.png){kind=logo}
Engineering and Design
Home / Study / Faculties and institutes / Engineering and Design
Te Herenga Auaha, The Faculty of Engineering and Design, provides internationally recognised qualifications to the innovators of our next generation. As New Zealand’s leading faculty for engineering, architecture, and the built environment, we offer world-class teaching and strong industry connections. Several of our disciplines were ranked among the world’s best in the 2026 QS World University Rankings’
Faculty highlights
New Zealand's leading faculty of Engineering
In the 2026 QS World University Rankings by Subject, the University of Auckland ranks 48th globally for Civil & Structural Engineering. For broader Engineering and Technology disciplines, the university places in the 101–125 band worldwide, and sits as New Zealand's highest-ranked university overall at 67th.
Graduates of our Engineering programmes at the University of Auckland have a 96% employment rate, according to the Graduate Outcomes Survey 2024 (latest survey) – highlighting industry demand for advanced expertise.
Top Industry Employers
Graduates are highly sought after both domestically and internationally, frequently transitioning into research and development, tech, and corporate roles. Top hiring employers include:
- Rocket Lab
- Fisher & Paykel Healthcare
- Air New Zealand
- Fonterra
- Downer
Our Research Centres
Home to state-of-the-art research facilities, we are driving innovation across a range of interdisciplinary work. Below are just a few of our key research centres.
- Te Pūnaha Ātea: Space Institute: Multidisciplinary centre of expertise in space science and engineering.
- Geothermal Institute: One of the world's premier hubs for geothermal energy education and consulting.
- Future Cities Research Centre: Focuses on transdisciplinary research relating to climate change and urban well-being.
- Green Energy Engineering Centre: Dedicated to research assisting NZ in transitioning to a zero-carbon economy.
- Engineering Education Research Centre (EERC): Focuses on teaching innovations and advancing engineering education.
- Engineering for Natural Hazards Mitigation: Develops methods to analyse, design, and assess infrastructure against natural disasters.
Popular programmes for international students
- Bachelor of Engineering (Honours): This four-year programme, comprising a blend of theoretical and practical work, ensures that you’re career-ready upon graduation. You’ll pursue one of the eleven specialisations.
We are known also for our passionate, active community. With dedicated support services and student networks to help you with personal or academic issues, we’ll provide you with all the resources necessary for success.
- Master of Engineering Studies (MEngSt): This programme allows students with academic engineering backgrounds to expand their existing theoretical and practical skills. It is flexible – you can study either full-time or part-time, undertake either a primarily coursework or research-focused programme, and choose from sixteen distinct specialisations.
- Master of Civil Engineering (MCivilEng): The Master of Civil Engineering degree is available in both research and fully taught options. It can be awarded as a general pathway or endorsed in one of our seven sub-disciplines. This programme will teach you discipline-specific knowledge that will enable you to solve problems and improve people’s standard of living.
- Master of Energy (MEnergy): Through this programme, you will gain industry insights and explore technological developments with our roster of internationally recognised experts. This flexible programme lets you focus on a field of energy while pursuing courses from the Faculty of Engineering and Design, Faculty of Science and Business School. You can undertake the MEnergy in either a taught or research pathway.
- Master of Design (MDes): This programme provides you with the means to navigate, engage with and design in a variety of professional contexts; bringing both theoretical and practical skills to bear on today’s most significant problems. You can build an individualised programme based on your personal and professional interests, through either a taught or research pathway.
- Master of Disaster Management (MDisMgt): Focusing on the major issues of disaster resilience and risk reduction, we provide the knowledge needed to plan frameworks, create policies, and devise solutions in high-pressure environments. A compulsory component of this programme is a research project, where you will demonstrate the critical thinking and analytical skills needed to independently approach a real-world issue in a disaster setting.
- Master of Architecture (Professional): If you wish to become a practising architect, you must complete the MArch(Prof) programme or one of our associated combined masters programmes. The MArch(Prof) is professionally accredited, recognised by the New Zealand Registered Architects Board (NZRAB), Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) and the Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA). Following a year of advanced study, you will complete a design thesis.
Student and alumni stories
Luis, Mexico
Luis overcame border closures and profound personal loss to complete his PhD in architecture. He is now a research fellow here at the University and is involved in a major government-funded research project to improve sustainability of industrial zones.
Genyuan, China
Genyuan chose the Master of Design for its interdisciplinary and collaborative learning. Her thesis was on interactive design to transform space from something you look at something you can feel and experience.
Aditya, India
Since graduating with a Master of Engineering Studies, Aditya has been working as the Technical Lead Mechanical Engineering at Nilo, a start-up which turns plastic waste into new materials.
Programmes
Undergraduate programmes
Subjects
- Biomedical
- Chemical & Materials
- Civil
- Computer Systems
- Electrical & Electronic
- Engineering Science
- Mechanical
- Mechatronics
- Software
- Structural
Duration
4 years
Intake
Semester One, Semester Two
Postgraduate programmes
Subjects
- Architecture
- Sustainable Design
Duration
1 or 1.5 years
Intake
Semester One, Semester Two,
Late Year Term
Subjects
- Civil
- Construction
- Environmental
- Geotechnical
- Structural
- Transportation
- Water
Duration
1 or 1.5 years
Intake
Semester One, Semester Two
Subjects
- Bioengineering
- Chemical & Materials
- Computer Systems
- Eletrical & Electronic
- Engineering Science
- Mechanical
- Mechatronics
- Software
Duration
1 or 1.5 years
Intake
Semester One, Semester Two
Subjects
- Health Projects specialisation available
Duration
1 or 1.5 years
Intake
Semester One, Semester Two
Subjects
- Chemical & Materials
- Computer Systems
- Construction Management
- Electrical & Electronic
- Engineering Science
- Food Engineering
- Mechanical
- Mechatronics
- Software
- Sustainable Resource Recovery
Duration
1 or 1.5 years
Intake
Semester One, Semester Two
Subjects
- Biomechanical Engineering
- Med Devices and Technologies
Duration
1 or 1.5 years
Intake
Semester One, Semester Two
Discover
You may also like to find out about…