Doctor of Engineering

The EIT Doctor of Engineering (DEng) is a practically oriented professional doctor of engineering which is suited to the direct needs of solving industry problems. A PhD track focuses more on academic or scientific research.

There are a huge number of PhDs being offered around the world. If you want a really good outcome to your research and a credential of huge value, the simplest solution is to seriously consider MIT, Cambridge, Oxford, or equivalent. These will most assuredly help you in your academic or scientific research career if that is what you seek. But if you are an engineering working professional with a keen interest to solve problems that benefit industry and society at large, then the DEng is for you!

There are a few concerns when it comes to the standard research-based PhD for the following reasons:

• The supervision and support are often very limited meaning that the doctoral candidate is on their own for most of the time – this is distressing and can contribute to an increased drop-out rate
• The lack of tight supervision can mean a less than desirable quality in the research work and resultant PhD
• The emphasis on pure research often results in a doctorate where there are no practical outcomes and thus no support for the graduate in getting a job/work outcome
• The lack of any supporting course work in the degree means less rigour and understanding of the high standards required for a high-quality research-based approach
• Can take a significantly long time to complete

We have thus crafted a professional doctorate that is aimed at applied research, focusing on developing specialized skills for practical application in the engineering workforce. The outcomes of the research and investigation have direct and immediate benefits to industry. It prepares the individuals for professional engineering, with an emphasis on engineering practice, high technical competence, and innovation preparing graduates for technical leadership roles in the engineering industry.

We have also built-in significant support systems for the candidate, no matter where they are located. We have recognized that the online or blended model can work really well today with the available modern technologies and strong support for the candidate. The support systems come in the usual way of collegial support from the doctoral supervisors/lecturers/peers and comprehensive course work undertaken over at least two years ensuring the candidate has the tools and know-how to engage in high-quality applied research. We also have a dedicated learning support officer (LSO) who will be there with you every step of your journey.

We believe the EIT DEng program will become a marker of someone who has worked on high quality applied research of use to industry and the graduate would be a chartered or professional engineer of note.

You can view more discussions on this issue on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_of_Engineering

Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Formulate a significant and original research problem relevant to the field of engineering, addressing a gap in knowledge or practice through innovative, evidence based, and entrepreneurial approach.
• Demonstrate intellectual independence and critical judgement by conducting a comprehensive investigation, systemically reviewing relevant literature, and effectively articulating the research problem and its significance to both professional and general audiences.
• Design and justify an original research approach to address complex, unpredictable problems in engineering, integrating insights from existing scholarship and professional practice.
• Defend the proposed contribution to knowledge, including the methodological framework, research design, timeline, risk management strategies, and required resources.
• Secure and manage appropriate ethical and professional approvals, ensuring that research activities are conducted rigorously, responsibly, and in accordance with ethical and regulatory standards.
• Critically analyze, synthesize, and interpret research data using appropriate tools and methodologies, and communicate findings effectively to professional peers, researchers, and general audiences, including discussion of originality, theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and directions for future research.

The Doctor of Engineering (DENG) comprises a total of 120 credit points, consisting of 88 research-based credit points and 32 coursework credit points. The standard duration is three years full time, or equivalent part-time study.

Note: Students enrolling in the online mode will initially commence as part-time students by default. They may apply to convert to full-time status once supervisors have been allocated.

Please refer to the current teach-out program structure here:

Year One

Year Two

Year Three

* Elective Units

* Elective units – Other approved postgraduate unit/s as appropriate to the relevant field of study (Master- year 2
level unit) can be taken on by the student in consultation with their supervisor. Need to take 2 MEng units for the
credit equivalence of each DENG elective unit. There alternative units, endorsed by the supervisor, must be approved by
the Dean.

