3936 - Honours degree of Bachelor of Arts

Honours is a prestigious program comprising a fourth year of specialised coursework and research which follows the completion of the normal requirements of the Bachelor of Arts pass degree. Students choose a topic and undertake research working with a supervisor who provides individual guidance and academic counselling. Honours has also traditionally prepared the way for academic or higher research career choices.

Students must have:

• completed a degree, with a major (48 points or the equivalent) in the intended honours dicipline
• obtained at least a distinction average (70 per cent) in the honours discipline(s) to the value of 24 points at second and third year level, of which at least 18 points must be at third year level.

Please refer to the various school/disciplines for any special requirements.

Students qualified to enter an honours program must normally do so within five years of the date on which they completed their undergraduate studies.

Upon completion of the Honours program, students will have extended their undergraduate knowledge and built upon their skills in the areas of specialised research, critical analysis, and industry application and engagement.

Students complete 48 points, including a thesis.

Areas of study

• Communication
• Writing
• International studies

Honours studies may be taken as single honours (a single discipline over one year of full-time study), double honours (two disciplines over two years of full-time study) or combined honours (two disciplines over one year of full-time study).

Contact the honours coordinator from the relevant school for discipline specific requirements.

Combined honours

Combined honours may be undertaken, provided that all honours requirements have been met in both disciplines. Application to undertake combined honours must be made with the support of the school honours coordinators of both disciplines. Combined honours normally take the form of a joint dissertation (50 per cent in each discipline) alongside coursework chosen from the two component disciplines.

Students must complete the following core units:

• COM400H(A) Dissertation part 1 (12 points)
• COM400H(B) Dissertation part 2 (12 points)
• COM4010(H) Research issues and methodology (12 points)
• COM4020(H) Industry practice applied (12 points) or COM4030(H) Contemporary media and communications theory (12 points)

The honours degree of Bachelor of Arts

* Where more than one award is listed, or in the case of double degrees, where more than one award is listed for one or both components of the double degree, the actual award/s conferred may depend on units/majors/streams/specialisations studied, the level of academic merit achieved (eg in the case of 'with honours' programs), or other factors relevant to the individual student's program of study.