Honours Degree

Give yourself an edge by adding an Honours degree to your qualification. An Honours degree allows you to focus on developing your research skills in your chosen field and significantly enhances your employment prospects.

What is Honours?

Honours is generally a one-year qualification undertaken after a Bachelor’s degree, and involves focusing on an area of expertise through advanced coursework and extensive research.

Honours is a great way to investigate a subject of interest in greater detail. Honours is recognised as a prestigious qualification that develops further research, writing and organisational skills and demonstrates your ability to undertake high-level study.

In some areas, Honours is available as part of the final year of a four-year undergraduate degree. You can check this in Degree Finder. An Honours degree is also the prerequisite for entry to a Higher Degree by Research at the Masters and Doctorate levels.

To search for an Honours program, visit the relevant Faculty website below, or the Degree Finder.

Why study an Honours degree?

Completing an Honours degree provides you with the experience and skills to pursue a broad range of career opportunities, including a career in research. The deepened knowledge and transferable skills gained through an Honours degree at the University of Adelaide will set you up for success for rewarding, diverse career opportunities across industry, government, and business.

Honours is a great way to investigate a subject of interest in greater detail. Honours is recognised as a prestigious qualification that develops further research, writing and organisational skills and demonstrates your ability to undertake high-level study.

Ready to apply for an Honours Program?

To search for an Honours program, visit the Faculty website below or the Degree Finder.

Application rounds


Applications for Semester 2, 2024 entry:
Domestic applicants: Closed
International applicants: Closed

Applications for Semester 1, 2025 entry:
Domestic applicants: Open Monday 2nd September
International applicants: Open Monday 2nd September

*Applicants to the Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) should follow the application process and closing dates in Degree Finder.

*Applicants to the Bachelor of Laws (Honours) should follow the application process on the Law School Honours page, noting the application closing date is Monday 25th November.

Application information for 1-year honours programs

Honours Program Discipline Semester 2 intake? Proposed Project step required? Proposed Project
information needed
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) SATAC code (if required): 3BH002 Classics
History
Sociology
No Yes Project title or state area of interest
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) SATAC code (if required): 3BH002 Anthropology
No Yes Project description
(150 - 200 words)
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) SATAC code (if required): 3BH002 Creative Writing No Yes

Project description (150 - 200 words); Creative writing portfolio (15 A4 pages, double spaced)

Bachelor of Arts (Honours) SATAC code (if required): 3BH002 Chinese Studies
Criminology
English
Film Studies
French Studies
Gender Studies
Geography
Environment & Population
German Studies
International Development
Japanese Studies
Linguistics
Philosophy
Politics and International Relations
Spanish Studies
No No N/A
Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) SATAC code (if required): 3BH003 Accounting
Applied Finance
International
Business
Management
Marketing
No Yes Project supervisor
Bachelor of Criminology (Honours) SATAC code (if required): 3BH075   No No N/A
Bachelor of Economics (Honours) SATAC code (if required): 3BH007   No No N/A
Bachelor of Environmental Policy and Management (Honours) SATAC code (if required): 3BH008   No Yes Project description
(100 words)
Bachelor of Finance (Honours) SATAC code (if required): 3BH009   No Yes Project supervisor
Bachelor of International Development (Honours) SATAC code (if required): 3BH006   No No N/A
Bachelor of International Relations (Honours) SATAC code (if required): 3BH068   No No N/A
Bachelor of Languages (Honours) SATAC code (if required): 3BH071 Chinese Studies
French Studies
German Studies
Japanese Studies
Linguistics
Spanish Studies
No Yes

Project supervisor and Project description (400 words)

Bachelor of Laws (Honours) SATAC code (if required): 3BH068   No Yes Project description
(2 pages max)
Bachelor of Media (Honours) SATAC code (if required): 3BH015   No Yes Project description
(250 words)
Bachelor of Music (Honours)

See discipline for individual SATAC code 

Classical Performance

Creative Practice

Jazz Performance

Music Education

Musicology

Subject to availability - please consult Honours Coordinator Audition/portfolio/interview
Find out more about the requirements 
Bachelor of Sociology (Honours) SATAC code (if required): 3BH076   No Yes Project title or state
area of interest
Bachelor of Health and Medical Sciences (Honours) SATAC code (if required): 3BH066 Biomedicine
Medical
Public Health
Dental
Nursing
Subject to availability - please consult Honours Coordinator Yes Project title, Project
supervisor and Project description
(200 words)
Bachelor of Architectural Design (Honours) SATAC code (if required): 3BH078   Subject to availability - please consult Honours Coordinator Yes Project description
(1000 words)
Bachelor of Computer Science (Honours)   SATAC code (if required): 3BH004   Yes No N/A
Bachelor of Food and Nutrition Science (Honours)   SATAC code (if required): 3BH010   Subject to availability - please consult Honours Coordinator   N/A
Bachelor of Mathematical Sciences (Honours)   SATAC code (if required): 3BH014   Yes Yes Preferred subject area
Bachelor of Science (Honours) SATAC code (if required): 3BH021 Agricultural Science
Plant Science
Soil Science
Wine Science
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Subject to availability - please consult Honours Coordinator No N/A
Bachelor of Science (Honours) SATAC code (if required): 3BH021 Animal Behaviour
Animal Science
Environmental Geoscience
Geology
Geophysics
Subject to availability - please consult Honours Coordinator Yes Project title and Project supervisor
Bachelor of Science (Honours) SATAC code (if required): 3BH021 Molecular and Biomedical Science Subject to availability - please consult Honours Coordinator Yes Project supervisor
Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology (Honours) SATAC applications N/A   No No N/A

International applicants

All international applicants, both existing students of the University and new students to the University should apply through the International Application System (IAS). International applicants do not need to lodge a separate Honours Nomination Form as the application in the IAS includes these questions.