Course Progression

The Doctoral Dissertation is the major component of the Doctor of Engineering program. There are coursework components
in the program, which should serve as complementary knowledge for the Dissertation. The Dissertation unit appears in
year-three, but the research work for the Dissertation starts from year-one. The key units that are associated with the
Doctoral Dissertation are DENG614, DENG700, DEng802, DEng804, and DENG900. The student needs to follow the steps below
to produce a dissertation:

• Formulate a research idea in DENG614
• Finalise the research roadmap in DENG700
• Conduct research work throughout Year-2 and make publications in DENG802 and DENG804.
• Continue to complete any unfinished research work and write up a dissertation in DENG900.

The content of each unit is designed to provide a graduated increase in knowledge and skills throughout the course,
culminating in the Doctoral Thesis in the third year.

Rules of Completion

• Students can enrol in DENG700 Research Project Proposal only after successfully completing all 600-level units.
• Enrolment in 800-level research units requires successful completion of DENG700.
• Enrolment in DENG900 Doctoral Dissertation requires the successful completion of DENG700 and all second-year
  units, except DENG804.
• DENG804 Doctoral Dissertation Research Paper 2 may be undertaken concurrently with DENG900, if the student has
  demonstrated consistent research progress and doing so supports the development of a comprehensive publication.

All admission will be written application and interview. The written component will comprise of a 500-word statement as to why you wish to apply for this program; and a 1000-word research proposal. Research proposal guidelines supplied here.

Important Note:
The initial research proposal guides supervisor allocation and academic planning. While some refinement of the research topic is expected, any substantial change to the topic after enrolment must go through a formal Change of Topic Approval Procedure. This may involve a full re-evaluation of the new proposal, a reassessment of supervision availability, and could result in significant delays to your research progress. In some cases, it may require you to re-enrol in the program under the new topic. For on-campus international students, a major topic change may affect the conditions of your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE), potentially leading to cancellation of your CoE and requiring a new course and/or visa application process. Applicants are therefore strongly advised to carefully select and commit to their proposed topic and consult with EIT academic staff early if they are unsure about feasibility or alignment.

To be eligible for admission, applicants must satisfy the following requirements:

1. BE Honours, or Graduate Diploma (or equivalent) in Engineering with minimum Second-Class Honours Division A (H2A). OR
2. An appropriate and relevant Master’s degree in Engineering from EIT or other recognised tertiary institution. OR
3. Satisfying the Dean (or delegate) of their fitness to undertake further advanced work. This would be established by:
   • Relevant four-year undergraduate qualification in Engineering from a recognised institution AND
   • Submission of a resume demonstrating, at least five years of professional practice in a relevant field with the ability to demonstrate, or be in a position to produce their own substantial, original professional contributions in the relevant engineering field and/or published research work. AND
4. An appropriate level of English Language Proficiency, as outlined in the EIT Admissions Policy.

Please note: meeting the minimum admission criteria does not guarantee entry to our programs. Applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Please check the Documentation Guidelines for your application.

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Payment Methods

Learn more about payment methods, including payment terms & conditions and additional non-tuition fees.

This Doctor of Engineering is an academically accredited program by the Australian Government agency Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA).

Find out more about country-specific accreditation and professional recognition.

This course is classified as Level 10 under the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).

This course may use the following software:

• MATLAB/SIMULINK

Due to ongoing unit and course reviews, software’s may change from the list provided. Learn more about the Practical Learning at EIT here

The Doctor of Engineering contains 120 credit points in total made up of four research-based units and six coursework units. The duration is three years’ full time or the part-time equivalent. Successful students will need to spend a minimum of 20 hours per fortnight for coursework units and a minimum of 60 hours per fortnight for research units. After enrolment the maximum time allowed to complete all units is 8 years.

A census date is the date at which an enrolment is considered to be final. Any withdrawal you make after the study period census date will incur an academic penalty (for example, a fail grade) and a financial penalty (for example, no refund of your student contribution or tuition fees). See our current census dates.

Any student has a right to appeal a decision of the Engineering Institute of Technology (EIT) or any member of the institute’s staff. EIT has a comprehensive Policy on Appeals and Grievances to assist students.