Faculty of Arts : Guide to courses

14. Bachelor of Arts (Honours)

Table of Contents

 14. Bachelor of Arts (Honours)

The BA(Hons) degree is a more advanced and specialised course of study requiring a higher standard of performance than for the pass degree. It involves one additional year of study at fourth-year level. You may specialise in one area of study (pure honours) or two (combined honours). Entry to the Honours degree must be approved by the department/s concerned and formalised by the Faculty.

 14.1. Admission to the BA (Hons) degree

Commencement of Honours must occur within five years of the completion of your BA degree.

Mid-year Honours entry requires departmental and Faculty approval.

Current BA or BASc students should refer to the relevant entries in this handbook for information on departmental requirements. Requirements and application procedures will vary from department to department.

Prospective students with a Bachelor of Arts degree from other institutions should contact the Faculty of Arts Office for more information.

 14.2. Eligibility

In order to be eligible for admission to fourth year Honours you must have:

• satisfied the requirements of the BA pass degree;

• completed a Major in the particular area/s of study, including any prerequisite subjects specified by the department/s concerned; and

• attained the appropriate standard across the Major/s.

An appropriate standard is usually a grade of H2A or H2B on average over the second/third-year subjects of the Major/s. Refer to the individual area of study entry for information on the minimum standard required.

Please note that you will not be required to achieve an overall Honours standing in all your second/third-year subjects for entry to Honours.

Students undertaking combined Honours may, under certain circumstances and subject to departmental and Faculty approval, count two subjects (25 points) towards both areas of study for admission to Honours. Such students should note that as a consequence they will be granted only one Major within the BA.

Students who do not meet the minimum threshold requirement for admission to Honours will require the approval of the relevant Honours coordinator or head of department and the Associate Dean (Undergraduate Studies) before being admitted to Honours.

 14.3. Honours degree requirements

In order to meet the requirements for the BA(Hons) degree, you must complete 100 points of study at fourth-year level. Pure Honours usually consists of 62.5 points of coursework and a thesis of 37.5 points. Combined Honours usually consists of the thesis and two coursework subjects in one area of study (37.5 + 25 = 62.5 points) and three coursework subjects in the combined area of study (37.5 points).

 14.4. Combined degree students

In most cases combined degree students can be admitted to an Honours program. Before you are admitted to fourth-year level studies, however, you must complete your Arts component as well as completing enough relevant subjects from your combining degree to allow you to take out your BA even if you were to discontinue your combining degree. Please consult the Faculty's Honours course adviser for specific advice.

 14.5. Honours grade requirement

You are required to achieve an honours grade (i.e. H1, H2A, H2B, H3) for each component of assessment in fourth year, and an overall grade of at least H3. Your overall grade will be based on the weighted average of your marks for each component of your fourth-year studies (your final examination (FE) result).

If these requirements are not fulfilled, you will only be eligible for the BA pass degree. A pass or fail grade in any component will disqualify you from taking out an Honours degree.

 14.6. Workload

Fourth-year studies are usually taken full-time. In exceptional circumstances (such as work commitments, ill-health etc.), and with both departmental and Faculty approval, you may be permitted to take fourth year part-time over two years.

You will not usually be permitted to transfer to part-time studies after commencing fourth year, nor will you be permitted to withdraw from fourth-year subjects after the first two weeks of each semester without departmental and Faculty approval.

In all cases, your thesis must be completed over two consecutive semesters within a twelve month period of enrolment. Withdrawal from the thesis will only be permitted in very exceptional circumstances.

 14.7. Leave of absence

It is possible for students accepted into Honours to take leave of absence for 12 months before starting their fourth year.

Once you have commenced your fourth-year studies, leave of absence will only be approved in exceptional circumstances and with the support of the relevant department/s. The maximum leave that will be granted is two semesters (12 months). If you are granted leave, you must still complete your studies within two years of the original commencement date of your Honours studies.

 14.8. Extensions of time

Extensions of time for outstanding work during fourth-year studies (e.g. as a result of illness) may be granted up to the last day of business in the calendar year (or the last day of the semester-one teaching period). Extensions must be approved by the relevant Head/s of department or Honours coordinator/s.

Any further extensions will require the prior written approval of the Associate Dean (Undergraduate Studies) as well as the written support of the department.

 14.9. Study completed overseas, interstate or at another local university

Under certain circumstances you may be given credit for studies undertaken at an overseas or interstate university up to a maximum of 37.5 points for pure Honours and up to 25 points in each area for combined Honours to an overall maximum of 37.5 points.

In the case of studies completed at another local university, students may be permitted to undertake up to 37.5 points of coursework for pure Honours. They may undertake up to 25 points in each area for combined Honours to an overall maximum of 37.5 points.

Grades for work completed at other tertiary institutions will be translated by the relevant department/s and the Faculty for the calculation of your final examination (FE) result.

If you wish to study abroad, interstate or at another local university, you must seek the prior approval of both the relevant department/s and the Faculty of Arts. Approval will depend on the appropriate level, weighting and standard of subjects, and, for the thesis, the provision of suitable co-supervision arrangements. Interested students should contact the Honours course adviser in the Faculty of Arts Office.

 14.10. More information

More detailed information about the Honours degree can be obtained at the Faculty of Arts Office.

Status:                   Official 1999
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