Program Overview

Foundation Studies prepares you for a successful transition to degree-level study, providing a pathway to the first year of study of a bachelor’s degree at Murdoch University.

This course is suited to you if you:

• Need an entrance qualification for Murdoch University
• Want to accelerate your university preparation after Year 11, or equivalent
• Want to change your degree stream after Year 11, or equivalent

Course Structure
For Foundation Studies you will complete eight units over two study periods, studying a combination of core and elective units. The units you will undertake will be determined by your chosen degree. All students must complete the two English units and at least one unit from each Discipline Group.

Each unit of study builds concepts from an introductory level through to university entrance level. The units are designed to develop your learning techniques as well as bridging gaps in your unit knowledge.

• English
  • Essential Australian Studies
  • Introduction to Academic Communication
• Mathematics
  • Introductory Mathematics
  • Mathematics for Science
• Science and Technology
  • Information Technology for Academic Studies
  • Computer Science
  • Physics
  • Chemistry
  • Biology
• The Arts
  • Introduction to Media
  • Media Production
• Business and Legal Studies
  • Accounting
  • Management
  • Economics

Leading to: Bachelor of Engineering Technology
Do you love bringing complicated ideas to life, exploring how things work, improving processes or simply imagining what's possible? In this degree, you’ll learn how to use and adapt equipment and processes to optimise the use of resources.

Gain practical engineering experience, engage with industry and learn from experts to build a deep understanding of engineering technology with a focus on emerging trends in engineering, sustainability, and industrial needs

Understanding engineering principles will give you the ability to design, manufacture, install, commission, operate and maintain plants and equipment.

This degree gives you the flexibility to pursue a specialist area of engineering study, including electrical and renewable energy, environmental engineering, or industrial control and automation, depending on your interests and career goals.

Major: Industrial Control and Automation Engineering
You’ll focus on computer-based measurement and control and the computing technologies used to operate modern industrial and autonomous systems.

You’ll explore industrial control systems and their components and learn how to effectively design and plan smart power systems to increase reliability and stability of power supply. The major is industry-oriented to deliver the practical understanding and knowledge suitable for effective design, prototyping, and controlling the industrial control systems applied for various industry sectors, so you’ll be job-ready when you graduate.

3 reasons to study Industrial Control and Automation Engineering at Murdoch

• Five-star rating for student support, median graduate starting salary and learner engagement for engineering and technology.*
• *Source: Good Universities Guide 2022.
• Make use of our $10.1 million Bayer Pilot Plant – a real world engineering plant with a dedicated control room, the only one of its kind in WA.
• Gain 300 hours of real work experience as part of your degree.

What you’ll learn

• Microcontroller hardware and computer-based engineering tools, commonly used in Engineering
• Analysis of direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC) electrical circuits and systems and digital electronics
• Modelling & systems engineering
• Motion, energy and mass transfer in simple systems
• Complex dynamic systems and control
• Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) systems
• Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and Instrumentation Systems
• Fundamentals of embedded system design