Bachelor
The honours year in Science is a widely recognised and highly regarded additional year of undergraduate study available to you after you complete your undergraduate course.
The honours year in Science is a widely recognised and highly regarded additional year of undergraduate study available to you after you complete your undergraduate course. It's a unique opportunity for you to explore your research potential and put the theory from your undergraduate studies into practice. An honours qualification in science is not only well regarded in academia, but also in industry where laboratory experience and a command of scientific thought processes are highly sought after.
Honours can be undertaken in any area of Science, and involves designing a research program in your chosen area of interest in consultation with one or more supervisors. Your research program may include components in more than one area of science (eg. physiology and biology) and depending on the nature of your project you may also have to undertake some courses in experimental design or complete technical training to use a particular piece of equipment.
More information about Honours in Science.
The Faculty of Science has an outstanding reputation for the quality of its postgraduate research programs across a wide range of science disciplines. With significant levels of funding from various research councils and bodies, and the provision of major research facilities, the faculty is committed to providing leading education and research training to its students.
There are a range of research programs available, depending on which stage you are at in your academic career. Whether at the doctoral or masters level, you undertake self-directed, supervised research in your specialised area of science, and produce a thesis considered to be a substantially original contribution to the subject concerned. The honours year in science provides a research training pathway to our higher research degrees, the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and Master of Science (MSc).
Admission requirements
To qualify for admission to the Bachelor of Science (Advanced) (Honours), you must:
The University's Coursework Rule requires Bachelor of Science (Advanced) (Honours) students to complete their Honours program within 10 years of the commencement of their original qualifying Bachelor of Science (Advanced) degree. As such, if your original Bachelor of Science (Advanced) degree was commenced more than 10 years ago or close to 10 years ago, you may be ineligible for admission.
Applicants whose original Bachelor of Science (Advanced) degree was commenced more than 10 years ago or close to 10 years ago are strongly recommended to seek advice from the Admissions Office prior to submitting an application for Bachelor of Science (Advanced) (Honours). The Admissions Office will consult and confer with the relevant contacts in the Faculty of Science and the relevant School as appropriate.
Please note that, in some School and Disciplines, the minimum SCIWAM requirements is higher than 65.00, particularly where entry is very competitive. For example, a minimum of SCIWAM of 75 is generally required for entry into Honours in Psychology.
* SCIWAM is the average over all second and third year units attempted. For more information please consult the current Faculty of Science Handbook and visit the SCIWAM Calculator.
**Relevant units of study must be nominated by the School or Discipline and must be accompanied by strong written support from the School or Discipline.
Willingness of a member of academic staff to act as your supervisor does not guarantee entry into Honours. However, admission into Honours is subject to an appropriate supervisor and project being available.
Students who are not admitted to the Science Honours program may alternatively consider the Graduate Diploma in Science. The Graduate Diploma in Science is offered as either a one-year full-time or a two-year part-time course with similar content, structure and assessment as the Science Honours year. The Graduate Diploma in Science is a full fee-paying postgraduate coursework program.