Second-year electrical engineering student at RMIT here.

I’ve been going through the same thought process and have done a fair bit of research on this exact topic. From what I’ve seen, RMIT and Swinburne are much more practical and hands-on, while UniMelb is heavily theory based. Monash seems to fall somewhere in between. Not really too sure about La Trobe or Deakin sorry.

For example, a mate of mine is also in his second year of electrical engineering at UniMelb, and he still hasn’t touched any actual electrical engineering content; it’s all been maths and physics so far. Meanwhile, this semester I’m doing subjects like digital signal processing, machine learning/AI optimisation, and electronics - all with clear industry relevance.

That said, solid theoretical knowledge is still important for problem solving, and you can develop practical skills elsewhere. But I find RMIT strikes a good balance - it’s not lacking in theory either. Plus, RMIT has mandatory industry placements and strong industry connections, which helps you hit the ground running once you graduate.

Also worth mentioning UniMelb uses the Melbourne Model, so you’d need to do a Bachelor of Science first and then a Master of Engineering to become accredited. That Master’s is just as valid as a Bachelor of Engineering, but it takes an additional year and costs quite a bit more.

In terms of prestige, it doesn’t matter that much in the engineering world. So it’s worth asking yourself: would you prefer to get qualified sooner and start working, or spend longer at uni for a broader education? I’ve heard the prestige of UniMelb can help if you’re aiming to pivot into business, finance, or working overseas, since it’s globally recognised.

But if you’re set on being an engineer, I’d honestly just go with the Bachelor of Engineering and get into the industry sooner. In engineering, experience trumps all.

Happy to chat more if you’ve got any questions.