Getting started
Getting started – the why, who, what, where & when about honours
There's a lot to consider when deciding whether to enrol in Honours. This page will help you get started. There are also Honours information sessions scheduled for each Department or, for those not able to attend an information session, the Biomedical Science Honours video below will also give you an overview of the course structure and what you need to consider before enrolling.
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Our students tell us that Honours is challenging, but also rewarding and fun. They relish the fact that they get to work with the world’s best researchers on real-world research problems in cutting-edge labs. Make no mistake, it is a tough program, but one that has the potential to transform your life (and you can have fun too)!
Employers tell us that they value the skill-sets developed during the Honours program. To complete your Honours qualification, you will need to manage project schedules and delivery milestones, meet deadlines, work in a team, solve complex problems, resolve conflicts, develop expertise in a particular field and communicate your findings. You will also be working independently. In short, Honours enhances and expands your employment options as employers are always looking for these highly regarded transferable skills.
And sometimes, it’s not only what you know but who you know that matters. Your Honours program is a great chance to build your networks: you’ll meet and work with scientists, clinicians, and industry partners. The Honours year is a great chance to garner referees and contacts.
The Honours program also gives you a chance to see if research is for you (and, perhaps more importantly, it will show you if research is not for you, without too much being at stake!) Before you commit to a gruelling PhD program, you can take a deep-dive into a particular biomedical discipline with a world-leading researcher and prepare yourself for further postgraduate studies if you decide you do want to pursue a career in research.
And, finally, at the risk of stating the obvious, the Honours program is one pathway into the Doctoral program. It is your first step towards academic independence – and possibly a future career ‘at the bench’ – you can take pride in the fact that you will be actively contributing to our biomedical knowledge base.
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We’ve heard a lot of students ask “Am I really good enough to do Honours?”
Our answer to this: if you’re good enough to meet the entry requirements, then yes, you’re capable of having an exceptional Honours year. Remember – the emphasis will be on your research, so your drive and determination will be a key factor in your success.
And what are these entry requirements? Anyone who has completed all of the requirements for the award of a pass degree of a recognised and relevant Bachelor degree with the required marks is eligible to apply.
If you are a double degree student, then you must have completed all of the Biomedical Science or Science degree requirements with the required marks.
NOTE: Achieving the required marks does not guarantee admission. You also need to find a suitable project and supervisor, and certain projects may be in high demand.
Monash students
Typically, if you are an existing Monash student, you will have completed a Bachelor of Biomedical Science, or a Bachelor of Science with biomedical science electives, with an average of 70% in at least half of your third year units (12cp of electives, 12cp of core subjects).
Non Monash students
If you completed your degree somewhere other than Monash University, comparable qualifications and academic standards will be required and these are assessed on a case-by-case basis, with an emphasis on the third year unit outcomes. As a guide, you would need an average of at least 70% in your third year subjects. You will be required to provide certified documentation of your results and course completion. When submitting your application, please submit the academic results achieved to date.
To read the precise eligibility requirements for each of the Honours programs which can be undertaken in a biomedical sciences field, visit the links below:
Domestic* students
International students
*Australian and New Zealand citizens, or holders of permanent resident or permanent humanitarian visas
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Honours is not like your previous undergraduate experience. It is not about lectures and assignments with an intense end-of-year exam. Embedded in a research group and working on a real problem makes it a richer, more personal experience than your undergraduate degree.
At the risk of repeating ourselves, it’s an intense program, but one that has the potential to transform your life (and you can have fun too)!
The Honours program – one year in length if done full-time - consists of a significant research project (75%) and a compulsory coursework component (25%). As part of your Honours program, you will receive training in presentation skills, data analysis and specific techniques, and acquire advanced discipline-related knowledge.
We have deliberately kept coursework and exams to a minimum so your major focus is on your chosen research project.
The independent research project is individual – each student’s experience of Honours will therefore be unique. If you choose a project offered by the Monash BDI*, this will be done in one of our labs, within one of our five Departments, and under the supervision of academic and research staff. The choice of research project and supervisor will be left largely to you. Your supervisor(s) will have experience in supervising Honours students. As part of the Honours program, you will prepare a literature review, and present your research project findings by giving an oral presentation (or two) and writing a research thesis.
What does an Honours thesis look like? You’ll be writing 10,000 – 15,000 words,** and this will account for 80% of your marks in the research component. We advise our students that this equates to roughly four weeks of full-time writing – and it has to be both concise and precise.
The advanced coursework component comprises a common core component, and a discipline-specific component. In the core component, you will complete a statistics module and be required to prepare a written critique of a journal article (usually done under exam conditions, and we take away the title and the abstract so you can really show us your analytical skills). The requirements of the discipline-specific component vary between Departments, but may involve participating in a journal club, attending some advanced lectures or workshops, critically analysing a discipline-specific journal article and an exam (or two).
For those really wanting to know all the details, consult the M3702 Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Honours) and S3701 Bachelor of Science (Honours) Unit Guides.
*There are also a range of projects offered at Monash affiliated Hospitals, Schools, Centres, Institutes and Departments
** This might sound daunting, but help is at hand
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You can start your Honours year in the year after you’ve completed your undergraduate degree – or up to five years after completing your degree. You can start at the beginning of the academic year (February) or in our mid-year intake (July). The Bachelor of Science (Honours) can be done full-time or part-time, the Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Honours) can only be done full-time.
