What Honours Is (and Who It’s For)

An honours year is an additional year of study that can set you apart from other students. It shows future employers that you are capable of independent work and effective communication, as well as producing complete reports on a given topic with very little help. This makes you an appealing candidate for jobs in your chosen industry, as well as opening up doors in the research space.

If you’re nearing the end of a three-year bachelor’s degree, you’ve probably heard people mention “honours” a few times, or maybe you’ve seen it listed in postgraduate pathways. But is it actually worth doing?

Here’s a straightforward guide to help you decide if an honours year is the right next step for you. Please note this guide is for domestic Australian students, if you are an international student please read this post here.

What Honours Is And Who Should Do It

In Australia, an honours year is an additional year of study that builds on your bachelor’s degree. It typically includes a mix of advanced coursework and an independent research project under academic supervision.

Some degrees have honours built in (e.g. Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)), but for most students—especially in science, arts, or business – it’s a separate fourth year you apply for after finishing your undergraduate degree.

Honours is ideal if:

• You’ve consistently performed well (usually a distinction average or above)
• You’re interested in research or academia
• You’re thinking about applying for a PhD
• You want to deepen your knowledge in a specific area of your field
• You want to stand out from other prospective employees when you apply for jobs

It’s not just for “top” students – plenty of people do honours to strengthen their academic record or clarify their career direction before jumping into a master’s or the workforce.

Benefits of Doing Honours

• 🎓 Pathway to a PhD
  A First Class or strong Second Class Honours (Division A) can allow you to apply for a PhD without needing a master’s degree.
• 🔬 Research Skills
  You’ll conduct your own project, learn to work with a supervisor, and develop advanced research and academic writing skills.
• 📈 Improve the look of your GPA
  If your GPA is lower than you would like – usually because of lower grades as we are getting used to university in our first year or semester – then having honours can show a prospective employer that you are not a defined by your grades alone, but that you would make a good diligent and effective employee.
• 💼 Employability Boost
  In competitive fields – like government, research, consulting, and NGOs – having honours can set you apart. It shows initiative, independence, and critical thinking.

In fact, I once had a conversation with some mine managers who were trying to hire graduate geologists. They made the decision to only interview graduates that had completed an honours year. This decision was based on a problem they had been experiencing – undergraduate geologists that did not have the ability to run projects from start to finish and create a report at the end to submit to their bosses. They were tired of this problem, and their solution was only to hire Honours graduates, since this showed to them what level of work they were capable of.

Downsides to Consider

• 🕐 Extra Time and Cost
  It adds another year to your degree (and potentially another HECS-HELP debt load), which might not be worthwhile if you’re heading straight into a non-research career.
• 🧠 It’s Intense
  Honours is often the most challenging year of study you’ll do. The learning curve for research, independence, and project management is steep.
• ❌ Not Necessary for Every Career
  If you’re going into teaching, clinical roles (e.g. allied health), or general business roles, a coursework master’s or industry experience might be more helpful.

For example, if you are completing a psychology degree then an honours year is not really helpful. In Australia, you need to complete a Masters before you will be allowed to clinically practice. So you are better off jumping straight into a Masters and saving yourself the year you would waste on Honours.

When Honours Is Worth It

You should seriously consider honours if you want to do a PhD in the future, you want to work in academia or as a research assistant, or you want to stand out in the job market.

Finding the Right Supervisor Matters

One of the most important decisions you’ll make during honours is whom you’ll work with as a supervisor. This person will help shape your research topic, support your writing and project development, and influence your success (and enjoyment) throughout the year.

You don’t have to stay at the same university where you did your undergrad. In fact, changing universities can be a smart strategic move if:

• You want to work with a specific expert in your field
• Your current uni doesn’t offer honours in your discipline or lacks strong supervision options
• You’re considering a future PhD and want to build relationships at another university

Don’t be afraid to explore your options – many students contact potential supervisors directly, even at other universities. If someone’s research interests align with yours, and they’re open to supervising, it may be worth applying through their institution instead. Just check deadlines early, as application processes and timelines can vary.

How to Apply

Applying for honours is usually done in the final semester of your bachelor’s degree. Each uni is different, but most will require:

• A minimum GPA (often distinction average or higher)
• A research proposal or expression of interest
• Academic references
• Agreement from a supervisor

I found it best to talk to each of your lecturers about the possibility of doing honours. The most important thing is to find a supervisor that you want to work with on a topic that excites you. Honours is a very long year if you end up working with a supervisor that you don’t get along with, or on a topic that you find boring.

You can also talk to your course coordinator or honours convenor early – even a semester or two ahead – especially if you want to secure a specific project or supervisor.

Honours Programs at Australian Universities

Here are the links for each university and their honours program information so you can get jump straight to the information you need to get started.

• Australian Catholic University (ACU): Honours Programs
• Australian National University (ANU): Honours Applications
• Bond University: Honours Programs
• Charles Darwin University (CDU): Honours Degrees
• Charles Sturt University (CSU): Honours Degrees
• Curtin University: Honours Degrees
• Deakin University: Honours Programs
• Edith Cowan University (ECU): Honours Degrees
• Federation University Australia: Honours Degrees
• Flinders University: Honours Degrees
• Griffith University: Honours Degrees
• James Cook University (JCU): Honours Degrees
• La Trobe University: Honours Degrees
• Macquarie University: Honours Programs
• Monash University: Honours Degrees
• Murdoch University: Honours Degrees
• Queensland University of Technology (QUT): Honours Degrees
• RMIT University: Honours Programs
• Southern Cross University: Honours Degrees
• Swinburne University of Technology: Honours Degrees
• University of Adelaide: Honours Degree Information
• University of Canberra: Honours Degrees
• University of Melbourne: Honours Programs
• University of New England (UNE): Honours Degrees
• University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney): Honours Programs
• University of Newcastle: Honours Degrees
• University of Notre Dame Australia: Honours Programs
• University of Queensland (UQ): Apply for an Honours Degree
• University of South Australia (UniSA): Honours Degrees
• University of Southern Queensland (USQ): Honours Degrees
• University of Sydney: Honours Programs
• University of Tasmania (UTAS): Honours Degrees
• University of Technology Sydney (UTS): Honours Applications
• University of the Sunshine Coast (USC): Honours Degrees
• University of Western Australia (UWA): Honours Programs
• University of Wollongong (UOW): Honours Degrees

Each university outlines its specific eligibility criteria, application deadlines, and available research areas. Encourage students to review these pages early in their undergraduate studies to plan ahead.

Alternatives to Honours

If honours doesn’t suit your goals, there are other great postgraduate options:

• Graduate certificates/diplomas — Often shorter, skill-focused programs (These are perfect if you want to pivot from your main degree and explore something else)
• Coursework Master’s degrees — Practical and widely recognised in industry (Just be aware that you can’t go from a coursework Master’s to a PhD, you would still need to do a research Master’s in-between)
• Industry experience — For some fields, an internship or entry-level job might provide more relevant experience than honours. Graduate programs are also often available, for example in geology, engineering, environmental science etc. The Australian Defence Force also offers some great programs.
  

You can check where of these sit in the Australian Qualifications Framework here.