Bachelor of Arts (Degree with Honours)

This program is only available to students currently enrolled in the 104AA Bachelor of Arts, there is no further admission into this program.

This BA (Honours) program is available to students who have completed Bachelor of Arts, including the BA105AA, BA/BCom, BA/LLB, BA/BSc, or other combined Arts courses at the University of Melbourne. Students who have commenced their Bachelor of Arts post 2008 should apply for the current Honours program (BH Arts) http://handbook.unimelb.edu.au.

The BA (Honours) is an advanced and specialised course of study requiring a higher standard of performance than for the pass degree. It enhances your ability to acquire advanced skills of analysis, to develop original ideas, and to apply innovative solutions to complex problems.

The BA (Hons) involves one additional year of study at fourth-year level. Students may specialise in one area of study (pure honours) or two (combined honours). Entry to the honours degree must be approved by the School/s concerned and the Faculty. Commencement of honours must occur within five years of the completion of your degree course.

The Honours program is an advanced level of study designed to allow students to specialise their knowledge across one area of study (pure Honours) or two (combined Honours). Students accepted into the program undertake fourth-year level subjects and a short research thesis and must achieve honours-level grades (minimum 65%-H3) for each component of assessment in order to qualify for the award.

The opportunity to specialise provides a strong foundation for the future direction of graduates, whether as a means of progressing to higher degree research in Arts at the Masters or PhD level, or improving the scope of employment options and professional advancement. Students with Honours from Melbourne Arts record exceptionally high rates of satisfaction with the professional and academic directions they pursue beyond graduation.

The requirements for the BA (Honours) degree is the completion of 100 points of study at fourth-year level and taken either as:

• Pure honours usually consists of 62.5 points of coursework and a thesis of 37.5 points .
• Combined honours usually consists of the thesis and two coursework subjects in one area of study (37.5 + 25 = 62.5 points) and three coursework subjects in the combined area of study (37.5 points).

You are required to achieve an honours grade (ie. H1, H2A, H2B, H3) for each component of assessment in fourth year, and an overall grade of at least H3. Your overall grade will be based on the weighted average of your marks for each component of your fourth-year studies: this is known as your final examination (FE) result.

If any of these requirements are not fulfilled, you will only be eligible for the BA pass degree. A pass (P) or fail (N) grade in any component of assessment will disqualify you from taking out the BA (Honours) degree.Fourth-year studies are usually taken full-time. In exceptional circumstances (such as work commitments, ill-health etc.), and with both School and Faculty approval, you may be permitted to take your fourth-year studies part time over a maximum of two years.

You will not be permitted to transfer to part-time studies after commencing fourth year, nor will you be permitted to withdraw from fourth-year subjects after the first two weeks of each semester without School and Faculty approval.

In all cases, your thesis must be completed over two consecutive semesters within a 12-month period of enrolment. Withdrawal from the thesis will only be permitted in very exceptional circumstances.Once you have enrolled and/or commenced study at fourth-year level, leave of absence will only be approved in exceptional circumstances and with the support of the relevant School/s. The maximum leave that will be granted is two semesters (12 months). If you are granted 12 months leave you must complete your studies within a maximum of three years of the original commencement date of your fourth-year studies.

Students who wish to resume a discontinued University of Melbourne honours degree must follow the application process outlined above. See Applying for Honours.

In all cases, the BA (Honours) degree must be recommenced within five years of the completion of the BA (Pass) degree.

University of Melbourne BA (Pass) degree graduates who have been accepted into the BA (Honours) may be granted, with School approval, a maximum of 12 months leave of absence between the completion of the BA (Pass) degree and the commencement of Honours.

Over-enrolment in the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) is not permitted. Students wishing to complete more than 100 points of study at fourth-year level must apply to enrol in any additional subjects through CAP.

Extensions of time for outstanding work during fourth-year studies (eg. as a result of illness) may be granted to 31 December (30 June for semester one subjects and mid-year-entry year long subjects). Extensions must be approved by the relevant head/s of School or honours coordinator/s.

Any further extensions will require the prior written approval of the Director of Academic Programs as well as the written support of the Head of School. Extensions past 31 December or 30 June may attract additional subject/course fees.Under certain circumstances you may be given credit for studies undertaken at an overseas or interstate university up to a maximum of 37.5 points for pure honours and up to 25 points in each area for combined honours to an overall maximum of 37.5 points.

If you wish to study abroad, interstate or at another local university, you must seek the prior approval of both the relevant School/s and the Honours Course Adviser in the Faculty of Arts. Approval will depend on the appropriate level, weighting and standard of subjects, and, for the thesis, the provision of suitable co-supervision arrangements. Interested students should contact the Honours Course Adviser through the Arts Student Centre.

For information on policies that govern this degree, see the Melbourne Policy Library.

Specialisations

The following specialisations are available to eligible students in 104AA Bachelor of Arts (Degree in Honours) program. Enquiries and applicaitons should be directed to the Arts Student Centre.

