Honours

Honours offers you the opportunity to pursue in-depth studies in your discipline and prepares you to undertake a Master of Philosophy or a Doctor of Philosophy.

Why study Honours?

Many students enrol in Honours in order to explore an area of research that has come to fascinate them or to cap off a three-year bachelor program before entering the world beyond university.

To ease the transition from undergraduate to Honours, the School of Communication and Arts has put in place a support network that makes it as easy as possible for you to become part of our research community.

The network is made up of your Honours colleagues and postgraduate research students who will mentor you, along with, of course, thesis advisors and other members of staff.

If you have a question, there’s always someone to ask, and there’s always someone to chat through ideas with over a coffee.


What Honours fields can I study with the School of Communication and Arts?

Honours degrees can be taken in the following programs and fields taught by the school:

Bachelor of Arts (Honours) fields:

* This field includes students with an undergraduate major in English.

** These fields of study are proposed for introduction from 2025, pending final approval through relevant UQ Committees. 

^ A nomenclature change is proposed for this field of study from 2025, pending final approval through relevant UQ Committees. Currently it is called 'Communication and Cultural Studies' and from 2025 it is proposed to be shortened to 'Communication'. 

^^ A nomenclature change is proposed for this field of study from 2025, pending final approval through relevant UQ Committees. Currently it is called 'Journalism and Mass Communication' and from 2025 it is proposed to be shortened to 'Journalism'. 

Bachelor of Advanced Humanities (Honours) fields:

  • Art History
  • Drama
  • English Literature

NB. The Bachelor of Advanced Humanities (Honours) is an on-course Honours program and only available to students who are already enrolled in the program and have met the requirements to progress to the Honours Courses as detailed in the Additional Program Rules. Further information about the program is available HERE.


What will I learn by doing Honours?

The Honours program teaches:
  • critical analysis
  • advanced research methods
  • incisive reading skills
  • improved communication skills
  • improved interpersonal skills
  • independent learning
  • how to plan, research and produce a substantial project.

You will develop these skills by:

  • studying in a seminar environment at a more in-depth level than is possible at undergraduate level
  • working through research ideas with others in seminars and outside class
  • writing a dissertation (a long research essay on a topic of your choice), with the help of an advisor.

How long is Honours?

The period of Honours enrolment is one year full-time and two years part-time. There is no mid-year enrolment.