Science, Technology and Engineering

I've found the course at La Trobe to be challenging and interesting, and good preparation for a career in the IT industry. I've also had the opportunity to complete an industry cadetship program organized by the Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering with the Bureau of Meteorology. This has led to an offer of a full-time position with the Bureau at the end of my course.
Scott Anderson
Bachelor of Computer Science

I studied Computer Science at Latrobe. The course taught me a variety of areas of IT, from Multimedia Technology to Network Protocols. For someone like myself, who was unsure of what area I felt I should specialize in, the course gave me good flexibility in choosing subjects in which I was interested, rather than being forced down a single stream. The theory that I have learnt from those subjects can easily be applied again and again when using different platforms and languages. I have found that the third year project was extremely important as it taught me to work in as close to an industry environment as possible – in a team.
Overall, La trobe was the best experience of my life. It has provided me not only with a great job and education, but more importantly, wonderful memories and fantastic friends, who I now consider best friends.
Mark Stewart
Bachelor of Computer Science
Deloitte Consulting

I have recently completed the Bachelor of Computer Science (Hons)/Bachelor of Electronic Engineering double degree, specialising in Networking and Communications Engineering. Coming to La Trobe is undoubtedly a great career move. The teaching staff are exceptional, both in the quality of teaching and the support they give students.
I particularly enjoyed the peaceful surroundings that allow you to relax when things get hectic throughout the year. The facilities available to students are first class, and are available 24 hours a day which is a great help when it comes down to finishing off a project on the weekend. I was headhunted by the Aspect Computing as soon as I completed my studies and currently working with Telstra.
Karol Szwed
Bachelor of Computer Science (Honours)/ Bachelor of Electronic Engineering
Telstra

The university life and Games Technology course offered at La Trobe is great. The course caters for those who have a keen interest in computer and video games and in no time at all it is possible to see what you have created come to life.
Brendan Scott
Bachelor of Computer Science majoring in Games Technology

I completed the Bachelor of Computer Science degree in 2003 and am now currently pursuing my honours year. Before beginning my course, I was awarded a departmental scholarship. In first year, I gained entrance into the Golden Key Honours Society and for each year of my course, I was awarded a place on the Dean's Honours List. After completing my degree, I was awarded the Alumni Association prize, the Australian Computer Society (Victoria Branch) Award in Computer Science and the Department Prize in Computer Science. After applying to several graduate positions, I earned one of four places in the Telstra Graduate Program.
All the aforementioned prizes and achievements would not have been possible without the outstanding course available at La Trobe University. During my course, I acquired a broad range of skills which are relevant within the professional workforce. I received support by the highly qualified teaching staff that the university has to offer and was made to feel comfortable when asking questions. The range of subjects available allows one to specialise in the exact field they are interested in, whist ensuring that the foundations of all aspects of Computer Science are understood. If one chooses to continue with honours, the department offers many innovative and exciting thesis topics to choose from and also allows the student to create their own, given adequate supervision. The advanced topic subjects in the honours year are taught by industry professionals which prove invaluable as they give students a direct view of the workforce.
Fotis Gimian
Bachelor of Computer Science
Telstra

The Bioinformatics/Science degree offered at La Trobe University is very flexible. It allows a student to specialize in a combination of fields – IT, Biochemistry, Genetics or Mathematics. Overall the course is quite challenging and interesting.
Currently I am studying my honours year. My project topic is pattern recognition in DNA (promoter) sequences using neural networks. I believe my topic is an invaluable opportunity to start my career in Bioinformatics.
Also the facilities and support available at La Trobe are great, especially the 24 hour access to the labs.
Nermin Celik
Bachelor of Bioinformatics/Bachelor of Science (Honours)

I have completed the Bachelor of Information Systems/Bachelor of Business and currently doing Masters by research. The high level of expertise of academic and technical staff within the Department of Computer Science and Computer Engineering has enabled me to achieve my highest potential, being offered an invitation to Golden Key Honour Society in my first year of study. The degree emphasises both individual and team based projects allowing for different working environments. The highlight of my study was to achieve one of the best software engineering projects which involved building a web based application in a group of six members. I have accepted an Australian Postgraduate Industry scholarship to undertake a Masters Degree in the area of Web technology. Due to the highly skilled academics and technical staff in the department I have been awarded the ‘Australian Computer Society Outstanding Student Award' and the ‘Australian Computer Society (Victorian Branch) Outstanding Student' award for best final year student in my degree. I have also had the opportunity of being the Fourth Year Honours and Postgraduate Student Representative.
Behzad Kateli
Master of Science by Research

I chose the Cognitive Science/Computer Science double degree because of the diversity it offered. In the degree I have had the opportunity to study subjects as diverse as linguistics, psychology, computer science, neuroscience, maths, philosophy and Spanish. The degree really does provide a fascinating combination and I often find that my skills in one discipline compliment and extend those in another. My computer studies, for example, have provided logical and problem solving skills which can be applied to almost any problem domain. On the other hand, the study of Psychology helps to give a greater appreciation of human factors when designing software. Highlights of the course for me have been the software engineering project, where we were able to present our final system before industry representatives, the multidisciplinary subject 'Topics in Cognitive Science' and the third year psychology research project which provides a great 'hands on' experience. I would recommend the degree to anyone who feels comfortable with computers but also enjoys the challenge of learning and thinking broadly.
Niall Gregory Ridge
Bachelor of Cognitive Science/Bachelor of Computer Science

My 4 years at La Trobe was a fantastic learning experience. From meeting life long friends to having a terrific social life on and off campus, I also got a degree as part of the process - not without a lot of hard work however! Since graduating I have worked as an IT consultant for various companies and government agencies in Australia and in the UK and authored technical book. Currently I work for an investment bank in London as an Internet/Web Consultant.
Matthew Gillard
Bachelor of Computer Systems Engineering
Investment Bank, United Kingdom

While at high school I was aware that there were many different areas of computing, but what made me focus on a degree combining both computer science and electronic engineering was how well they compliment each other. When applying for a place at university, La Trobe courses were listed as my top 4 preferences. I was and still am very impressed with the quality of the course, industry collaboration, the focus on industry-accredited projects, the lifestyle and environment.
One of the most important aspects of my undergraduate course was that it focused on making people more employable by providing many opportunities to develop communication, research, practical and team working skills.
I completed my undergraduate course last year and immediately found employment as a graduate engineer with Vision Systems Limited. While working for Vision Systems, I decided to pursue a postgraduate qualification by research at La Trobe. Because of La Trobe's commitment to encouraging industry collaboration and research, I was able to arrange to undertake a research topic that was of interest to my employer. Thus, currently I am doing my Master of Engineering by research, while working part time as an engineer. La Trobe is flexible enough to allow me to develop both academically and professionally.
Vela Georgiev,
Graduate of Bachelor of Computer Science / Bachelor of Electronic Engineering
Vision Systems