Having said that, we recommend starting at the beginning of the academic year immediately after completing your undergraduate degree.
NOTE: Whenever you decide to start your Honours year, you will be required to attend the compulsory one-week training session PRIOR to undertaking any laboratory-based work. This is held during the Orientation week of the semester.
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There are two main options: you can choose to enrol in a Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Honours) OR a Bachelor of Science (Honours) program, in each case choosing a biomedical science research project.
Typically, students who have completed a Bachelor of Science degree will enrol in the Bachelor of Science (Honours) and students who have completed a Bachelor of Biomedical Science will enrol in the Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Honours).
Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Honours)
If you choose the Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Honours), you will enrol through Monash’s Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, and you will be based in Melbourne, Australia. You will undertake your research project through the Monash BDI with your research project being based at the Monash BDI or any of Monash University’s affiliated hospitals, institutes, centres or departments in Victoria.
Bachelor of Science (Honours)
If you choose the Bachelor of Science (Honours), you will enrol through Monash’s Faculty of Science and be based in Melbourne, Australia. You will undertake your research project through one of the Monash BDI academic departments or through one of a selected group of Monash University’s affiliated hospitals, institutes, centres or Departments in Victoria.
Your research project is really the key to an enjoyable and successful Honours year: you need to choose a project that genuinely interests and excites you, and find a compatible and supportive supervisor (and research group). Which leads into the next section…..
Monash BDI Academic departments
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- Department of Microbiology
- Department of Physiology
- Department of Pharmacology
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If you are interested in Honours, then finding a supervisor and a project is YOUR responsibility. This takes time, so start early.
Choosing a ‘good fit’ project and supervisor is really the key to an enjoyable and successful Honours year. You should choose a research project that really interests and excites you. You also need to be able to get along with your supervisor and research group. Finding a project and supervisor requires you to do your ‘due diligence’ – review the project listings available, talk to potential supervisors, talk to current Honours students (and/or current Doctoral students), visit the various Departments and talk with staff about Honours projects.
What should I consider when choosing?
- Your research project: is it feasible and ‘ready to go’? Does the lab have all of the equipment, resources, ethics approvals, and necessary materials to get started as soon as your Honours program commences? What is it you want to do after your Honours year? (This might steer you towards one Department or discipline rather than another.) What methods are you interested in?
- Your supervisor: will you be able to get on with them when the pressure is on? Who will be your co-supervisor (the person who will be your ‘rock’ when your supervisor is away)? Who else will be involved? Be aware that many supervisors may not be doing much benchside research anymore: they are often preparing grants, writing papers, teaching, or performing research management duties - but they will have a team of post-docs, PhD students and a co-supervisor to help you.
- Your lab/research group: what is the environment? What is the culture? Work-ethic and responsibilities? Values? Will this suit you?
So, how do I find a project and supervisor?
So – let’s talk practical and tactical - where do you start with finding a supervisor and research project?
- Each of our Departments have prepared Honours Projects booklets that give details of all the available projects. You can find information on where projects are offered and project booklets on the Honours specialisations, projects and co-ordinators web page.
- Some of our supervisors have put their particular project details into a fully searchable, online database called Supervisor Connect. You can filter the results based on the Institute, School, Centre; and then by Department; by supervisor name, or by keyword. This is a good place to get started in identifying projects of interest. This is a new tool for biomedical students, so be aware that not all of our supervisors have entered their projects yet.
- The Honours co-ordinators are a good source of information, feel free to make contact with them. Visit the various Departments and talk with staff about Honours projects.
- You can get a feel for which supervisors are based in particular Departments and Programs within the Monash BDI by using the Our People search tool or consulting the “Your Future in Research ” brochure.
Once you have identified particular projects of interest, feel free to approach the nominated researchers/supervisors associated with that project. Talk directly to potential supervisors, current Honours and Doctoral students, and try to organise a visit to several labs. By doing so, you will really get to know the culture of the research groups you might be joining.
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There are a small number of scholarships available. They are highly sought after, and students are ranked according their GPA (grade point average) over the three years of their undergraduate degree.
There are scholarships relevant to students considering an Honours year in a biomedical science related field:
- Phillips-Gilmore Biomedicine Honours Scholarship
- Alfred Research Alliance Honours Scholarship
- Geoff Bentley Pharmacology Grant
For more information about scholarships at Monash:
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We’re glad you asked. In a nutshell:
- You enrol through the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences for the Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Honours). You enrol through the Faculty of Science for the Bachelor of Science (Honours).
- As a Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Honours) student, you have a broader range of research projects to choose from, with all of the Faculty’s affiliated hospitals, institutes, centres and departments projects available to you. As a Bachelor of Science (Honours) student, you choose your project from a selected group of affiliated organisations’ projects.
- Due to the different Faculty processes, there are minor differences in the application and assessment procedures for each degree.
Typically, students who have completed a Bachelor of Science degree will enrol in the Bachelor of Science (Honours) and students who have completed a Bachelor of Biomedical Science will enrol in the Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Honours).
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