Honours
The BA (Honours) degree is an advanced and specialised course of study requiring a higher standard of performance than for the pass degree. It enhances students' ability to acquire advanced skills of analysis, to develop original ideas, and to apply innovative solutions to complex problems. The BA (Honours) involves one additional year of study at fourth-year level. Students may specialise in one area of study (Pure Honours) or two (Combined Honours). Entry to the Honours degree must be approved by the School(s) concerned and the Faculty of Arts.
Students can undertake an Honours program in Sociology.
Course Information
The prerequisites for entry to fourth-year honours in Sociology are:
- Completion of all the requirements for the BA;
- Completion of a major in Sociology; and
- An average grade over the second/third year subjects within the major equivalent to at least an H2A (75%).
For further information on Honours eligibility, entry requirements, application procedures, course structure and subject outlines, refer to the Honours section of the Arts Faculty website.
Course Structure
Students undertaking pure honours in Sociology complete:
- Sociology Thesis (37.5 points);
- One compulsory subject Qualitative Research Methods (12.5 points); and
- Four honours subjects in Sociology (totalling 50 points).
| Students undertaking pure honours on a part time basis would usually take their elective subjects in the first year, the thesis and compulsory subject (Social Science Research Seminar) in the second. |
Students undertaking combined honours in Sociology complete:
- Sociology Thesis (37.5 points);
- One compulsory subject Qualitative Research Methods (12.5 points);
- One elective honours subject in Sociology (12.5 points); and
- Three honours subjects in the combining program (totalling 37.5 points).
or
- Honours thesis in the combining program (37.5 points);
- Two honours subjects in the combining program (totalling 25 points); and
- Three elective honours subjects in Sociology (totalling 37.5 points).
Human Research Ethics
Honours students undertaking research that involves interviews and/or questionnaires may need to submit an ethics application to the School Human Ethics Advisory Group (HEAG). Such an application needs to be approved BEFORE commencing your research. It is recommended that honours students aim to submit their ethics applications either to the April SHEAG meeting or, for mid-year entry, the October SHEAG meeting. For further information, consult your supervisor, and refer to the Melbourne Research Office Human Ethics site.
Research Supervision
The School's Research Supervision page provides information on academic staff research and supervision areas.
University Policy Documents
For information on University policies and guidelines in connection with your studies, please refer to the Academic Services Policy page.