Honours in the Bachelor of Laws
Honours in the Bachelor of Laws at Sydney Law School is awarded in recognition of outstanding academic achievement over the degree, including in a 12 credit point research unit (LAWS3900) undertaken in lieu of two electives in the penultimate or final semester of the degree.
Workload and assessment
LAWS3900 is a 12 credit point semester-length unit. It will be included in the 36 credit points of required Part 1 electives.
LAWS3900 is wholly assessed by a 12,000 word thesis. The thesis is a scholarly paper, of the kind that would be published in a peer reviewed law journal. Students will complete this thesis over the course of one semester of their final year. Subject to the availability of supervision, students will be able to elect the semester in which they undertake the Honours unit.
Students will also be required to attend a non-assessed Research Workshop in week -1 and attend a specified number of meetings with their supervisor.
Eligibility to apply for entry to LAWS3900
Students are eligible to apply for entry to LAWS3900 in semester 1 or 2 of a given academic year if, at the end of semester 2 of the prior year:
- They will, if their application is successful, be undertaking LAWS3900 in their penultimate or final semester of the LLB.
They have completed the requirements of their first degree at the time of application.
They have no more than 3 outstanding core law units of study at the time of application. That is, students who commenced in 2020 or later must have completed at Sydney Law School or been granted specific credit for at least 15 core law units of study (including LAWS1006 Foundations of Law and LAWS1024 Legal Research). Students who commenced before 2020 must have completed at Sydney Law School or been granted specific credit for at least 16 core law units (including LAWS1006 Foundations of Law, LAWS1013 Legal Research I and LAWS1019 Legal Research II).
They have an average mark of at least 75.0 in: all core units of study completed at Sydney Law School at the time of application except LAWS1006 Foundations of Law.
Please note that a higher minimum average mark may be required for entry in any given year. This is determined on an annual basis by the Associate Dean in consultation with the Honours Committee and the Dean and Head of School.
Special entry may be granted, at the discretion of the Dean and Head of School, to students who: satisfy requirements 1-3; have an average mark of at least 74.0 (or within one mark of the higher minimum average mark that may be required in a given year) in all core units completed at Sydney Law School except LAWS1006 Foundations of Law; and can demonstrate aptitude for research. A strong record of achievement in academic essay writing or other evidence of high-level research and writing skills is required for applications in this category.
Application for entry to LAWS3900
Eligible students who have no more than three core units of study outstanding at the end of semester 2 of their penultimate year in the LLB must apply for entry to LAWS3900 in semester 1 or semester 2 of their final year in the main round. The main round closes at 4pm on the Friday of the week semester 2 results are released. Late applications will not be considered.
A supplementary entry round, for entry in semester 2 of a given year, is open to only those final year students who had more than three core units of study outstanding at the end of semester 2 of their penultimate year. The supplementary round closes at 4pm on the Friday of the week semester 1 results are released. The supplementary round is strictly for those students who become eligible to apply after the end of semester 2 of their penultimate year. Late applications will not be considered.
Students must, by the application deadline: prepare a thesis proposal including a statement of the research methodology to be used as well as a preliminary literature review, arrange supervision, and submit an application supported by their prospective supervisor.
It will be the student’s responsibility to organise a supervisor. A list of available supervisors and areas of interest will be provided to students. Honours supervisors can only be academic staff members of Sydney Law School and selected adjunct academics.
Decisions on applications from students who meet the average mark entry threshold are made by the Associate Dean (Professional Law Programs) on the recommendation of the Law Honours Coordinator. Decisions on applications for special entry are made by the Dean and Head of School or delegate, on the recommendation of the Law Honours Coordinator.
Places in the Honours program are limited by the availability of thesis supervisors. Students should note that achieving the requisite weighted average mark for entry does not guarantee a place in the Honours program.
Marks in LAWS3900
Marks for the law honours thesis (LAWS3900) are determined by the Honours Committee, applying published assessment criteria. Each thesis is examined by two examiners, an independent primary examiner and the supervisor, who prepare a written examination report and propose a recommended mark to the Honours Committee. Final marks are determined by the Honours Committee at a moderation meeting, to ensure fairness and consistency in application of the marking standards. The Honours Committee may adjust a recommended mark, and no mark is final until the process of moderation is completed.
Award of Honours
The final mark for LAWS3900 forms part of the calculations for the award of Honours. The grade of Honours will be determined by a student’s Honours WAM (HWAM). The HWAM will be calculated from a minimum of 96 credit points and a maximum of 138 credit points of law units of study, being: LAWS3900; all other units of study undertaken at Sydney Law School, with the exception of LAWS1006 Foundations of Law. The Honours units will carry a weighting of two while all other units carry a weighting of one. This means that the Honours unit will be weighted as 2 x 12 credit points. The HWAM is calculated to one decimal place.
The Honours degree is awarded in either First Class or Second Class, as specified below:
| Description | HWAM |
|---|---|
| Honours Class I | ≥ 80.0 |
| Honours Class II (Division 1) | 75.0 to 79.9 |
| Honours Class II (Division 2) | 70.0 to 74.9 |
| Pass (Honours not awarded) | ≤ 69.9 |
Students who completed LAWS3900 and do not meet the requirements of the award of Honours but in all other respects have satisfied the requirements for the degree will be awarded the pass degree.
University Medal
Students who qualify for the award of First Class Honours and whose work is of outstanding merit in the opinion of the School may be considered for the award of a University medal.
The medal is awarded annually. It will normally be awarded to the student who has the highest degree WAM of those students graduating across both semesters in the academic year who have qualified for First Class Honours and received a High Distinction in LAWS3900. The medal may be shared in instances where the marks of the second-placed candidate are regarded as being equivalent in merit.
The University Medal is awarded by the Law School Board on the recommendation of the Honours Committee. The Law School Board reserves the right not to award the medal should no candidate meet the relevant criteria.
