The University of Namibia (UNAM) Faculty of Engineering and IT
About UNAM Faculty of Engineering
Engineering is a discipline and profession that serves the needs of society and economy. It is the profession in which a knowledge of the mathematical and natural sciences gained by study, experience, and practice is applied with judgment to develop ways to utilize, economically, natural and man-made materials and the forces of nature for the benefit of humankind.
The intellectual activities of engineering are heavily based on synthesis, design, and innovation through the integration of knowledge.
Key to the ability of engineers to develop the products, systems, and services that are essential to national security, public health, and the economic competitiveness of the nation’s business and industry is the knowledge base created by engineering research.
The new knowledge generated through research drives technological innovation – the transformation of knowledge into products, processes, and services – which, in turn, is critical to competitiveness, long-term productivity growth, and the generation of wealth.
One of the main aim of the Faculty is to train students for this profession. The Faculty admitted its first 42 students in February 2009, but this number has now increased to 260, with 21% of the students being female students. About 33% of the student population comes from the SADC region, outside Namibia. On the other hand, the Namibian engineering students represent all the 14 regions in Namibia.
The Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology offers the degree of Bachelor of Science in Engineering with Honours in eight engineering disciplines. All the degree programmes have been approved by the Engineering Council of Namibia and by the Namibia Qualifications Authority (NQA) and are registered in the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) as professional engineering degrees with Honours at NQF Level 8.
These degree programmes are offered in five academic departments which have a mix of Namibian and expatriate academic members of staff as well as Namibian administrative and support staff.
One of the success stories of the Faculty of Engineering and IT is that in 2012, the Faculty produced its first 30 graduate engineers. These were made up of Graduate Engineers in the following disciplines: Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering and Mining Engineering.
These graduate engineers have been evaluated by the Engineering Council of Namibia and found to be registerable as Professional Engineers upon completion of their professional training. Of the 25 Namibian pioneer Graduate Engineers, 24 are already employed in Namibia and one is employed in Angola. During the 2013 academic year, the Faculty produced 40 Graduate Engineers.
Why Study Engineering in Namibia
Engineering is a discipline and profession that serves the needs of society and economy. It is the profession in which a knowledge of the mathematical and natural sciences gained by study, experience, and practice is applied with judgment to develop ways to utilize, economically, natural and man-made materials and the forces of nature for the benefit of humankind. The intellectual activities of engineering are heavily based on synthesis, design, and innovation through the integration of knowledge.
Key to the ability of engineers to develop the products, systems, and services that are essential to national security, public health, and the economic competitiveness of the nation’s business and industry is the knowledge base created by engineering research. The new knowledge generated through research drives technological innovation–the transformation of knowledge into products, processes, and services–which, in turn, is critical to competitiveness, long-term productivity growth, and the generation of wealth.
Our Bachelors Degree in Engineering is designed to seek solutions to important national and global problems and educate leaders who will make the world a better place by using the power of engineering principles, techniques and systems. At the end of this programme, our graduates should have;
- demonstrated a thorough grounding in mathematics, basic sciences, engineering sciences, engineering modeling, and engineering design together with the abilities to enable applications in fields of emerging knowledge;
- been prepared for careers in engineering and related areas, for achieving technical leadership and to make a contribution to the economy and national development;
- fulfilled the educational requirement towards registration as a Professional Engineer with the Engineering Council of Namibia as well as to allow the graduate to make careers in engineering and related fields;
- the competence to proceed to postgraduate studies in both course-based and research masters programmes.
Studying engineering has become attractive for young men and women for a variety of reasons:
- The global shortage of engineers provides job opportunities in the public sector, in the industry, in research and at academic institutions.
- Namibia alone needs to train 5000 engineers by 2030 (Vision 2030). In September 2011, 1092 engineers were registered with the Engineering Council. Generally, the demand of engineers in Namibia exceeds by far the supply.
- The industry offers attractive salaries for professional engineers.
The Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology in Ongwediva is an attractive location for women and man who want to study engineering. Its modern buildings offer hostels for students and guest lecturers, a central library and social facilities. The building was constructed with state-of-the art technology in Namibia’s most densely populated region.
