Minister for Defence - Defence engineering degree expanded to welcome civilians

Aspiring engineers will soon have the opportunity to study alongside military personnel in the Australian Capital Territory following an agreement between the Department of Defence and the ACT Government.

Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Marise Payne and ACT Chief Minister, Mr Andrew Barr MLA, advised that a Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Defence and ACT Government had been signed to provide increased local undergraduate engineering study options.

“The Department of Defence is offering a unique opportunity for civilians to study civil, electrical, aeronautical and mechanical engineering at the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA),” Senator Payne said.

“This undergraduate engineering initiative will increase flexibility of programs available for Australian Defence Force students, increase diversity and improve the learning environment by bringing a new group of high-performing students into the classroom.”

The undergraduate engineering degree is offered through UNSW Canberra at ADFA. UNSW Canberra has the largest engineering program in the ACT and is the only university in the territory currently offering these traditional engineering disciplines.

Through this Memorandum of Understanding, civilian students can apply to secure one of the 40 engineering positions.

“Canberra is one of the world's leading student cities. As we diversify our economy, we are deliberately playing to our strengths in higher education and research. Adding this new discipline to the mix is a great way to attract more students to study in Canberra,” the Chief Minister said.

“The ACT Government is committed to developing even stronger higher education opportunities, which is why we have worked closely with Defence and UNSW Canberra on this exciting initiative.

Senator Payne stated that ADFA is committed to educating future leaders of the Australian Defence Force, and we are pleased to now have the ability to educate future leaders of the ACT, through this partnership with the ACT Government and UNSW Canberra.”

The agreement will not impact on the Defence budget, with additional funding associated with this initiative to be funded by UNSW Canberra.

Enrolment for the 2016 undergraduate engineering programs for civilian students to study with UNSW Canberra is now open.

Further information:

Henry Budd (Minister Payne’s Office)          0429 531 143

Mark Paviour (Chief Minister’s Office)           0466 521 634