Handbook

Admission Requirements and Process

Students are expected to have completed the requirements for a three year full-time undergraduate Bachelor degree typically with a minimum overall WAM (weighted average mark) of a credit, and completed a major within the desired honours discipline. However, the academic requirements for particular disciplines within Science may be higher due to the competitive nature of Honours in some disciplines and the number of Honours places available within a School. Disciplines may also have particular prerequisite requirements for entry into Honours, and may consider a student’s performance in their major area of study when assessing their eligibility for admission. Students must apply to the relevant School for admission into Honours, and admission requirements as well as the number of places available are determined by the Head of School or nominee. For details of the entry requirements for a particular discipline, please see the relevant plan entry in this Handbook.

To apply for admission to Honours, students should contact the relevant School for information on research projects, available supervisors, and entry requirements. Once students have located a suitable supervisor, they should lodge an application for Honours to the School by the advertised deadlines. Deadlines for these are found on the School’s webpages. Students who have not completed their undergraduate degree at UNSW, or completed their UNSW degree at least 6 months beforehand, will need to lodge two applications – one to the relevant School, and another to the UNSW Admissions Office.

Note: this Honours program is the honours pathway from the following UNSW Science programs: 3980 Bachelor of Aviation (Flying), 3981 Bachelor of Aviation (Management); 3970 Bachelor of Science, 3925 Bachelor of Science and Business, 3965 Bachelor of Science (Environmental Management), 3987 Bachelor of Science (International), and 3991 Bachelor of Medical Science, and the associated dual degrees.

UNSW Students may be granted Recognition for Prior Learning (RPL) which may or may not reduce the amount of learning required to achieve a degree at UNSW. Generally, RPL is only granted based on the completion of tertiary-level studies, but in exceptional circumstances may also include non-formal or informal learning such as professional experience. RPL will not be granted based on partly completed tertiary courses. All applications for RPL at UNSW are subject to UNSW Recognition of Prior Learning (Coursework Programs) Policy and Procedures. Students seeking credit for courses completed at another university are required to submit documentary evidence (course outlines, academic transcripts) to support their application, and to nominate the course(s) for which they seek credit. In addition, the following conditions apply for all UNSW Science programs (including the Science component of dual award programs): Specified course credit, i.e. credit granted for an exact or near exact equivalence to a course at UNSW, will not be granted when more than 7 years has elapsed from the successful completion of the course (or other learning) and the student’s commencement in the Science program. Where this time period is shorter it will be stipulated in the individual rules for the relevant program. Unspecified course credit (e.g. General Education or free electives) will not be granted when more than 10 years has elapsed from the successful completion of the course (or other learning) and the student’s commencement in the Science program. Students may only receive credit of up to a maximum of 50% of the coursework component of their Science program, excluding Honours. For most undergraduate programs this will be 72 UOC. For dual award programs that include a Science component, it will be a maximum of 50% of the Science component of the dual degree, excluding Honours. Credit for the other program will be assessed by the Faculty that administers that program. Applications for RPL will only be assessed for students who have accepted a place to study in a UNSW Science program. Students must formally apply for RPL unless they become a UNSW student as part of a formal Articulation Agreement. Applications for RPL should be made as early as possible in the student’s program. Students who are readmitted into a Science program after a period of unapproved absence or deferment, or after exclusion, will not necessarily retain credit for all units completed at UNSW prior to the absence if the date of completion of the units of study is greater than the 7 and 10-year rules outlined in points 1 and 2 above. In these cases, the credit retained will be decided by the Associate Dean (Academic Programs) in consultation (when necessary) with the Program and/or Course Authority.

Progression rules are in accordance with university policy.

For more information on university policy on progression requirements please visit Academic Progression