UNAM Faculty of Engineering Departments
- Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Electronics and Computer Engineering
- Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
- Mining and Metallurgical Engineering
- Workshops and Industrial Training
UNAM Faculty of Engineering Courses Offered
UNAM ENGINEERING COURSES (UNDERGRADUATE)
Civil Engineering – Bachelor of Science (Honours)
Computer Engineering – Bachelor of Science (Honours)
Electrical Engineering – Bachelor of Science (Honours)
Electronics and Computer Engineering – Bachelor of Science (Honours)
Electronics Engineering – Bachelor of Science (Honours)
Mechanical Engineering – Bachelor of Science (Honours)
Metallurgical Engineering – Bachelor of Science (Honours)
Mining Engineering – Bachelor of Science (Honours)
Pre-Engineering
Telecommunication Engineering – Bachelor of Science (Honours)
UNAM ENGINEERING COURSES (POSTGRADUATE)
Civil Engineering
Master of Science
Introduction:
The degree of Master of Science in Civil Engineering offered by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of the University of Namibia consists of one year of advanced taught courses plus one year of research and thesis at Level 9 of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) in Namibia.
During semester 1 of the first year of study, students will take common courses that include spatial planning, infrastructure development, advanced engineering mathematics, academic writing skills and research methodology and project proposal writing. During the second semester of the first year, students will take modules from one of the three areas of specialization, namely Structures, Transportation and Water. The research and thesis, which will be done in the second year of study, will also reflect the area of specialization of the student.
Graduates of the MSc (Civil Engineering) degree will be equipped with knowledge and skills to work in industry, do consultancy or carry out further research in their areas of specialization. Those who specialize in the Structures Option will be able to plan, analyze and design civil engineering structures such as houses, high rise buildings, high volume containers, storage silos and bridges, amongst others. Those who specialize in the Transportation Option will be able to plan sustainable transport systems, design roads and railway systems with appropriate safety measures, supervise road construction, design airport runways and manage transport logistics.
The Water Option prepares its graduates to manage water supply chains, design waste water treatment systems, design flood control systems such as dams and channels, develop hydrological models and manage water flow in rivers and channels as well as analyze and design appropriate measures to deal with rising ocean tides along the coast as a result of climate change.
Offered at:
- Eng. José Eduardo dos Santos Campus
Requirements:
The minimum entry requirement for this program of study is a BSc (Civil Engineering) or equivalent qualification, with overall grade of at least 60%.
Duration of Studies:
The minimum duration for the Master of Science in Civil Engineering degree programme is two (2) years of full time study or three (3) years of part time study. The degree must be completed within three (3) years of full-time study or five (5) years of part time study.
Modules:
| Year 1, Semester 1 |
|---|
| Spatial Monitoring and Planning |
| Infrastructure Development |
| Advanced Engineering Mathematics |
| Research Methodology and Project Proposal |
| Academic Writing for Post Graduate Studies |
| Year 1, Semester 2 |
|---|
| Modules from Structural, Transportation or Water Option (see below) |
| Year 2, Semester 1 |
|---|
| Seminar |
| Thesis |
| Year 2, Semester 2 |
|---|
| Seminar |
| Thesis (continued) |
Option Modules (Year 1, Semester 2)
| Structures Option |
|---|
| Finite Elements & Structural Dynamics |
| Structural Materials |
| Advanced Structural Concrete Design |
| Advanced Structural Steel Design |
| Advanced Bridge Design |
| Transportation Option |
|---|
| Road Construction Technology |
| Transport Economics |
| Railway and Aviation Engineering |
| International Traffic & Transport Logistics |
| Road Management and Safety |
| Water Option |
|---|
| Integrated Water Resources Management and Remote Sensing |
| Coastal Engineering |
| Advanced Water Supply and Waste Water Management |
| Advanced Hydraulics |
| Drought and Flood Risk Management |
Career Prospects in Engineering
Civil Engineering
Civil engineers create facilities to improve the quality of life of man and its environment. The responsibility of civil engineers is the planning, design, construction and maintenance of facilities and structures such as roads, railway lines, bridges, tunnels, transport systems, harbours and airports, irrigation systems, water and sewage purification, building of all types and many more. They therefore play a leading role in development of the infrastructure. Civil engineers usually specialize in one of the following fields: Structural Engineers use materials such as pre-stressed concrete, reinforced concrete, metal, timber and reinforced plastics. These materials are indispensable in the design of large buildings and bridges.
