What is an Honours Degree?

If you are doing, or have done, particularly well in your Bachelor degree, you should consider an Honours degree. This normally involves one additional year of study following the successful completion of a three-year undergraduate degree.

Students in some four-year degrees (eg, Bachelor of Engineering) who take relevant subjects will be automatically assessed for Honours, without needing to complete an additional year of study. 

Advantages of an Honours degree

There are many good reasons to spend a year researching a particular question in depth. Undergraduate classes have introduced you to a wide range of topics and problems, and an Honours project enables you to explore one in much greater depth.  Honours research topics are various and negotiable – if you are really interested in a topic and want to find answers, you’ll be encouraged and supported.

From a potential employer’s perspective, whatever your topic, it looks very good to have demonstrated ability in achieving a complex goal, meeting deadlines, investigating independently, using resources effectively and writing coherently. 

If you are considering Honours the faculty-based Honours pages will help you find the right people to talk to, as well as specific information about contacts and enrolment into Honours in your discipline. Discuss your ideas for a project with a potential supervisor, so they can advise you, offer topic suggestions, or help you formulate a specific research question. Read some examples of Honours theses in your discipline, to get an idea of the scope and range of projects possible.

Last reviewed: 21 November, 2008