Graduates will be qualified mechanical engineers and materials engineers. Mechanical engineers design and manufacture power plants, machinery and equipment for industry, and are expert in producing energy and converting it to other forms. They may design turbines, earthmoving machinery, food processors, air-conditioning and refrigeration systems, artificial hearts and limbs, and engines for aircrafts or automobiles. The demand for mechanical engineers is increasingly broad, as new industries emerge, and old industries take advantage of automation developments and new sources of energy. Materials engineering is concerned with the selection, processing and development of materials to design and make products. Materials - metals, alloys, ceramics, polymers and composites - give manufactured products their functional and aesthetic qualities. Materials engineers apply their knowledge of materials behaviour to optimise processing and improve the properties of products. They are also involved in controlling the service behaviour of materials; improving the performance of machines and structures.

There are career paths in design, operation, management, research and consulting in Australia and overseas. Materials engineers, and materials and testing engineers may be employed in the materials processing and manufacturing industries, including the automobile, whitegoods, steel, aluminium and polymer industries that create wealth and add value to Australia's mineral resources. Materials engineers are employed in large multinational companies and small to medium enterprises, in research establishments, in public utilities and in consulting engineering firms. Mechanical engineering employment opportunities in Australia and overseas range from the very large mining, refining, construction and manufacturing companies to small companies in which you might be the only engineer.