Program Requirements

The Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) requires completion of 192 units, of which:

A maximum of 60 units can come from the completion of 1000 level courses

The 192 units must include:

36 units from completion of the following compulsory courses:

ARTS1101 Advanced Studies 1: Thinking Research

ARTS1102 Advanced Studies 2: Doing Research

ARTS2101 Advanced Studies 3

ARTS2102 Advanced Studies 4

ARTS3101 Advanced Studies 5

ARTS3102 Advanced Studies 6

48 units from the completion of one of the following Arts majors:

Ancient Greek

Ancient History

Anthropology

Arabic

Archaeology

Art History and Theory

Australian Indigenous Studies

Biological Anthropology

Contemporary Europe

Criminology

Development Studies

Digital Humanities

Environmental Studies

English

French Language and Culture

Geography

Gender, Sexuality and Culture

German Language and Culture

History

Human Evolutionary Biology

Human Rights

International Communication

International Relations

Italian Language and Culture

Latin

Latin American Studies

Linguistics

Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies

Music

Music Technology

Persian

Philosophy

Political Science

Sociology

Spanish

War Studies

48 units from completion of one of the following Honours Specialisations:

Anthropology

Applied Economics

Archaeology

Art History and Theory

Asia-Pacific Studies

Australian Indigenous Studies

Biological Anthropology

Classical Studies

Contemporary Europe

Criminology

Development Studies

Digital Humanities

English

Environmental Studies

Gender, Sexuality, and Culture

History

Language Studies

Mathematics

Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies

Music

Philosophy

Politics and International Relations

Psychology

Sociology

For all Honours Specialisations HONS4100 Final Honours Grade will be used to calculate the Class of Honours and the Mark. It will be calculated using the formula: Σ (mark x units) / Σ units, giving NCN and WN a nominal mark of zero

60 units from completion of elective courses offered by ANU

Unless otherwise stated, a course used to satisfy the requirements of one list may not be double counted towards satisfying the requirements of another list.

Progression requirements

Over the first 144 units: Students must have no failing grades (N, NCN, WN) in order to continue in the Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours). Students who receive a failing grade are deemed to have failed to maintain progression requirements and they may be transferred to the Bachelor of Arts single degree.

Before commencing the final 48 units (the honours year): In order to progress into the honours year, students must meet the following entry requirements:

• Completion of the requirements of the PhB other than completion of an honours specialisation
• A weighted average mark equivalent to an ANU 75 per cent calculated from the 36 units (i.e. 0.75 EFTSL) of courses in the major cognate to the honours specialisation, excluding 1000-level courses (i.e. introductory undergraduate courses), with the highest marks
• Written approval of an identified supervisor for the thesis

and any additional requirements specified for the chosen honours specialisation. If these entry requirements are not met, the student will be transferred into the Bachelor of Arts single degree.

Performance during the honours year (the final 48 units): If a student does not receive H1 for their final Honours grade they will be transferred to the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) single degree. If a student receives less than 50% for their final Honours mark they will be transferred to the Bachelor of Arts single degree.

Honours

The final year of the PhB consists of an Honours year. However no student is guaranteed entry to a particular Honours program or supervisor at the beginning of the degree. The work of the Honours year will consist of advanced work in a selected field of study, details of which are available through the Honours convenor of the individual discipline. The Honours program has specific dates for application which are advertised in the Honours Handbook. Further information is available on the CASS Honours Students website.

Elective Study

Once you have met the program requirements of your degree, you may have enough electives to complete an additional elective major, minor or specialisation.

Study Options

Admission Requirements

Admission to all programs is on a competitive basis. Admission to the Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) requires meeting the ATAR requirement or an equivalent rank derived from the following qualifications:

• An Australian year 12 qualification or international equivalent; OR
• A completed Associate Diploma, Associate Degree, AQF Diploma, Diploma, AQF Advanced Diploma, Graduate Certificate or international equivalent; OR
• At least one standard full-time year (1.0 FTE) in a single program of degree level study at an Australian higher education institution or international equivalent; OR
• An approved tertiary preparation course unless subsequent study is undertaken.

Click HERE for further information about domestic admission.

The National Register of higher education providers is an authoritative source of information that will help you confirm your institution of choice is registered to deliver higher education in Australia.

The Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) website is HERE. Based on surveys done by thousands of students across Australia you can find out about universities that interest you, doing side-by-side comparisons.

Admission also requires a successful assessment of suitability based on a supplementary form and two referee reports.  The form and reports must be submitted by November 30 in the year of application. Submission of this form is compulsory for all applicants.

The table below is a guide to the entry level required for domestic applicants. Exact entry level will be set at time of offer.

Domestic applicant entry requirements

Queensland Band equivalents are a guide only - selection is made on an ATAR equivalent that is not available to students.

International applicant entry requirements

International applicants may view further information on admissions requirements at Entry Requirements for International Undergraduate Applicants

The University reserves the right to alter or discontinue its programs as required.

Adjustment Factors

A maximum of 5 equity adjustments apply to programs with a minimum selection rank of 98 or higher. Visit the ANU Adjustment Factors website for further information.

Scholarships

ANU offers a wide range of scholarships to students to assist with the cost of their studies.

Eligibility to apply for ANU scholarships varies depending on the specifics of the scholarship and can be categorised by the type of student you are.  Specific scholarship application process information is included in the relevant scholarship listing.

For further information see the Scholarships website.

Employment Opportunities

The PhB is an ideal path to take if you are already aiming for a career in research, but it is equally good if you decide to enter the workforce directly, as you will not only have gained the academic and generic skills normally obtained within an arts degree but will have gained highly marketable skills in independent research, oral and written communication and also in teamwork.

Learning Outcomes

Successful completion of this program enables students to:

• identify various research concepts, methodologies and methods;
• negotiate research projects by considering their academic relevance, possible academic contributions, and ethical implications;
• source and critically analyse research literature related to their topics of interest and research, and
• appraise concepts and arguments related to their topics of interest and research.

Further Information

When planning the courses for your degree please take into consideration:

• Substitution of the compulsory ARTS courses for other courses is not permitted.
• We recommend you consider an internship in industry or other organisation with research capacity (Government or NGO), and/or an international experience at a university with a reputation for research in your field of study as part of your elective courses offered by ANU; please consult with the CASS Student and Education Office about how to sequence these in your degree.
• We recommend you consider courses from, or the completion of, the ANU Leadership and Research Minor as part of your elective courses offered by ANU.