The University of Queensland

Do you want to enrol in your thesis or final year project?  This page outlines the difference between each course code, how to select a project and how to enrol.

The information below is a guide only.  Students must refer to the relevant Course Profile for further information.
 

Which course do I enrol in?

Selection of a thesis topic

If you do not yet have a thesis project or supervisor arranged for your studies.  Selection of a thesis topic can be done in four ways:

1. The School publishes a list of potential thesis topics on its thesis database available at https://student.eait.uq.edu.au/projects.  Students can select a topic from this list.  Contact the supervisor and gain support from the supervisor to take on the project.  Please note that more projects will be added to this database prior to the commencement of the Semester.
2. If you cannot find a project on the thesis database that you are interested in, you can search fora different academic staff member in your area of interest using the UQ Researchers website. UQ Researchers provides a summary of current UQ staff, their research interests and contact information. If you find a staff member doing research that you are interested in, contact them directly via email for an available topic.
3. A student may propose their own topic for a thesis.  The student is required to present their proposed topic to an academic for discussion  The final decision on whether the student may do the project is up to the UQ academic.
4. A thesis can also be done with an industrial partner.  Students may propose a topic with an industrial partner provided that a UQ academic is willing to be the University-based supervisor for the project.  The student is required to present the proposed industry project to an academic for discussion.  The final decision on whether the student may do the project is up to the UQ academic.
    

Selection of a design project

Group design projects offered under the course code MECH4552, are an alternative to completing a final year thesis for students in the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Mechanical Engineering, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, or Mechanical and Materials Engineering. In these projects, as a team of 4-8 students, you will be required to design and test a prototype system to meet an engineering brief provided by one of our industry partners. Compared to an individual thesis, the projects are larger in scope and there is a stronger focus on the design, construction and testing of a final prototype. Selection of a design project can be done in two ways:

1. The School publishes a list of available design projects on the database available at https://student.eait.uq.edu.au/projects.  Contact the supervisor and gain support from the supervisor to take on the project.  Please note that more projects will be added to this database prior to the commencement of the Semester.
2. A group of students may propose their own group design project.  The students are required to present their proposed topic to the Course Coordinator for discussion.  The final decision on whether the student may do the project is up to the Course Coordinator.

The MECH4552 course is structured based on a typical engineering design project, consisting of function requirement capture, background research to identify prior art, design review, functional evaluation, and engineering documentation. To achieve these goals, you will be mentored both by a UQ academic and a stakeholder/mentor from the project industry partner. 
 

How to enrol

To enrol in your chosen course, please follow the instructions provided here: 

Industry-based thesis and confidentiality

If you are undertaking an industry-based thesis, prior to commencement of the project, you must complete and submit a Student Placement Agreement to undertake this work-integrated-learning. Please use the “EAIT and Earth Sciences – Thesis Project Agreement” for this purpose.

Check with your industry supervisor to see if there will be any confidentiality requirements for the thesis.  Note that academics not involved in the project will examine the thesis and this need to be recognised and acknowledged by the industry partner.  Unless an agreement is in place otherwise, theses will also be uploaded and made available in the UQ Library Collection. If your industry advisor indicates that the thesis should be kept confidential for some period of time, please ensure these details are included in the agreement. 

Please contact the School Office (studentenquiries@mechmining.uq.edu.au) with the following information to enable preparation of an agreement:

1. Student Name
2. Student Number
3. Project Title
4. Project Description
5. Company Name
6. Company – Supervisor of Project
7. Company – Contact for agreement

If the industry partner wishes to make any changes to the standard agreement or, if another confidentiality agreement is proposed, this will be passed on to the UQ Legal Office by the School for negotiation.  This can take of the order of a month or more.  If the industry partner wishes to take this route, the proposed agreement should be sent to the School Office (studentenquiries@mechmining.uq.edu.au) prior to commencement of the project.  It is up to you to send the proposed agreement to the School office for processing.

If your thesis is to remain confidential for a period of time, include an accompanying Confidentiality Submission Letter in your final report. This letter is normally located in the report immediately after the title page and before the abstract.

Thesis Format and Submission instructions

Please check the Engineering Theses Submissions website and information in the Course Profile.

CEED Information Session 2018