Honours

• Preparation for Final Honours Year


• Final Honours Year


• Honours Student Testimonials


• Procedure for Honours Thesis Ethic Proposals

The following information gives you the basics on how to enter and complete honours. These guidelines will differ from discipline to discipline. Students should contact the honours coordinator for each discipline to confirm these variations. For contact details and discipline specific information, see the relevant discipline links.

Reasons for Undertaking Honours

When considering undertaking honours, you may want to know the potential benefits associated with an undergraduate honours degree.

In some of the more specialised careers open to the Faculty's graduates, employers may be looking for a level of specialisation that is not provided in a three-year pass award course. Similarly, if students want to qualify for specialist postgraduate research study, a pass award course is not normally sufficient. For all graduates, a four-year honours award course considerably enhances the quality of a qualification and singles students out to an employer as having exceptional ability.

"It was a real challenge but the rewards are immense because they are fully attributable to your own efforts."

Honours award courses are available in most of the subject areas in the respective degrees. Honours may involve extra work at second and third year level in the chosen subject area and, in all cases, an additional year of study spent entirely on that subject area.

Normally students will not make any decisions about honours courses until the end of their first year of study in the Faculty. In order to enter and remain in an honours stream, students must perform at a credit level or better in the chosen subject area. A bare pass level of performance in a first year subject will not be sufficient to secure entry into honours courses.

Preparation for Final Honours Year

Students must complete the honours preparation or pre-requisite units of study to be eligible for Final Honours Year. These units are listed in the discipline honours web site and in the Faculty Handbook. Typically, pre-honours prerequisite units begin in the second year of an undergraduate degree and continue into the third year. However, not all disciplines offer pre-honours prerequisite units. Pre-honours prerequisite units can often count towards a major or extended major in the field of study. Students must complete a major in the area they intend to study their Final Honours Year. Students must check the particular discipline as to whether pre-honours prerequisite units can count towards a major or extended major.

A minimum weighted average mark (WAM) of 65% is required across all units taken within an undergraduate degree, but a minimum of 70% in subjects completed in the subject area of the discipline of intended honours study (pre-honours units or pass stream units). Contact the discipline honours coordinator for queries in relation to any variation from these requirements.

External Students

Students from institutions external to the University of Sydney and from faculties outside that of Economics and Business are encouraged to apply to the Final Honours Year. However, it is the decision of individual disciplines to accept students from other institutions who have not undertaken relevant disciplinary preparatory units.

External applicants should apply before the deadline of the last working day in November and applications received before that date will immediately be referred on to the discipline concerned.

Honours Awareness Week

The University of Sydney will host Honours Awareness Week from September 15 - 19, 2008. There will be information sessions, so that students can learn about entry requirements, admission, what honours involves and what services are available. The Faculty of Economics and Business Honours Information Session will be held on:

• Date: Thursday 18th September
• Time: 12pm - 1pm
• Venue: Merewether Lecture Theatre 2

For more information including registration details visit the Future Students honours web page.

Applications for Final Honours Year

The closing date for applications for Final Honours Year is the last working day in November.

• Final Honours Year Application Form ( 36Kb)
  Pdf version.

Final Honours Year

The Final Honours Year (the 4th year) involves a combination of coursework and a thesis. This year provides knowledge and training for candidates in research methods as well as experience in planning, performing and writing up research under the guidance of a supervisor. Generally, students will be provided with examiner guidelines and details relating to the thesis proposal, writing and supervision upon entry into the Final Honours Year. Students should check the discipline web page for these details.

Final Honours Year with Another Faculty

Economics and Business students who plan to undertake their honours year with another faculty eg with Science, Arts etc need to submit an application to the Student Information Office, plus they will need confirmation from their supervisor or year coordinator in the other faculty that they have been accepted into the honours program. Once this confirmation is received at the Student Information Office, information regarding enrolment procedures will be forwarded to the student(s).

• Faculty of Economics and Business Scholarships for Current Students
  A comprehensive list of scholarships offered by the Faculty for current students, including several honours scholarships.

• University of Sydney Honours Scholarships

Honours Student Testimonials

• Robin Balcomb
  Commerce Law majoring in Finance and Economics
• Glen Bertram
  BCom(Hons) LLB, Majors in Accounting and Finance, University Medal
• Alicia Hill
  Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) majoring in Finance, Economics and Commercial Transactions

Procedure for Honours Thesis Ethic Proposals

The procedure for Honours thesis ethic proposals to be considered by the Faculty Honours Ethics Committee is as follows:

1. Students are expected to fill out the standard ethics clearance form which can be downloaded at Human Ethics: Forms & Guides


2. Student projects that involve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and/or involve meeting individuals in their places of residence for interviews etc. are not covered by this scheme. These proposals must still go to the University Ethics Committee


3. The Faculty Committee may still forward some difficult ethics submissions to the University Ethics Committee for consideration. It is for this reason that the Faculty’s submission dates come before the main University dates.


4. An original application, including attachments (unstapled) plus nine copies, including attachments (stapled) are submitted to the Faculty Research Manger, Rebecca Connell (Room N415, Institute Building, HO3) by 4pm on the dates of submission. No late submissions will be accepted.


5. The submissions must be typewritten or word-processed. Handwritten applications will not be accepted.


6. Before submitted, applications are required to be authorised by the relevant Chair of Discipline. If the Chair is the supervisor, the application must be signed off by the Pro-Dean.

The closing dates for submission for 2008 are:

• 17 March (Committee meets on 26 March)
• 21 April (Committee meets on 30 April)
• 26 May (Committee meets on 4 June)
• 23 June (Committee meets on 2 July)
• 28 July (Committee meets on 6 August)
• 25 August (Committee meets on 3 September)

The Faculty administers an Honours Ethics Committee that processes all Disciplinary Honours-level ethics applications on behalf of the University Ethics Office. In 2008, the Chair of this Committee is Professor Greg Patmore and the secretariat is Ms Rebecca Connell.