Water Resources Engineers design and build dams, irrigation system, storm water systems, sewerage and water purification systems, and harbours and coastal structures.
Sanitation and environment engineers develop methods, build facilities and establish policies for the control of environment and the protection of public health.
Geotechnical Engineers study rock and soil mechanics and take responsibility for the design of effective and economic earth and rock structures, dam walls and road fills.
Urban planning, highways, and transportation engineers develop plans for urban expansion, builds airports, railroads, subways and rapid transit systems.
Computer Engineering
The proliferation of computer system and their applications in industries has led to a significant and growing demand for people capable of designing, programming, configuring and operating computer installations and hardware. Computer Engineering is a specialized field of electronic engineering and deals with hardware development, signal processing, transmission and electronic control systems. Computer engineer are also involved in research, education and telecommunication industry.
Electrical Engineering
Electrical engineers are responsible for the generation of electricity in power stations, where the primary source energy (coal, hydro-energy, and nuclear energy) is converted into electrical energy. Electrical engineers are involved in design of electrical network, transmission of electrical energy, instrumentation, testing and measurement.
The availability of electrical energy is a main factor in development and information gains. Worldwide, electrical and electronic engineering are currently fast-growing industries.
Electrical Engineers are also involved in research development, power plant management and training.
Electronic Engineering
Electronic engineers are responsible for the processing and control of information in all forms. The electronic engineer’s main task is the computer-aided control of systems and the establishment and operation of telecommunications systems. Some products of these engineers include radio, cell phone, television, computers, video and hi-fi equipment, electronic games, medical electronic systems, telephone networks, satellite and aircraft control systems etc…
Mechanical Engineering
The mechanical engineer designs, develops, manufactures, maintains and markets mechanical plant. Mechanical plant comprises all machines that improve the quality of our daily lives, such as vehicles, ships, aircraft, electrical machines, air conditioning plants, lifts, missiles technology etc… they also organize and run industrial installations and processing plants.
Mechanical engineers are involved: research, development, manufacture, commissioning, supervision and quality control, maintenance and reliability testing, management, marketing and training. Mechanical engineers can specialize in fields such as machine design, material engineering, marine engineering, naval architecture, aeronautical engineering, air conditioning and refrigeration and metallurgical engineering. Computer-aided design, manufacturing and production, biomedical Engineering, mechatronics.
Metallurgical Engineering
The metallurgical engineers extract metals from their ores. They also process ores receive from the mines. The can find career opportunities in processing plants, mines, foundries. They can work in the ministry agencies for checking of standards. They can also work in plastic and polymer, construction and fabrication companies, foundries and ceramic industries.
Mining Engineering
Mining Engineers are devoted to: the discovery of metals or minerals found in ore, the economic, safety and efficient ore removal.
The profession of mining engineer includes a wide spectrum of engineering work among other things, the evaluation of new mining projects. The design and construction of a mine until it becomes productive. The operation, the planning and management of mining activities, the expert control and improvement of aspects such as blasting techniques, mine climate control and environmental restoration, strata control, plant design and the devising of mining methods. Mining engineers are involved in underground mining. Surface mining and ocean mining. They work in close collaboration with geologists, civil, metallurgical and mechanical engineers.
UNAM Faculty of Engineer Contact Details
The University of Namibia Faculty of Engineer Contact Details
+264 65 232 4000065-232 4004pnshivute@unam.na
Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
University of Namibia José Eduardo dos Santos Campus
P.O. Box 3624
Nandjembo Mengela Street, Ongwediva
Namibia
UNAM Contact Details
(+264) 61 206 3111(+264) 61 206 3199info@unam.na
University of Namibia
Private Bag 13301
Windhoek, Namibia