Honours Information
School of Political and Social Inquiry
Honours 2009: Frequently Asked Questions
- 1. Who can apply to do Honours in the School of Political and Social Inquiry?
- 2. What is the deadline for Honours 2009 applications?
- 3. How can I apply?
- 4. What is the duration of the Honours programme?
- 5. Can I enter Honours mid-year?
- 6. Can I shift from full-time to part-time if I need to?
- 7. What does the study programme for Honours comprise?
- 8. Can I do Combined Honours within the School of PSI or with another School, such as History or English?
- 9. Why should I do Honours?
- 10. Who hires Honours graduates?
- 11. What's the next stage if I want to go on to graduate study?
- 12. What kind of study and research support do I receive?
- Who is the Honours coordinator for my discipline?
1. Who can apply to do Honours in the School of Political and Social Inquiry?
Any student with average grades of 70% or higher in the intended Honours discipline (e.g., Anthropology, Politics or Sociology) to the value of 24 points at second- and third-year levels, 18 points of which must be at third-year level.
2. What is the deadline for Honours 2009 applications?
Applications are accepted by the Faculty of Arts until Friday, 28 th November, 2008
3. How can I apply?
Honours application forms are available online from: http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/current/coursework/honours
4. What is the duration of the Honours programme?
For full-time students, it is two academic semesters. For part-time students, it takes 4 academic semesters.
5. Can I enter Honours mid-year?
We offer mid-year entry commencing in July (both full-time and part-time study).
6. Can I transfer from full-time to part-time if I need to?
If your work situation changes, for instance, you can apply to transfer to part-time study.
7. What does the study programme for Honours comprise?
All PSI Honours students complete two coursework units (one in each semester for full-time students) plus an 18,000-word thesis. The thesis is researched and written throughout the Honours candidature, and every student is supervised one-to-one by a member of academic staff.
8. Can I Do Combined Honours Within the School Of PSI or with Another School, Such As History or English?
Yes. For example, you could do Sociology/History or Politics/Women's Studies. Generally, you'll do one coursework unit with PSI and one with your other discipline School (depending upon the other School's requirements). The thesis will be supervised jointly.
Career Prospects
9. Why should I do Honours?
To distinguish yourself from the crowd of Bachelor degree graduates. Around 35 students per year graduate from PSI with Honours and approximately 500 or so graduate with a 3-year degree. Do you want to be part of the top 5%?
Honours also gives you the opportunity to specialise. For example, you might want to research an NGO-related project in your thesis because you want to work for, say, the International Red Cross or Médecins sans Frontières or another aid or development organization. Or your Honours thesis may be country or region-specific, such as studies of states or societies in Australia's region.
10. Who hires Honours graduates?
Everyone. Honours graduates develop research, analytical and communications skills well beyond those of Pass graduates with pass degrees. Federal Government departments, such as DFAT, generally won't even consider applicants for graduate positions without an Honours degree. DFAT never recruits people without Honours degrees for Graduate positions. Increasingly, the professionalisation of careers, such as journalism, means employers are also much less likely to accept graduates without Honours degrees. The same applies for other occupations in the public sector, such as the ACCC and ASIC .11. What's the next stage if I want to go on to graduate study?
Graduates who receive an H1 (Honours Class 1 - 80%+) or H2A (Honours Second Class, Division A, 70-79%) can generally gain direct acceptance into Masters (Research or Coursework) programs, such as PSI 's Master of International Relations and Master of Counter-Terrorism Studies, or Ph.D-level programmes at any university, both within Australia and internationally.
A number of high-performing Honours graduates enrol in a Ph.D, by either undertaking a year's qualifying Masters research, or following a few years' work experience. Highly-ranked H1 Honours graduates compete for Commonwealth Postgraduate Scholarships, which are offered by all Australian universities. Other Honours graduates frequently enrol in Masters or Postgraduate Diplomas at some stage during their career in order to upgrade their skills and qualifications.
12. What kind of study and research support do I receive?
All Honours students are granted copying allowances, access to PCs and printers. The Library grants Honours students special borrowing privilege and access to a Library study carrel. Both you and your supervisor can also obtain research material not held by Monash libraries via Document Delivery.
Who is the Honours coordinator for my discipline?
The discipline coordinators are:
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Anthropology |
9905 2962 |
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Behavioural Studies |
Dr RoseAnne Misajon |
9903 4467 |
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| Dr. Francesca Collins |
9903 2471 |
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Criminology |
9905 8654 |
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Politics |
Dr. Narelle Miragliotta |
9905 2402 |
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Sociology |
Dr Andrew Singleton |
9905 5836 |
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Women's Studies |
9905 3259 |