University of Western Australia (UWA) 1913 to ----

There are a number of books that describe the history of the University of Western Australia. These are:

#	Alexander, Fred, Campus at Crawley – a narrative and critical appreciation of the first fifty years of the University of Western Australia, F. W. Cheshire for The University of Western Australia Press, Nedlands, 1963.
	Fraenkel, Poul H., Shenton’s Villa : reminiscences from the School of Mining and Engineering of the University of Western Australia, Institution of Engineers, Australia. Western Australia, 1930s.
#	Gregory, Jenny, Seeking Wisdom – A centenary history of the University of Western Australia, UWA Publishing, Crawley, 2013.
#	Shervington, Christine, University Voices – Traces from the Past, University of Western Australia, Perth, 1987. Readers are particularly referred to pp. 52 54 which describes disruption to graduation ceremonies).

References to the Engineering Faculty are included in these books.

Historically engineering was a five year course. During World War Two students were required to complete a shortened four year course before being awarded a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and release to the war effort. During 1946 many of these graduates returned and completed a fifth year of study. On completion of the fifth year they were awarded the degree of Bachelor of Engineering.

Course content at UWA has varied over the years and as an example of a five year course in the 1950s, we have an image of the academic record for Ernie Evans. These five year courses usually included a six month period of workplace experience accommodated by an extended break between the fourth and fifth year of studies. When the Institution of Engineers Australia decided to standardise on a four year course for admission as a graduate member, the Engineering Faculty at UWA transitioned from five to four years in the 1960s. Students who started in February 1963 and completed their studies in November 1967 were the last to complete five years. By no longer requiring the extended workplace experience, students who started in February 1964 were able to complete their studies in four and a half years and finished in June 1968. For students who started in February 1965, there was a reduction in the curriculum such that they could complete their studies in four years and they finished in November 1968. Since the late 1960s, all Bachelor of Engineering students are required to successfully complete four years of study.

Prominent engineers associated with UWA are Dr William Hancock and Professor Hubert Edwin Whitfeld. There is a stained glass window dedicated to Dr Hancock in the entry lobby to Winthrop Hall. The area between Winthrop Hall and Stirling Highway is called Whitfeld Court. Whitfeld was the first part time Vice Chancellor from 1913 1915 and from 1925 1927 and the first full time Vice Chancellor from 1927 1939.

A number engineers have been members of the University Senate and in particular Don Aitken was Chancellor from 1981 to 1990 and Ken Michael from 2001 to 2005.

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University is not all study and exams and a feature of a UWA's engineering student's experience is membership of the University Engineers Club (UEC). A brief item on the history of the UEC titled 50 Years a Club was written by Chris Fitzhardinge (Civil fourth year 1971) and published in the 1970 Non Loqui.

Annual editions of Non Loqui were published from 1946 through to 1976 and copies are available at the UWA Reid Library (Special Collections) and at the SLWA (Stack 620.58 NON). A number of the Non Loqui have been scanned and copies from 1963 to 1969 inclusive are available from the following links:
1963 Non Loqui (9.4 MB);
1964 Non Loqui (9.1 MB);
1965 Non Loqui (8.5 MB);
1966 Non Loqui (9.4 MB);
1967 Non Loqui (11.5 MB);
1968 Non Loqui (9.8 MB);
1969 Non Loqui (7.6 MB);
1970 Non Loqui (1.4 MB);
1971 Non Loqui (8.0 MB);
1972 Non Loqui (1.7 MB);
Also available is the 95th Anniversary Special Edition Torque (9.1 MB) published by the University Engineers Club in 2016.

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References:
Making a Pond, The West Australian 30 March 1932, p. 12.
Engineering School, The West Australian 30 March 1935, p. 22.

Footnotes: