Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Engineering

[Cereal Killer]

Hi everyone, I'm currently a year 12 student in WA. Although I have so many decisions to make in the next few months, I'm still pretty confused about uni and my career pathway.

1. I'm thinking of being a scientist or an engineer (particularly an chemist or a chemical engineer). To be completely honest, I slightly prefer working in the lab. However, my family is having financial problems, and they expect me to find a job which is well-paid. So could you guys please tell me about the pros and cons of working in industry and academia ?
2. To be qualified as an engineer, I think I have to do 3 years of BSc and then 2 years of Master degree in UWA. Are there any universities here offer an engineering course with 3 or 4 years ? Is it more impressive with a master degree ?
3. How long does it take to finish a double degree of Engineering and Science in MONASH or Uni of Mel or whatever uni that you know ?
4. Does it worth it to do the additional honour year ? What is its purpose anyway ?

P/s: My ATAR predicted is 99.75

I know I have asked a lot, but please enlighten me. Your help would be greatly appreciated.

[Hancock]

I'm fairly sure that all other universities besides UWA and UoM in Australia run 4 year B.Eng degrees which give you accreditation for professional practice. If you want to be a scientist, do chemistry. Chemical engineering doesn't have much chemistry, contrary to it's name. No engineering university provides accreditation after 3 years. Whether it's more prestigious to have a Master of Eng or a Bachelor, it depends on what you believe. Double degrees at Monash take 5 years for BSc/B.Eng and 6.5 years for LLB / B.Eng. Melbourne doesn't do double degrees and has a structure which UWA cloned to start in 2013. In engineering, you don't do an additional honours year, if you get a WAM of 75+, you get honours on your transcript.

P.S. Why do we need to know your predicted ATAR? Engineering only requires about 90, so I would've though you'd realise that you'd gain entry into any uni in Australia for engineering.

[Cereal Killer]

Thanks for your reply.
So if I pursue engineering at any uni other than UWA and UoB, I could save 1 year of studying ?
B.Eng only and double degree, which one is better ( in your opinion )?

P/s: Well, I gotta admit that I'm totally clueless about uni entries. In UWA, they require 80 to do BSc and they don't even have B.Eng (or I don't know they do). My friend told me that it's EXTREMELY competitive in Eastern states and if I want to get in, I need to have a really good ATAR. I simply tried to clarify my situation. Sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable.

[JinXi]

Thanks for your reply.
So if I pursue engineering at any uni other than UWA and UoB, I could save 1 year of studying ?
B.Eng only and double degree, which one is better ( in your opinion )?

P/s: Well, I gotta admit that I'm totally clueless about uni entries. In UWA, they require 80 to do BSc and they don't even have B.Eng (or I don't know they do). My friend told me that it's EXTREMELY competitive in Eastern states and if I want to get in, I need to have a really good ATAR. I simply tried to clarify my situation. Sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable.

I'll recommend doing a B.Eng at Monash. It takes 4 years and as stated above, you'll get an (honours) written on your transcript if you maintain an average mark of above 75.

Another point you made is that you are basing your decision on financial problems. With an ATAR of 99.75, I'm pretty sure that you'll be able to secure an Engineering Excellence Scholarship at monash which means a 6k payment to you per year. I have some friends who  pay their fees using HECS while keeping the scholarship money for other uses.

In regards, to the Double Degree vs Single Degree it takes 5 years to complete and Eng/Sci double degree. There isn't that much advantages from doing a Eng/Sci double degree, other than (in my opinion) the course is slightly more "relaxed" since your engineering units are split over a longer period of time. Science units (again in my opinion) are slightly more relaxed than engineering units in Monash (with the exception of physics...maths is on par). Another pro of the double degree is that it allows you to have an option of research in science, which may appeal to some people. In terms of employ-ability in a engineering firm, I don't think a double degree or single is a main factor. Of course you must take into consideration of the extra year taken to study, which could have been a year's worth of income and decide if you think that it's worth it.