Liberal Arts and Science (Honours)
Bachelor
Overview
The honours year after the Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Science is a widely recognised and highly regarded additional year of undergraduate study available to you after you complete your undergraduate course.
Extend your knowledge of your undergraduate degree with a stand-alone Honours year in your subject area expertise. This course is available to students who have already completed their studies in this study area.
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 or arts is not only well regarded in academia, but also in industry where laboratory experience and/or a command of complex thought processes are highly sought after.
Honours can be undertaken in any area of science or arts, usually in the subject area in which you completed most of your studies. It 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 or arts (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.
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). The postgraduate research programs offered by the faculty attract a large number of domestic and international students each year.
Structure
What you'll study
Honours projects
For further details about honours and who to contact for more information, please visit the Science honours page.
Typical workload and assessment
Generally, the honours year after the Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Science consists of the following three components, however there may be variations to this, depending on the school or discipline area in which you complete honours: a supervised but independent research program, additional courses in experimental design/technical training, and some coursework units of study (classes).
Honours awards and classes
(1) The Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science (Advanced), Bachelor of Science (Advanced Mathematics) and Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Science are awarded as either Pass or Honours. The honours degree is awarded in classes ranging from First Class to Third Class according to the rules specified in the Resolutions of the Faculty of Science.
(2) Candidates for the award of the Honours degree who do not meet the requirements, and who have not already graduated, will be awarded the pass degree merited.
Ethics and honours research
As a general principle, any research involving human or animal subjects requires Ethics Committee approval, including, but not limited to, projects involving the following kinds of methodologies:
1. questionnaires
2. surveys or interviews (including oral history)
3. telephone interviewing
4. recording by audio or video tape
5. observations of behaviour (including ethnographic fieldwork)
6. experiments involving animals or animal tissue
Please note that a key part of the approval process involves ensuring that the University complies with its duty of care to students. Safety protocols must be prepared for all students conducting any research off-campus, whether in Australia or overseas.
Applying for ethics clearance
Please consult the Faculty of Science for advice about ethics clearance applications.
Closing dates for ethics applications
Please consult the Faculty of Science, or the school/department through which you are undertaking honours, for advice about closing dates for ethics clearance applications.
Postgraduate research at the University
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). The postgraduate research programs offered by the faculty attract a large number of domestic and international students each year.
Costs
Tuition
HK$260,404.88
(international)
Funding
Admissions
Qualifications
Admission requirements will vary, depending on whether you intend to undertake honours in the Faculty of Science, or in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
To qualify for admission to the Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Science (Honours), you must:
- Have qualified for or be a graduate with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Science from the University of Sydney or equivalent qualification from another tertiary institution;
- Have completed a relevant major relating to the intended Honours discipline;
For Science Honours:
- Have achieved a Weighted Average Mark (WAM) of at least 65.00 or have a credit average (65.00) in 48 credit points of relevant* 2000-level and 3000-level units of study; or (for Honours in the Arts Area) Have achieved an average of 70 or higher across the major; and
- Satisfy any additional criteria set by the relevant Head of School or Discipline or Department.
For Arts and Social Sciences Honours:
- Have achieved an average of 70 or higher across the major; and
- completed the prerequisites, including advanced senior units of study, as outlined in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Undergraduate Handbook.
The University's Coursework Rule requires Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Science (Honours) students to complete their Honours program within 10 years of the commencement of their original qualifying Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Science degree (or equivalent). As such, if your original Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Science degree (or equivalent) was commenced more than 10 years ago or close to 10 years ago, you may be ineligible for admission.
Applicants whose original Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Science degree (or equivalent) 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 (Honours). The Admissions Office will consult and confer with the relevant contacts in the Faculty of Science and the relevant School as appropriate.
For Science Honours:
Please note that, in some Schools and Disciplines, the minimum WAM requirement is higher than 65.00, particularly where entry is very competitive. For example, a minimum WAM of 75.00 is generally required for entry into Honours in Psychology.
* 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.
Language requirements
IELTS
6.5
A minimum result of 6.5 overall and a minimum result of 6.0 in each band