Undergraduate - Course3514 - Honours degree of Bachelor of Behavioural Neuroscience

The honours program in behavioural neuroscience is designed to build upon the knowledge and experience gained during completion of course 2341 Bachelor of Behavioural Neuroscience. This program provides the opportunity for research training in specialised areas relevant to behavioural neuroscience and will help students acquire sophisticated and transferable research skills. Students may undertake this honours course in the discipline of behavioural neuroscience or in a second approved discipline in which they have majored as part of their Bachelor of Behavioural Neuroscience degree.

Upon completion of this course, students will have:

• acquired research experience using scientific principles, concepts and skills in an area of behavioural neuroscience
• gained a research oriented approach to answering questions relevant to behavioural neuroscience in preparation for a professional career in a related field and/or further studies (masters or PhD)
• formulated, carried out and reported independent and original research
• acquired hands-on experience with research design, statistical analysis, critical review of literature, report writing and oral presentations.

To be eligible for entry into the honours program, students must have achieved a distinction average or better in the four core third-year behavioural neuroscience units in the Bachelor of Behavioural Neuroscience. Special consideration will be taken into account if it was granted for study in these units.

Students who have completed their second major in the discipline of psychology may be eligible to complete their Honours Degree of Bachelor of Behavioural Neuroscience in the psychology stream. Completion of a fourth year in psychology is mandatory for students intending to gain registration as a practicing psychologist. To be eligible for entry into the psychology honours stream, students must have successfully completed the appropriate undergraduate accredited sequence in psychology (see course entry for Psychology Honours).

Students who have majored in another biomedical science discipline may be eligible to obtain an Honours degree in the Bachelor of Behavioural Neuroscience by successfully undertaking honours in one of the following:

• anatomy and developmental biology
• biochemistry
• genetics
• immunology
• pharmacology
• physiology.

In order to be considered for fourth year entry into one of these disciplines, students must meet the prescribed selection criteria for the respective honours program. These criteria are described in the Handbook entry for the honours program for each of these disciplines. Regardless of the stream/discipline in which the honours year is completed, students are required to undertake a research project on a topic that is relevant to behavioural neuroscience.

The honours program structure is dependent on the discipline in which the student completed their undergraduate studies:

(a.) Students who enrol to do honours in behavioural neuroscience in the School of Psychology and Psychiatry complete a research design and analysis unit as well as a unit comprising one large or two smaller research projects and a literature review.

(b.) Students who enrol to do honours in the discipline of psychology in the School of Psychology and Psychiatry complete the coursework components as well as a supervised research project which forms the basis for a literature review and thesis.

(c.) Students who specialise in the disciplines of physiology, anatomy and developmental biology, biochemistry, genetics, pharmacology or immunology complete a 36 point research project and 12 credit points of advanced studies, as prescribed for that discipline.

Students enrolled in the behavioural neuroscience honours program complete the following units:

• BNS4100 Behavioural neuroscience honours: Research project (42 points)
• BNS4200 Behavioural neuroscience honours: Research design and analysis (6 points)

Students completing honours in other disciplines must complete the prescribed units for that discipline.

Honours degree of Bachelor of Behavioural Neuroscience