Biochemical (MC-ENG_SPEC_1)

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Overview

This course is discontinued and is no longer available for admissions.

Biochemical engineers explore the development of large scale processes using microbial, plant or animal cells. Career opportunities for biochemical engineers exist in specialised biochemical industries such as the pharmaceutical and food industries but also encompass more traditional chemical engineering fields including petrochemical, minerals and energy, environmental consulting and fertiliser, paint and detergent manufacture.

Intended learning outcomes

On the successful completion of the Master of Engineering (Biochemical) students should:

Have gained knowledge and practice in chemical engineering fields of material and energy balances, fluid mechanics, momentum, heat and mass transport, reaction engineering, separation processes, process dynamics and control, process equipment design and particles processing and handling and in the biochemical engineering fields of bioprocess and pharmaceutical engineering and food engineering;
Be able to apply that knowledge to analyse and design biochemical engineering processes and processing facilities such as pharmaceutical manufacturing sites and food processing facilities;
Have developed problem solving and trouble shooting skills that may be applied in professional practice;
Understand the importance of personal, process and product safety, and of sustainability, and be able to apply principles of safety and sustainable practices as graduates;
Have gained knowledge and practice in biochemical engineering management including economics, intellectual property, ethics and the law as it applies to the biochemical engineering profession;
Have the ability to complete a piece of original research either within an industrial setting or in a laboratory, involving the collection of data, its objective analysis and interpretation.

Last updated: 13 November 2024

Structure

300 credit points

The Biochemical specialisation of the Master of Engineering consists of 300 points of study - 275 points core plus 25 points elective subjects as listed below.

Advanced standing will be awarded for equivalent subjects taken in prior study to applicants on the following basis:

Credit, Advanced Standing and Accelerated Entry Policy (MPF1293) https://policy.unimelb.edu.au/MPF1293

Subject Options

Total 300 points - 275 points core (compulsory and selective) plus 25 points elective subjects from the list below. Students must complete all 300 points of subjects, including all core subjects, or have advanced standing or exemption.

The core and elective subjects are those listed below. The order of subjects below is one way of progressing through the course - students who meet subject requisites may tailor their individual study plan to take into account advanced standing and their study load. Students plan their study online and can seek further advice from Stop 1 on individual study plans.

Suggested first 100 points:

Suggested study plan for the first 100 points:

87.5 points core
12.5 points selective

Core (87.5 points)

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
MAST20029	Engineering Mathematics	Summer Term (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
CHEN20010	Material and Energy Balances	Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
CHEN20011	Digitisation in the Process Industries	Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
CHEN20009	Transport Processes	No longer available
ENGR30002	Fluid Mechanics	Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
CHEN30005	Heat and Mass Transport Processes	No longer available
CHEN30015	Safety and Sustainability Case Studies	Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5

Selective (12.5 points)

Choose one:

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
ENGR90034	Creating Innovative Engineering	Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
ENGR90021	Critical Communication for Engineers	Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
ENGR90039	Creating Innovative Professionals	Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5

Suggested second 100 points:

Suggested study plan for the second 100 points:

100 points core (including 25 point project subject)

Core (75 points)

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
CHEN30001	Reactors and Catalysis	Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
CHEN90020	Chemical Engineering Management	Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
CHEN90031	Sustainable Bioprocessing	Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
CHEN90007	Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics	Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
CHEN90032	Process Simulation and Control	Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
CHEN90012	Design and Construction of Equipment	Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5

Project (25 points)

Choose one subject from the list below:

(Note: enrolment in CHEN90028 Chemical Engineering Internship is subject to approval from the Course Coordinator)

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
BIEN90001	Biochemical Engineering Research Project	No longer available
CHEN90028	Chemical Engineering Internship	Summer Term (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (Early-Start) (On Campus - Parkville)	25

Suggested third 100 points:

Suggested study plan for the third 100 points:

75 points core
25 points elective

Core (75 points)

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
CHEN90018	Particle Technology	Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
FOOD90029	Food Engineering	No longer available
BIEN90002	Biochemical Engineering Design Project	Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)	25
CHEN90013	Process Engineering	Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
CHEN90039	Pharmaceutical & Biochemical Production	Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5

Electives (25 points)

Choose 25 points worth of subjects from this list:

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
BIEN90003	Biochemical Engineering Minor Thesis	Summer Term (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)	25
CHEN90019	Advanced Heat & Mass Transport Processes	No longer available
BMEN90011	Tissue Engineering & Stem Cells	Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
CHEN90010	Sustainable Minerals and Recycling	Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
ENGR90024	Computational Fluid Dynamics	Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
ENGR90026	Engineering Entrepreneurship	Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
CHEN90027	Future Fuels and Petroleum	Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
CHEN90011	Wastewater and Environmental Remediation	Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
MREN90001	Polymers and Composites	No longer available
CHEN90035	Downstream Bioprocessing	Not available in 2024	12.5
CHEN90038	Product Design and Analysis	Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
BMEN90037	Bioengineering Data Analytics	Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5

Note:

Students may opt to complete a second 25 point project subject to account for the 25 points in elective subjects;
Students completing the first 100 points prior to 2013 will have completed ENGR30001 Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics instead of ENGR30002 Fluid Mechanics. Credit cannot be obtained for both subjects;
Credit cannot be obtained for both BIEN30001 Bionanoengineering and BMEN90012 Soft Matter Engineering;
From 2013, CHEN90031 Bioprocess Engineering has replaced CHEN90008 Biology for Engineers. Credit cannot be obtained for both CHEN90008 Biology for Engineers and CHEN90031/BTCH90006 Bioprocess Engineering;
From 2014, BIEN90004 Biochemical & Pharmaceutical Engineering has replaced CHEN90016 Metabolic Engineering. Credit cannot be obtained for both subjects;
From 2015, CHEN20010 Materials and Energy Balances and CHEN20011 Chemical Process Analysis have replaced CHEN20007 Chemical Process Analysis 1 and CHEN20008 Chemical Process Analysis 2.

Notes

This specialisation of the MC-ENG Master of Engineering was previously known as the Master of Engineering (Biomolecular).

Links

http://www.eng.unimelb.edu.au/study/degrees/master-engineering-biochemical