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Applying for honours

The way you apply for honours will depend on your faculty/school and the type of honours you choose.

Overview and steps to apply

Information for Bachelor of Advanced Studies students

Earlier in 2024, the University of Sydney notified students that administrative issues had been identified in relation to our combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies degrees. These relate to how the University awarded the degrees to graduates and potential confusion around the nomenclature of honours awards and honours pathways for currently enrolled students.

Following approval of a remediation approach by the Academic Board in February 2024, a range of actions are underway to ensure that graduates and students receive degree certificates that accurately reflect their learning outcomes. Find out more on our dedicated webpage.

Honours is an additional qualification that allows you to build on your undergraduate studies and prepare for further study. Check our Understanding honours page for more information on:

what's involved
types of honours
preparing for honours
honours awards and classes.

Steps to apply

Generally the honours application process will follow these steps. This may vary depending on your faculty/school and type of honours you undertake, so check any additional information provided on the faculty pages.

Prepare a research topic proposal

You need to choose a research topic for your honours study. This should be an area of interest to you and considered of academic importance to your faculty. Most disciplines have an honours coordinator to assist with preparing your research topic proposal, and in some cases may provide a list of available projects.

It is best to submit your research topic proposal as early as possible (see the faculty pages for more details). For stand-alone programs this should be before the end of your final semester. Be aware that pre-approval of your topic doesn’t guarantee entry to the honours program, you will still need to meet the other eligibility requirements.

In some faculties and schools, you may need to provide a preliminary topic proposal first for approval. Once this is approved, you then develop the more detailed research proposal that will form the basis of your thesis.

Find a supervisor

You may need to arrange a supervisor before you apply.

Contact your honours coordinator in your faculty or school for information about honours projects and potential supervisors. It is best to find a supervisor with experience in your topic area.

You may need to meet with your proposed supervisor to see if they are able to supervise your honours program and discuss your proposed research topic. You should provide evidence of their support with your application.

Submit your application

If you are a current student, not studying a Bachelor of Advanced Studies degree, you will need to submit your application via Sydney Student.

You will need to include any required supporting documents with your application. The way this is done and the application deadlines vary depending on the type of honours you are completing and your faculty or school.

Your application will be assessed by your relevant faculty or school, which may have specific requirements. You will be offered a place in the honours program provided there are places available and you have met the eligibility criteria, including completion of any prerequisites.

Last updated: 23 October 2024

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