Bachelor of Arts (Degree with Honours)

The Bachelor of Arts (Degree with Honours) is a specialised year of study for students who have achieved academic excellence in their undergraduate degree. An honours year enables you to extend your knowledge of your area of specialisation.

The Bachelor of Arts (Degree with Honours) is an advanced and specialised course of study requiring a higher standard of performance than a pass degree. It offers a broad range of Arts programs in humanities, social sciences and languages and enhances students’ ability to acquire advanced research and analytical skills and develop original ideas. It augments students’ ability to apply innovative solutions to complex problems. Students may specialise in one area of study (pure honours) or two (combined honours) depending on specialisation.

This extra year of study on top of your three-year Bachelor of Arts degree is designed to qualify you for graduate research degrees (Doctor of Philosophy – Arts or Masters by Research). Most undergraduate degrees offer an honours option. Honours gives you advanced research, analytical and communications skills, plus greater experience working on independent projects. It can also reduce the length of time by up to a year for some Masters degrees offered at the University of Melbourne.

The Bachelor of Arts (Degree with Honours) is available to students who have completed a Bachelor of Arts degree within the last five years.

Why study honours?

• Adds value to your Bachelor degree.
• Provides you with an advanced undergraduate year to demonstrate academic excellence.
• Sets you apart as a student with experience of research methodology and practical research credentials.
• Provides a possible pathway directly into a Doctor of Philosophy – Arts.
• Can be credited towards the first year of a Masters by Coursework degree, providing your research is in a cognate discipline.

The honours degree involves both coursework and supervised independent research. It is very different from earlier undergraduate years, allowing and requiring a greater degree of independence and flexibility. This will help you develop the maturity and skills for transition to employment in a range of occupations or to a higher degree. The course structure involves both coursework and a substantial research project.

In the advanced coursework component, you will have the opportunity to gain further in-depth knowledge in particular areas of the discipline. It also expands on the theoretical basis on which your research work will be based.

Through completing the research component, you will enhance your ability to acquire advanced skills of analysis, develop original ideas, and apply innovative solutions to complex problems. You’ll develop advanced skills in project implementation and communicating research outcomes.

Who is it for?

The Bachelor of Arts (Degree with Honours) is for students who have achieved academic excellence in their undergraduate degree. An honours year enables you to extend your knowledge of your area of specialisation.

Faculty of Arts honours study can reduce the length of time by up to a year for some Masters degrees offered by the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences. Honours graduates are eligible to apply for the Masters by Research or Doctor of Philosophy – Arts.

More information

• View Handbook entry

For applicants who have not completed the Victorian Certificate of Education or the International Baccalaureate Diploma, the undergraduate English language requirements must be met.