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.

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 and school programs 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 appended 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.

Apply

The way to apply varies depending on the program. For some faculties and schools you'll need to submit an application in Sydney Student. In other cases, you may be provided with specific instructions on how to apply.

The Faculty and schools programs pages explain how to apply for the specific course you're interested in. You may be asked to provide supporting documents with your application. Your application will then be assessed by your relevant faculty or school.

For students enrolled in Bachelor of Advanced studies, read Information for Bachelor of Advanced Studies students.

Deadlines

The deadline to apply varies between programs. In some cases, we've listed deadlines on the Faculty and school programs pages or on the Find a course page for the specific program. However, in other cases your faculty or school may contact you by email with the deadline.

Last updated: 12 March 2025

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