Ancient, Medieval & Early Modern Studies
Anthropology
Arabic StudiesArchitectural History
Art History
Asian Studies
Australian Studies
Chinese
Classical Studies & Archaeology
Creative Writing
Criminology
Cultural Studies
Development Studies
Economics
English
English Language Studies
Environmental Studies
French
Gender Studies
Geography
German
History
History & Philosophy of Science
Indonesian
International Studies
Islamic Studies
Italian
Japanese
Jewish Studies
Linguistics and Applied Linguistics
Philosophy
Political Science
Russian
Screen Studies
Social Theory
Socio-legal Studies
Sociology
Spanish and Latin American Studies

In order to be eligible for admission to fourth year honours you must have:

• satisfied the requirements of the Bachelor of Arts (heritage program) within the last five years and;

• completed a major in the particular area/s of study, including any prerequisite subjects specified by the program/s concerned and;

• attained the appropriate standard across the major/s.

An appropriate standard is an average grade of H2A or H2B over the second/third-year subjects of the major/s. Refer to the individual area of study entry for information on the minimum standard required (see above).

In some circumstances, prospective honours students may, with School support and Faculty approval, be permitted to enrol in a maximum of one 12.5-point bachelor-degree subject in order to fulfil outstanding subject points requirement of the BA (Pass) degree. If approved, the final subject of the BA (Pass) degree will be taken concurrently in the first semester of enrolment in the BA (Honours). This option is not available for BA combined degree students or for the purposes of completing a major sequence in the proposed honours area of study.

Students who do not meet the entry requirements for the BA (Honours) degree may be eligible to apply for the Postgraduate Diploma in Arts. This course also allows students to undertake a research project in a specialist field of study. Admission to the Postgraduate Diploma requires the completion of an undergraduate degree with a major in an approved area of study with a grade average of at least H2A (75%) or H2B (70%) in the final year of the course. The Postgraduate Diploma in Arts is similar in structure to the BA (Honours) and may provide an alternative pathway to higher degree research.

Please note: Students who have completed the new generation B-Arts or an Arts degree from another University should apply for the new generation Honours program (BH Arts). Applications can be found at the following website: http://www.arts.unimelb.edu.au/futurestudents/honours-studies/

The inherent academic requirements for study in the Bachelor of Arts 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 BA.

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) 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.

Coursework Masters
If you wish to continue your professional studies at postgraduate level, the studies you undertake in your major can provide a direct pathway to coursework masters degrees in a wide range of areas. Entry is based on academic merit and in most cases requires completion of a Bachelor degree or equivalent. For more information on entry into a coursework masters degree see the University graduate programs webpages.

Research Higher Degrees
If you wish to undertake advanced research and explore particular study areas in more depth, there will be opportunities to proceed to a range of Research Higher Degrees at masters and doctoral level, usually upon completion of an Honours degree. For more information about research higher degree study in Arts and the entry requirements, see the Arts Graduate Research Programs webpages and the Melbourne School of Graduate Research.

The University of Melbourne educational experience prepares well-rounded graduates who are academically outstanding, practically grounded and socially responsible. Melbourne's graduates are distinguished by their broad outlook and openness to different perspectives.

Melbourne's degrees develop research and reasoning skills that equip graduates to be influential citizens with high leadership potential. The University's graduates engage with national and global issues and are attuned to social and cultural diversity. They have high levels of self-awareness and value their personal integrity and well-being.

Academic distinction

A Melbourne degree provides graduates with in-depth knowledge of their specialist disciplines and skills in examining issues with multiple disciplinary perspectives. Melbourn graduates are critical, creative thinkers with strong reasoning skills. They can apply knowledge, information and research skills to complex problems in a range of contexts and are effective oral and written communicators.

The Melbourne educational experience prepares graduates to be entrepreneurial and innovative thought-leaders. Melbourne graduates bring research and inquiry skills to challenges in their workplaces and communities. They are adept lifelong learners who generate bold and novel ideas by critically evaluating alternative possibilities and viewpoints.

Active citizenship

Melbourne graduates have engaged with contemporary local, national and global issues and developed an appreciation of the Asian region. They have a high regard for human rights, social inclusion, ethics and the environment. Melbourne graduates are aware of the social and cultural diversity in communities and can work collaboratively with people from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. In particular, they have an understanding of and deep respect for Indigenous knowledge, culture and values.

The Melbourne experience supports a commitment to civic service in graduates' lives and careers, equipping them to be active, well-informed citizens who make substantial contributions to society. Graduates have the potential to be leaders in their professions and communities, with the capacity to work effectively across disciplines and cultures. Through advocacy and innovation they are able to lead change for a sustainable future.

Integrity and self-awareness

Melbourne graduates are motivated, self-directed and well-organised, with the ability to set goals and manage time and priorities. They are able to work effectively both independently and in groups. They are also highly self-aware and reflective, with skills in self-assessment, and place great importance on their personal and professional integrity.

The opportunities offered by the Melbourne experience help prepare graduates who are enthusiastic, self-assured and confident of their knowledge, yet flexible, adaptable and aware of their limitations. Melbourne's graduates are willing to explore, experiment and learn from mistakes. They have empathy and concern for the welfare of others and can manage their own well-being.