USC Moreton Bay will offer a new degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering when it opens in January 2020 to meet the growing international job market in new energy sources.

It is one of four new degree programs to be offered by USC exclusively at its Moreton Bay campus, alongside a Bachelor of Business (Digital Futures), Bachelor of Engineering (Mechatronic) (Honours) and a Bachelor of Computer Science.

Dr Robi Islam, Senior Lecturer in Electrical Engineering, said the program isn’t just a coup for south-east Queensland, but students globally.

“This is a popular bachelor degree at tertiary institutions worldwide but the program at USC Moreton Bay will be offered in brand new labs with the most up-to-date and future-facing technology available,” Dr Islam said.

“Electronic engineering is changing every single day and at a rapid pace, so it’s an incredible opportunity to offer the latest in innovation to the first cohort of students,” he said.

It’s a sentiment echoed by Brisbane-based engineer Joseph Thomas from renewable energy source company Biosar Australia.

“Biosar is actively working in the integration of solar energy to the national power grid on a number of projects in Australia and also overseas, and electrical engineering is an essential part of the renewable energy sector,” Mr Thomas said.

“For example, electrical and power engineers are required to perform the steady state and dynamic modelling of generating systems and advise the generator performance standards in compliance with Australian Electricity Market Operator (AEMO) and National Electricity Rules (NER),” he said.

“These are skills that are highly sought after, so this new degree at USC Moreton Bay is very valuable. The location will also be ideal for ongoing mentoring and continued professional development.”

USC Moreton Bay will open in early 2020 with a state-of-the-art foundation building that includes a full suite of university services. The three-storey multi-purpose building is the first stage of development of the university precinct that is expected to attract 10,000 students enrolled in more than 100 programs by 2030.

— Megan Woodward