Domestic applicants

  1. *Submit your application to one of the following:
    • SATAC (for domestic students who are not currently studying at the University of Adelaide)

  2. Complete the Honours Nomination Form.

You will need either your University of Adelaide ID number, or your SATAC ID to complete the Honours Nomination Form.

All 1 year honours program applicants, with the exception of the *Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours), must submit a Honours Nomination Form. Please submit the form ensuring you complete all sections

Within the form, there is facility to propose a project and supervisor/s. This information is a requirement for some honours programs, and without this information, the application is incomplete. The Proposed Project requirements, or not, for each honours program are included in the table above. Should you be required to complete the Proposed Project requirements, you are strongly encouraged to discuss your honours project intentions with the relevant Honours Coordinator and/or Supervisor/s prior to lodging the Honours Nomination Form.

*Applicants to the Bachelor of Laws (Honours) program should lodge their Honours Nomination Form only in the first instance. Only upon invitation should they then lodge their Internal Transfer Application. For more information on the application process, please visit the Law School Honours page

Applicants should know that while the application period is open for an extended period over several months, application outcomes may be issued just prior to the commencement of the honours program. For some honours programs applications are assessed as a cohort to manage allocation of projects, supervisors, funding, laboratory spaces etc. Outcomes will be made available to applicants on a rolling basis as soon possible following an outcome decision.

Students completing studies over Summer or Winter School, will likely receive their outcomes later than most other applicants, but be assured this does not impact on your eligibility to receive an offer – you won’t ‘miss out’ or be disadvantaged. Summer and Winter School course grades must be finalised in time for you to be completed from your bachelors and for the offer outcome to be made available to you prior to the Census Date of your commencing semester (domestic students), or the date in your offer (international students). Please check the start date of your honours program with your proposed Honours Coordinator as for some honours program structures, this may be too late to start.

Domestic applicants
Offers for domestic applicants are unconditional and as such, can only be made to applicants once they are academically eligible to receive an offer. Often this will include holding a completed bachelors qualification.

International applicants
Offers for international applicants may be unconditional OR conditional and as such, may be made to applicants at any time once all relevant information is available to determine an outcome.


Application information for 4-year undergraduate programs

Honours Program Discipline Semester 2 intake? Proposed Project step required? Proposed Project
information needed
Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours)

Industry Stream

Research Stream

     
Bachelor of Physiotherapy (Honours)

Industry Stream

Research Stream

     
Bachelor of Speech Pathology (Honours)

Industry Stream

Research Stream

                                    
Bachelor of Biotechnology (Honours)

Agricultural Science
Plant Science
Soil Science
Wine Science
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Chemistry
Physics

Subject to availability - please consult Honours Coordinator

No N/A
Bachelor of Biotechnology (Honours) Animal Behaviour
Animal Science
Molecular and Biomedical Science
Energy Geoscience
Environmental Geoscience
Geology
Geophysics

Subject to availability - please consult Honours Coordinator

Yes Project title and Project supervisor
Bachelor of Biotechnology (Honours) Molecular and Biomedical Science Subject to availability - please consult Honours Coordinator Yes Project supervisor
Bachelor of Construction Management (Honours)        
Bachelor of Food and Nutrition Science (Honours)   No No N/A
Bachelor of Mathematical Sciences (Honours)   Yes Yes Preferred subject area
Bachelor of Science (High Performance Computational Physics) (Honours)   Yes No N/A
Bachelor of Science (Honours)

Agricultural Science
Plant Science
Soil Science
Wine Science
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Chemistry
Physics

Subject to availability - please consult Honours Coordinator

No N/A
Bachelor of Science (Honours)

Animal Behaviour
Animal Science
Energy Geoscience
Environmental Geoscience
Geology
Geophysics

Subject to availability - please consult Honours Coordinator Yes

Project title and
Project supervisor

Bachelor of Science (Honours)

Molecular and Biomedical Science

Subject to availability - please consult Honours Coordinator Yes

Project supervisor

Bachelor of Science (Advanced) (Honours)

Agricultural science
Plant Science
Soil Science
Wine Science
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Chemistry
Physics

Subject to availability - please consult Honours Coordinator

No

N/A

 

Bachelor of Science (Advanced) (Honours)

Animal Behaviour
Animal Science
Energy Geoscience
Environmental Geoscience
Geology
Geophysics

Subject to availability - please consult Honours Coordinator Yes Project title and
Project supervisor
Bachelor of Science (Advanced) (Honours)

Molecular and Biomedical Science

Subject to availability - please consult Honours Coordinator Yes Project supervisor

Not already studying one of our 4 year undergraduate programs?

If you are not already a current student in one of our 4 year undergraduate programs, you will need to submit your application to one of the following:

If you are already a student studying one of our 4 year undergraduate programs, you do not need to apply as above.

Existing students already studying one of our 4 year undergraduate programs

Ahead of commencing the honours component of your program, you will need to lodge a Honours Nomination Form. Within the form, there is facility to propose a project and supervisor/s. This information is a requirement for some honours programs, and without this information, the application is incomplete. The Proposed Project requirements, or not, for each honours program are included in the table above. Should you be required to complete the Proposed Project requirements, you are strongly encouraged to discuss your honours project intentions with the relevant Honours Coordinator and/or Supervisor/s prior to lodging the Honours Nomination Form.

Applicants to the Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology (Honours) should apply as for the 1 year honours degree programs as you are applying for a new program admission. The Honours Nomination form should be submitted for the application round you wish to commence the honours component of the program.