School of Engineering

General Notice

A Medium of instruction
English is the medium of instruction and for writing assignments and examinations. Responses in other languages may be accepted provided that
the lecturer concerned consents. A few service subjects are available in Afrikaans.

B Advice to students
The number of study units for which a student may register at any one time obviously depends on the amount of study time available and the
ability of the student. As a general rule students should allow themselves a minimum of one hour of study time per day per subject (over 5 days). This
figure should then be kept in mind when selecting the number of study units.

Students are advised to check the following at the time of registration:

A student may register for a maximum of 5 modules per semester.

See Calendar 2 for information regarding semester and year modules.

C Admission requirements
ONE of the following:
1. National Senior Certificate (NSC) with a rating code of 3 (40-49%) or higher AND a rating of at least 4 in:
(a) Mathematics (not Mathematical Literacy)
(b) English
(c) Physical Science AND either an Engineering and Technology or Computer subject
OR
2. Senior certificate with Mathematics, Physical Science and English with at least an E-symbol on the Higher Grade or a D-symbol on the
Standard Grade prior to 2008.
OR
3. An N3 certificate with Mathematics, Engineering Science and English with a minimum mark of 50% (For Engineering: Chemical, Industrial
Chemistry N3 is required as well.)
OR
4. An N4 certificate with Mathematics and Engineering Science with a minimum mark of 50%. (For Engineering: Chemical, Industrial
Chemistry N3 is required as well.)
OR
5. The equivalent of number 1, 2, 3 or 4 will be considered.
6. Students who do not meet the above requirements may enrol for the Access programme.

D Provisional admission
Students who do not comply with the admission requirements in terms of the marks obtained for Mathematics, Science or English, will only be
permitted to register for the non-mathematical first level study units such as English for academic purposes and End-user computing (practical).
Students must improve their marks in Mathematics, Science or English in order to be admitted to the other mathematical study units.

Students who do not satisfy the minimum requirements for Physical Science may register for the SCIENTP for access purposes. As soon as SCIENTP
has been passed, the student may register for the National Diploma.

Students can improve their marks for the relevant study units by one of the following options:
1. Registering for Mathematics and/or Engineering Science at N3 level (National Certificate Vocational) at any technical/FET college.
2. Registering for equivalent study units at any other recognised institution.
3. Registering for the appropriate study units contained in the Access Brochure
4. Registering for Access Mathematics (MAT0511) and Science Tertiary Preparation (SCIENTP)

LABORATORY COMPONENT OF STUDY UNITS (PRACTICAL)

Certain study units require compulsory laboratory work. The student can either complete the laboratory component in his working environment or
attend a laboratory workshop. Students who choose to attend a laboratory workshop for the particular subject should enquire about the schedule.
Additional fees must be paid for the practical session or workshop as it is not covered by the registration fees.

E Work Integrated Learning Modules (also referred to as Experiential

Learning) for Engineering students
E.1 INTRODUCTION
 To fulfill the requirements for the National Diploma: Engineering a student must have completed a minimum of one year work integrated
learning: (In some courses this period is 18 months). This Work Integrated Learning should be under the guidance of a qualified supervisor
(in some cases ECSA registered and termed a mentor) according to the syllabus guidelines. These guidelines are given in the respective
programme sections.
On completion of the student’s work integrated learning period, the employer (supervisor/mentor) must certify that he/she has completed
such learning successfully.

E.2 GENERAL

The Work Integrated Learning component for the Engineering and Mining courses is offered as one subject or as multiple subjects. A student must
register, and satisfactorily complete the requirements of this subject(s) at some point in his/her studies, before a qualification can be awarded.

The implication for the student is that he/she must be employed at some time in the course of his/her studies by an employer who can offer relevant
and necessary Work Integrated Learning. If the student is not able to complete this work integrated learning:, he/she will not be awarded the
qualification, even though all the academic subjects have been passed.

Work Integrated Learning is usually monitored by means of a log-book and mentor system.

E.3 PLACEMENT OF STUDENTS

In certain cases the academic staff in the School of Engineering will endeavor to facilitate certain placements.

E.4 STUDENT VISITS

A Unisa representative will visit the student and his/her mentor occasionally on a need-to basis.

F Requirements for information technology related study units

Computer facilities are prerequisites for students enrolling for any of the Information Technology related study units. Students must have access
to computer facilities or have their own computer with the specific software they will require.

Use the following as a guideline to ensure that you have the minimum computer configuration (or higher):

A personal computer where the following configuration can be used as a guideline for the minimum required for most modules. Some modules
have higher requirements and in those cases the requirements will be made available in the first tutorial letter or under module information on
MyUnisa.

Configuration:
PC with a Pentium 233(500) MHz or higher processor
Windows XP (with SP2) or a later version.
512 MB of RAM or higher
80 GB hard-disk space
A CD-ROM (or DVD) drive
VGA or higher graphics (1024 X 768 resolution).
A printer that can print both text and graphics (minimum A4 paper size)
Flash drive or memory stick for your own data

2. National Instructional Programmes: Engineering

2.a Medium of instruction

PLEASE NOTE: The examination papers for most of the study units will be available in English only. This will apply to those study units where the
course material and tutorial letters are available in English only.

