Bachelor of Social Science (Honours)

A central focus of the Honours program is the thesis project.

This is an individually negotiated project supported by individual and small group interaction with staff, peers and industry experts.

Your thesis project will focus on a topic of your choice, negotiated with a supervisor.

The other courses in the program are intended to assist in the preparation and conduct of your thesis.The program will build on the capabilities you will have acquired through study at the degree level, and provide additional learning horizons and exposure to a fuller range of research practice.

It will provide a foundation for you to pursue your further study or career aspirations.

The overall objectives of the program are to develop graduates who can:work effectively within a variety of professional environments within the public and community sectors, as critical and reflective practitioners who use a variety of social perspectives and disciplines to advance principles of social equality and harmony, lead debate within organisations on policy, justice and research issues, advocate for equity and rights through their enabling skills and knowledge, demonstrate sensitivity in working in culturally and linguistically diverse environments and be aware of the connectedness between the local and the global, and manage conflict and assess risk and be able to solve problems in an informed, creative and dynamic manner.

effectively research using appropriate strategies, approaches and application;

link ideas and practice, and identify links between good thinking and good governance.

For more information about the weighted average mark, please click here

To graduate you must complete the following:

All courses listed may not be available each semester

Year One

Complete the following Five (5) Courses:

Academic entrance requirements

You must have successfully completed an Australian Bachelor degree (or equivalent overseas qualification) in a relevant discipline* with an overall grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 (out of 4.0) and a GPA of at least of 3.0 (out of 4.0) in your final year of study.

*relevant disciplines include, but are not limited to, social science, sociology, criminology, environment, gender studies, policy, politics, youth work Selection task

Please provide a one-page statement outlining why you wish to study Honours, what you hope to achieve through studying Honours and a provisional research proposal of 200 to 300 words. Your provisional proposal should outline your proposed research topic and aim, provisional research question(s) to be addressed, and possible research approach/methodology that might be used to investigate the topic. Please note that you will have the opportunity to modify your research where required once you commence your studies.

On successful completion of the program, you will be able to pursue either higher degree study, or to seek employment in the professional policy formation and implementation sectors.

Specifically, as an Honours graduate, you will demonstrate the capability to:

• apply creativity, critical thinking and innovation when identifying and analysing social issues in diverse contexts;
• critique the value of information and knowledge from a wide variety of sources and experiences and reflect on and evaluate their application in social science research;
• apply a range of social science research methods to design and conduct independent and collaborative research, which constructs, tests and defends an argument, and undertake social analysis considering the theoretical, historical, local and international contexts of decision making;
• communicate professional ideas using diverse formats and strategies to academic and professional audiences within and external to social science disciplines;
• critically examine dominant literature and theoretical knowledge in social science fields to undertake innovative policy analysis and assess risk in various social science contexts.