Bachelor of Network Engineering*
*Course suspended for 2012
Course overview
Deakin's Bachelor of Network Engineering is an interdisciplinary course covering the design, deployment and management aspects of modern day communication networks, addressing them from engineering and information technology perspectives.
The single largest growth area within the information and communications technology (ICT) sector is in network engineering. This course has been designed to be responsive to current and future industry trends and to equip graduates with skills in-demand by employers for roles in this critical field, both in Australia and internationally.
A feature of the course is its holistic approach to the topics covered. In addition to fundamental studies in communications engineering and systems, you will have the opportunity to learn about technological forecasting and innovation and the legal and ethical issues associated with network communication and engineering.
You will also have the opportunity to experience an engineering workplace, examine the role of modern day network technologies in contributing to environmental sustainability and undertake a research and design engineering project in your final year.
You will learn about network hardware (with an emphasis on broadband technologies), wire-based and wireless networks, data communication, network computing, network security, service computing, and network administration and management.
Cisco certification
As part of the course you will also undertake study for CISCO industry certification, an internationally recognised and highly sought after industry certification for network engineers. By working towards a CISCO certification as part of their undergraduate course students will be well-positioned for a successful career on the completion of their degree. As a CISCO local academy Deakin is able to offer students network engineering curriculum that can lead to both Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) and CISCO Certified Network Professional (CCNP) certification. Cisco certification provides graduates with additional qualifications and understanding of the practical aspects of network engineering along with valuable hands-on experience with Cisco networking equipment. This knowledge enhances further the quality and value of their network engineering degree.
Facilities
Students of the Bachelor of Network Engineering will have access to specialist network engineering laboratories to complete the practical aspects of the course. The network engineering laboratories are equipped with state of the art equipment to support their studies in communication network technologies, electronics, electrical systems and engineering design. In addition Cisco curriculum will be covered within the Cisco local academy at Deakin University where students will have access to Cisco hardware and related equipment.
Career opportunities
Computer network professionals are a highly sought after sector within the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) workforce in Australia and Internationally. In Australia, during the last 5 years to 2010, computer network professionals were the ICT cluster that experienced the most growth. Employment for computer network professionals grew by almost 75% (compared to 10.9% for all occupations) with almost 14,000 new jobs being created. With large-scale infrastructure projects such as the National Broadband Network (NBN) it is expected that this demand for network professionals will continue to increase. The official outlook in the medium to long-term for computer network professionals is categorised as ‘very good' by the Australian Government's Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR). Employment growth over the next five years is expected to grow very strongly at 3.2% per annum, compared to 1.8% for all occupations. Specific job roles that network engineers are commonly employed in include network solutions architect, network systems/support engineer, network systems/security manager and network project manager.
The graph below shows the historical employment levels ('000) for Computer Network Professionals. Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, DEEWR trend data to May 2010.
Course structures and prerequisites
For complete information on course structures and prerequisites refer to the Deakin course search website
Want to find out more?
Contact us at the School of Information Technology