2.b Availability of study units

Study units marked with an asterisk (*) or a question mark (?) are currently being developed and were not available when this calendar went to
press. However, the study material may become available during the year. Students are therefore requested to enquire about the availability, should
such a subject be required.

2.c Requirements for Information Technology related study units

Computer facilities are prerequisites for students enrolling for any of the Information Technology related study units. Students must have access
to computer facilities or have their own computer with the specific software they will require.

Use the following as a guideline to ensure that you have the minimum computer configuration (or higher):
 an IBMTM compatible machine using a Windows 2000/NT/XP operating system.
20GB harddisk drive
128MB RAM
Colour SVGA screen with 4MB controller
A mouse
Stiffy drive
CD-ROM drive (54 speed)/ DVD drive
Printer (Deskjet or Laser Printer)
Access to e-mail facilities and occasional Internet accesses on first year level
Access to e-mail and Internet facilities on higher levels

NB
Please note that less than the mentioned minimum configuration will not be sufficient.

2.d Advice to students

The number of study units for which a student may register at any one time obviously depends on the amount of study time available and the
ability of the student. As a general rule students should allow themselves a minimum of one hour of study time per day per subject (over 5 days). This
figure should then be kept in mind when selecting the number of study units.

Students are advised to check the following at the time of registration:

A student may register for a maximum of six modules per semester.

A ‘Y’ after the module name means that it is a year module.
A ‘S’ after the module name means that such a module is offered over a period of a semester (6 months). Such a module will be offered during
both the 1st and 2nd semesters of 2010. Two registration periods therefore exist for such a module, before the first semester commences or
in the middle of the year before the 2nd semester commences.

2.6 National Diploma: Engineering: Civil

(Programme code: NDECI)

2.6.1 Admission requirements

See Admission requirements for the School of Engineering.

2.6.2 Aim of diploma

To train a Civil Engineering Technician with sufficient academic knowledge and practical experience to plan, design, construct and manage projects
in the Civil Engineering field.

2.6.3 Career opportunities

Civil engineering provides career opportunities in the fields of Transportation, Water, Structural, Geotechnical, Construction Management, Urban
and Environmental engineering.

2.6.4 Curriculum
TRANSITIONAL ARRANGEMENTS

Old module code in 2009 and New module code from 2010
before onwards
MAT181Q MAT1581
CPK151V/CPK1PRA EUP1501
KVH171H ENN103F
MAT291X MAT2691
AMC141R/AMC1PRA PHY1015/AMC1PRA

CURRICULUM

This curriculum comprises 27 compulsory modules:

PART 1

CODE PREREQUISITE / NOTES

1. MAT1581 Mathematics I
2. SRV121Q Surveying I (Theory) See Note 2
SRV1PRA Surveying I (Practical) See Note 3
3. DRW111X Drawing I See Note 1
4. ENN103F English for academic
purposes
5. PHY1015 Elementary Mechanics
AMC1PRA Applied Mechanics I
(Practical) See Note 3
6. EUP1501 End-user computing
(Practical)

PART 2

CODE PREREQUISITE / NOTES

7. CMT101C Construction Materials I
(Theory)
CMT1PRA Construction Materials I See Note 3
(Practical)
8. MAT2691 Mathematics II MAT1581 (Mathematics I)
9. CMD101C Construction Methods I
10. MCL191S Management: Civil I
11. DRW221Y Drawing II DRW111X
12. TST271Z Theory of Structures II PHY1015 and AMC1PRA
(Theory)
TST2PRA Theory of Structures II See Note 3
(Practical)
13. SRC211Q Surveying: Civil II SRV121Q, SRV1PRA
(Theory) See Note 2
SRC2PRA Surveying: Civil II See Note 3
(Practical)

PART 3

CODE PREREQUISITE / NOTES

14. MCL221S Management: Civil II MCL191S
15. SAN271Z Structural Analysis II TST271Z
16. TPE211C Transportation Co-requisite: SRC211Q,
Engineering II (Theory) SRC2PRA
TPE2PJT Transportation See Note 1
Engineering II (Project) See Note 4
17. WEN221R Water Engineering II PHY1051 or AMC141R and
(Theory) AMC1PRA
WEN2PRA Water Engineering II
(Practical)
18. GTE281Q Geotechnical Engineering
II (Theory)
GTE2PRA Geotechnical Engineering See Note 3
II (Practical)
19. RCD301C Reinforced Concrete SAN271Z
and Masonry Design III
(Theory)
RCD3PJT Reinforced Concrete See Note 4
and Masonry Design III
(Project)
20. Work Integrated Learning: All study units in parts 1
PEC201C Engineering Practice: and 2
Civil II See Note 5

