Bachelor of Arts (Degree with Honours)

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

Course structure

The Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree requires the completion of 100 points of study at fourth-year level.

• Pure honours usually consists a 50 point thesis (15,000 words), a research methods subject (12.50 points) and three coursework subjects (37.50) in one area of study.
• Combined honours usually consists of a 50 points thesis (15,000 words) and a research methods subject (12.50 points) in one area of study, and three coursework subjects in the combined area of study (37.50 points).

Please note: this structure may vary depending on specialisation.

Honours students are required to achieve an honours grade (ie. H1, H2A, H2B, H3) for each subject and thesis component of their course in order to complete to the degree.

For information on policies that govern this degree students should refer to the information on the Melbourne Policy Library.

Last updated: 23 September 2020

Entry requirements

1. In order to be considered for entry, applicants must have completed:

• within the last 5 years a Bachelor of Arts with a weighted average mark of at least H2B (70%), or equivalent, with a major relevant to the discipline stream within the Bachelor of Arts (Degree with Honours) that they seek to enter.

Applicants are also required to meet any specific subject prerequisites and prior academic performance requirements associated with the discipline stream that they seek to enter (please see individual specialisations).

Meeting these requirements does not guarantee selection.

2. In ranking applications, the Selection Committee will consider:

• prior academic performance, and
• the availability of supervision and resources in suitable project areas.

Quotas may be applied to the degree as a whole or to individual discipline streams and preference may be given to applicants with evidence of appropriate preparation or potential to undertake research.

3. The Selection Committee may seek further information to clarify any aspect of an application in accordance with the Academic Board rules on the use of selection instruments.

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

Please note there is no mid year entry for the following specialisations:

• Anthropology
• Criminology
• Economics
• Geography
• History
• Politics and International Studies
• Psychology

Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)

The inherent academic requirements for study in the Bachelor of Arts (Degree with Honours) are:

• the ability to attend classes and actively engage in both independent and group learning;
• the ability to comprehend complex disciplinary and interdisciplinary information related to the courses taught in the faculty;
• the ability to explain and evaluate complex concepts, theories and issues at work in a variety of texts;
• the ability to clearly communicate a knowledge and application of humanities, social sciences and language principles and practices during assessment tasks.

Students must possess behavioural and social attributes that enable them to participate in a complex learning environment. They must take full responsibility for their own participation and learning and adhere to the expectations outlined in the Student Charter.

Students also contribute to the learning of other students in collaborative environments and must therefore demonstrate a wide range of interpersonal skills which consider the needs of other students. Assessment may include the outcomes of tasks completed in collaboration with other students. Integrity, concern for others, interpersonal skills, interest, and motivation are all personal qualities that are deemed necessary for students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts (Degree with Honours).

The Bachelor of Arts (Degree with Honours) welcomes applications from students with disabilities. It is University and Faculty policy to take all reasonable steps to enable the participation of students with disabilities. Students who feel their disability will prevent them from participating in tasks involving these inherent academic requirements are encouraged to contact Disability Liaison. Adjustments can be provided to minimise the impact of a disability; however, students should participate in the course in an independent manner.

Intended learning outcomes

BA (Hons) graduates:

• Demonstrate an advanced knowledge and understanding of one or more selected fields of study in core disciplines in the humanities, social sciences and languages;
• Demonstrate high level research skills appropriate to one or more core disciplines in the humanities, social sciences and languages;
• Access and comprehend national and international debates in their specialised area(s) of study;
• Demonstrate an independent approach to knowledge that uses rigorous methods of inquiry and appropriate theories and methodologies that are applied with intellectual honesty and a respect for ethical values;
• Apply critical and analytical skills and methods to the identification and resolution of problems within complex changing social contexts;
• Act as informed and critically discriminating participants within the community of scholars, as citizens and in the work force;
• Communicate effectively and, in the case of those students specialising in a language discipline, read, write and speak another language with fluency and appreciate its cultural context.