ENE4042 Environmental impact and risk assessment
Faculty of Engineering
ENE4042 Environmental impact and risk assessment is a level 4, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Engineering, offered in 2026 in Semester 1 at Clayton. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2026
- Semester 1
- Clayton
- Assessment
- No exam
- 6 tasks
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2026 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
Reviews
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Requisites
Before ENE4042
Prohibitions
You can't enrol if you have passed any of these.
After ENE4042
No unit lists ENE4042 as a prerequisite in the 2026 handbook.
Enrolment rules
Prerequisites: Completion of 96 credit points in engineering study or with permission
Equivalent units
The same content under another code. Only one of them counts.
Overview
This unit aims to develop an understanding of the role and basis for environmental impact assessment (EIA), environmental risk assessment (ERA) and environmental management systems (EMS). The unit focuses on the processes involved in producing a comprehensive approach to identifying, assessing and planning management processes, with a particular emphasis on synthesising technical, regulatory and community issues. The unit aims to encourage you to integrate your existing knowledge in environmental engineering, applying it to real projects. Through lectures, practice classes, individual assignments and group project work, you should develop skills and knowledge in preparing major EIA, ERA and EMS reports, your presentation and communication as well as your engineering context.
Offerings in 2026
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| First semester | Clayton | On campus |
Assessment
- Daily risk assessmentPortfolioThreshold hurdle5%
- Environmental policy for projectProjectThreshold hurdle8%
- First version of EIS/ERS/EMSProjectThreshold hurdle10%
- Final version of EIS/EMSProjectThreshold hurdle15%
- Weekly activities and quizzesProjectThreshold hurdle12%
- Final assessmentQuiz / TestThreshold hurdle50%
Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
describe the concepts of EIA, ERA and EMS
- 2
determine the role of these assessments and management systems in society, especially the relevant environmental legislation, policies, codes of practice and local/international standards
- 3
comprehend the government, industry and community perspectives on engineering projects
- 4
apply key concepts of life cycle analysis, environmental auditing, waste prevention, cleaner production, community consultation, and economic analysis in engineering projects
- 5
assess various types of environmental impact assessment, risk evaluation and environmental management system methodologies
- 6
prepare and present a group project based on the knowledge derived in EIA/ERA and EMS.
Workload and teaching
- Workshops24 hours
- Practical activities24 hours
- Teaching approachActive learning
The minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of 3-6 hours of scheduled learning activities and 6-9 hours of independent study per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher-directed learning, peer-directed learning and online engagement. Independent study may include associated readings, assessment and preparation for scheduled activities.
Where it fits
ENE4042 is part of 5 areas of study in the 2026 handbook.
- CHEMENG04Chemical engineering technical electivesChemical engineeringNo reviews yet
- ENVIRENG03Part C. Environmental engineering knowledge and applicationEnvironmental engineeringNo reviews yet
- ENVENMNR02Studying chemical engineering specialisationEnvironmental engineering No reviews yet
- SUSENMNR03Elective unitsSustainable engineeringNo reviews yet
- TRNSPMNR02Studying an engineering specialisationTransportNo reviews yet
Contacts
- Chief Examiners
- Professor Victor Chang
- Unit Coordinators
- Professor Victor Chang
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for ENE4042?
ENE4042 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is ENE4042 offered?
In 2026, ENE4042 runs in Semester 1 at Clayton.
How much work is ENE4042?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does ENE4042 have an exam?
No. ENE4042 has 6 assessment tasks and no exam.
Which majors and minors include ENE4042?
ENE4042 is part of Chemical engineering, Environmental engineering, Environmental engineering , Sustainable engineering and Transport.