Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)(Chemical Product Engineering) / Law

5 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

University of New South Wales

Program Overview

The Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Chemical Product Engineering) / Bachelor of Laws at UNSW Sydney is a unique dual degree that combines advanced engineering knowledge with professional legal training, preparing graduates to work across regulated industries, innovation policy, intellectual property, and technical legal environments. It is designed for students who want to understand both how chemical products and systems are engineered and how laws, regulations, and commercial frameworks shape their development and use.

Students study at UNSW’s Kensington Campus in Sydney, Australia, gaining access to engineering laboratories, law moot courts, legal research centres, and interdisciplinary learning environments that connect science, technology, and policy.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1

Students begin with foundational studies in engineering, science, and law. Core units typically include Engineering Design and Innovation, Chemistry for Engineers, Legal Systems and Torts, and Contract Law Fundamentals. This year builds essential analytical thinking in both technical problem-solving and legal reasoning.

Year 2

In Year 2, students deepen their engineering and legal foundations. Engineering study includes Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics, while law subjects expand into Criminal Law and Principles of Public Law. Students begin to understand how engineering systems interact with legal and regulatory frameworks.

Year 3

Year 3 focuses on core chemical engineering and intermediate law subjects. Engineering units include Process Engineering Fundamentals, Heat and Mass Transfer, and Materials Engineering, while law studies cover Property Law and Administrative Law. This year strengthens the ability to connect technical systems with legal structures.

Year 4

Students advance into specialised engineering design and higher-level law. Engineering includes Process Control, Chemical Reaction Engineering, and Process Design Projects, while law subjects include Commercial Law and Intellectual Property Law. Students begin working on complex, real-world regulatory and industrial problems.

Year 5

The final year combines advanced engineering project work with professional legal training. Students complete a Chemical Engineering Honours Project alongside advanced law electives and practical legal training components. This stage prepares students for professional-level decision-making across engineering and legal domains.

Focus Areas

Chemical product engineering, process systems, intellectual property law, commercial law, regulatory compliance, engineering design, risk management, innovation policy, and sustainable industrial systems.

Learning Outcomes

Graduates are equipped to design and optimise chemical engineering systems while also interpreting and applying legal frameworks that govern technology, products, and industrial operations. They develop strong analytical, technical, and legal reasoning skills suited to multidisciplinary professional environments.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation)

The engineering component is accredited by Engineers Australia (Washington Accord), ensuring international recognition. The law component aligns with professional legal education requirements in Australia.

Reputation (Employability & Rankings)

UNSW Sydney is consistently ranked among the world’s leading universities for engineering, law, and interdisciplinary innovation, with strong graduate employability outcomes across both technical and legal sectors.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

At UNSW Sydney, experiential learning in this double degree is built around solving real engineering problems while also engaging with real-world legal systems that govern technology, industry, and innovation. Students don’t learn these disciplines in isolation—they actively apply engineering design thinking in laboratories and projects while simultaneously analysing how law, regulation, and policy shape chemical products and industrial systems.

A major strength of the program is its integration of hands-on engineering practice, legal problem-solving, and industry exposure, supported by UNSW’s engineering facilities, law school moot courts, and interdisciplinary research centres:

Chemical engineering laboratories & pilot facilities: Practical experimentation in process engineering, fluid systems, thermodynamics, and chemical reaction analysis
Law moot courts & legal practice training spaces: Simulated courtrooms where students develop advocacy, negotiation, and legal reasoning skills
Industry-linked project work: Real engineering design projects combined with legal case studies involving regulation, compliance, and intellectual property
Capstone research & design projects: Final-year integrated projects addressing real industrial and regulatory challenges in chemical product development
Professional practice & legal training components: Structured exposure to legal reasoning, statutory interpretation, and commercial legal frameworks relevant to engineering industries
Digital tools & engineering software: Use of engineering simulation platforms alongside legal research databases and digital case management tools
Interdisciplinary learning environments: Collaboration spaces where engineering and law students work together on innovation, sustainability, and regulatory design problems
Industry engagement opportunities: Exposure to engineering firms, legal practitioners, and policy-focused organisations through projects and learning partnerships

Progression & Future Opportunities

Graduates from UNSW Sydney with this dual degree are uniquely positioned to work at the intersection of engineering innovation, commercial regulation, and legal frameworks governing technology and industry. You can move into careers where technical engineering expertise and legal understanding are both essential, especially in regulated sectors like energy, manufacturing, infrastructure, and intellectual property.

Typical career pathways include: patent attorney (with further qualification), engineering consultant, regulatory compliance specialist, and commercial/technology lawyer in engineering or IP-focused industries.

Progression is strongly supported through UNSW’s integrated career ecosystem and professional training environment:

UNSW Employability & Careers Service: Provides personalised career coaching, internship support, employer networking events, and access to the UNSW Jobs Board with engineering, law, and consulting employers
Employment outcomes & salary (Australia benchmark): Engineering graduates commonly start around A$85,000–A$100,000+, while law/combined technical-legal roles can progress significantly higher with experience, particularly in corporate law and intellectual property
Industry partnerships: UNSW maintains strong connections with engineering firms, law firms, government regulators, and innovation-focused organisations through industry projects, clinics, and professional placements
Professional accreditation value: The engineering component is accredited by Engineers Australia (Washington Accord), while the law degree supports pathways toward legal practice qualification in Australia
Graduation outcomes: Graduates progress into multidisciplinary roles spanning engineering design, legal advisory work, regulatory compliance, and intellectual property protection for technology and industrial systems

Further Academic Progression:

After graduation, students can pursue postgraduate legal qualifications (such as Practical Legal Training), Master of Laws (LLM), Master of Engineering Science, or research degrees (MPhil/PhD) at UNSW Sydney, specialising in areas like technology law, intellectual property, or sustainable engineering systems.