PART 4
 CODE PREREQUISITE / NOTES
21. DCM371Y Documentation III
(Theory)
DCM3PJT Documentation III
(Practical)
22. SAN341H Structural Analysis III SAN271Z
23. SSD301C Structural Steel and SAN271Z
SSD3PJT Timber Design III
(Theory)
Structural Steel and See Note 4
Timber Design III
(Project)
24. TPE381V Transportation TPE211C, TPE2PJT
Engineering III (Theory)
TPE3PRA Transportation See Note 3
Engineering III (Practical)
25. WEN361F Water Engineering III WEN221R, WEN2PRA
(Theory)
WEN3PRA Water Engineering III See Note 3
(Practical) See Note 4
WEN3PJT Water Engineering III
(Project)
26. GTE331Q Geotechnical Engineering GTE281Q, GTE2PRA
III (Theory)
GTE3PRA Geotechnical Engineering See Note 3
III (Practical)
27. PEC301C Work Integrated Learning: All study units in parts 1,
Engineering Practice: 2 and 3
Civil III See Note 5

NOTES:

1. COMPUTER PRACTICAL STUDY UNITS

Both modules must be completed to obtain credit for this course.

Modules can be completed concurrently or in different years.
Access to a personal computer is compulsory for the Practical.
See Calendar Part 2 for detailed instruction on the Practical.

2. SURVEYING CIVIL I (PRACTICAL)

Students must register simultaneously for both Surveying I (Theory) SRV121Q and Surveying I (Practical) SRV1PRA. Owing to the logistical
constraints in presenting the practical workshop, the maximum number of students that may register for Surveying I in any year is capped at
360 students. Therefore, first choice to admittance will be given to those students who enrol for a minimum of two (2) subjects simultaneously at
National Diploma level. The week-long practical workshop for Surveying I (Practical) is presented in conjunction with the Tshwane University of
Technology (TUT) at their Toppieshoek facility near Hartebeespoort Dam in Gauteng. Attendance is compulsory and an attendance fee is directly
payable to TUT since students must stay on the premises for the week. Additional fees will be required when registering for the workshop practical
at TUT. For further information contact the Call Centre.

3. PRACTICAL STUDY UNITS

The students must register for the practicals and the theory components simultaneously unless a credit for any component has been approved by
Unisa. Both the practical component and the theory component must be passed to obtain full credit for the study unit. AMCIPRA should be taken
simultaneously with PHY1501 or after PHY1501 has been passed.

4. PROJECT STUDY UNITS

The students must register for the project and the theory components simultaneously unless a credit for any component has been approved by
Unisa. Both the project component and the theory component must be passed to obtain full credit for the study unit.

5 WORK INTEGRATED LEARNING: ENGINEERING: CIVIL

It is required that students wishing to enrol for Engineering Practice: Civil II – PEC201C must have completed all study units in Parts 1 and 2. A
minimum of 4 subjects from Part 3 have to be registered simultaneously with PEC201C. If less subjects are outstanding, then the balance must be
selected from Part 4.

Engineering Practice: Civil II – PEC201C will be assessed once the student has completed Part 3. Students enrolling for Engineering Practice: Civil
III – PEC301C must have completed all study units for Parts 1, 2 and 3.

In case a student has completed Parts 1, 2 and 3 he/she may enrol simultaneously for both PEC201C and PEC301C. Engineering Practice: Civil III –
PEC301C will be submitted for assessment once the student has completed study units in Part 4. Students enrolling for Engineering Practice: Civil
III – PEC301C should have completed all study units for Parts 1, 2 and 3.
Suggested work integrated learning (WIL) curricula

For a student to be considered as having met the minimum requirements to have passed the Work Integrated Learning courses, they are required
to have obtained formal practical experience in a Civil Engineering related work environment for a period of at least twelve months.
The training programme will be agreed to by the student and his mentor at the beginning of the work integrated learning: period. The work
integrated learning programme must include the following four practical experience phases as required by the Engineering Council of South Africa
(ECSA):

(a) Planning experience

(b) Design experience
(c) Contracts experience
(d) Construction experience

A minimum of six months work integrated learning for Engineering Practice: Civil II and a minimum of six months work integrated learning for
Engineering Practice: Civil III under the supervision of a qualified supervisor in the four practical experience fields. All work must be certified by
a mentor, who must be a professional engineer, registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA). In exceptional cases a student
may apply to gain experience under a non-registered mentor; however, proof of competence to carry out the mentoring must accompany the
application.

The Training Plan should aim to distribute the time evenly among the four practical experience fields.

The following four practisal experience phase must be done as follows:

For Engineering Practice: Civil II (PEC201C)
Planning stage of a project
Construction stage of a project
For Engineering Practice: Civil III (PEC301C)
Design stage of a project
Contracting stage of project

Prior work experience will count towards the Work Integrated Learning. One should not repeat the prerequisite experience that has been gained
previously. However, a portfolio of evidence (POE) needs to be submitted in a form of required reports in accordance with the study guide for a
specific engineering Practice (i.e. Civil II and Civil III).

6 DURATION OF COURSE

More than three years may be required. The national diploma will be awarded after all the prescribed study units have been passed and the work
integrated training has been completed successfully.

7 NOTE

In the event of prerequisite subject results being delayed in formalisation, permission can be obtained from the department for provisional
registration.