAM for first class) so having something on top of that can be pretty demanding.

Thus, for a double degree, yes, it'll improve your industry of landing a job and gives you more options if you decide that engineering isn't your cup of tea. But if you're dead set on engineering, go for the straight degree.

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In summary of everything, at the end of the day, whether you land a job or not is solely up to you, not the university. In today's world, you've probably heard this hundreds of times, but its connection, connections, connections that wins the day.

It's really through networking that I believe got me an internship which lead to a graduate role in a company I like so don't underestimate the power of building connections and make sure to start EARLY! I started working on my resume/cover letter in first year and started attending networking events. Most students only do that in their third/last year of studies which is IMO too way too late.

Hope this helps you :)
« Last Edit: June 10, 2015, 10:34:54 am by JinXi »
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power4

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Re: Monash and RMIT Aerospace Engineering
« Reply #6 on: June 12, 2015, 04:02:42 am »
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Hey there I'm in my Final year of Aero Eng in Monash and will try my best to answer your questions. Note that everything I say is of my opinion from what I've experience so far and is by no means the actual scenario.

Hope this helps you :)

Thanks a lot JinXi! Those words helped a lot! Thanks again :)
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