Honours FAQ

Why should I do Honours?

Unlike a Bachelor's degree, an Honours degree gives you exposure to advanced coursework and research. This provides you with a taste of cutting-edge research topics and establishes a foundation for postgraduate study.

At the same time, an Honours degree is a certification of excellence in Mathematics and Science and, in particular, demonstrates that you have mastered a range of skills that are coveted by employers, including research skills, technical writing and oral presentations skills. It also shows that you have focus, perseverance, and creativity!

Our Honours students have stepped into exciting careers all over the world - in research, teaching, government, and industry. Employers of our Honours students include Google, Goldman Sachs, Quantium, the Australian Signals Directorate, and beyond. See our Alumni webpage for many more examples of where our Honours grads are employed!
Definitely not! You don’t need to do a PhD or become a Maths teacher after you complete your Honours year. An Honours degree in Mathematics, Statistics, or Data Science teaches you essential quantitative skills that are desired by a wide range of employers.
Definitely! The overwhelming feedback from employers is that they are looking for employees who can problem-solve, think creatively, and communicate effectively - exactly the skills we teach our Honours students!
The MWAM requirements are there to make sure that you are adequately prepared for an Honours degree. If you are at or only slightly above the requirements, you may struggle to thrive in your Honours year. If you are concerned about your grades or your preparation, you should talk to the Coordinator of the Honours stream that interests you.

Applying to the Honours year

The main criterion for which Honours stream you enter will be the area of research for your Honours project. Typically (but not always) this is the Department your supervisor sits in. But don’t worry - if you choose one Honours stream you can still take courses in other Departments (see below).
Yes! You should discuss your subject choices with your supervisor and Honours Coordinator to make sure that they are suitable. However, you can certainly take courses from other streams, and up to one course can be taken outside of the School (subject to your Coordinator’s approval).
See our webpage, Admission to the Honours Year, for details of entry requirements.
If you have a good idea of what kind of research area interests you, you can talk to the Honours Coordinator and potential supervisors and ask for recommendations on good third year courses.
Please see our webpage, Admission to the Honours Year, for enrolment details.
Yes, there are several scholarships available to Honours students.

Structuring your Honours year

Yes - you can commence Honours in T1, T2, or T3.
Not necessarily. Many students choose the schedule 2-2-1, as it leaves more time in the third term to finish your thesis. But if there are more courses you are interested in enrolling in for your third term, scheduling your courses as 2-1-2 or 1-2-2 is fine.
The thesis project must be completed in one year (i.e. three consecutive terms), but some of the five courses may be done before or after that year. Note that you cannot start Honours until you finish your undergraduate mathematics degree, and any Honours courses taken before starting the Honours program will not count towards the five needed courses.

The Honours Year Project

Different students have different approaches to finding their supervisor. Some students come into Honours year really interested in a particular research area, and then seek out a member of staff who is willing to supervise them. Other students are not sure about what research area interests them but are very interested in working with a particular person.

The best advice is to talk to lots of staff members early - and often - and look through the research profiles on the School website (Applied Maths; Pure Maths; Statistics; Data Science; Physical Oceanography. Also browse through our staff members' research profiles, linked from their names in our Staff Directory).
Early! You need to have a supervisor lined up well before starting your Honours year (ideally before you apply) so start talking to potential supervisors now!

Follow

Why should I do Honours?

Applying to the Honours year

Structuring your Honours year

The Honours Year Project

More questions?