Bachelor of Arts (Advanced) (Honours)

There's a great amount of freedom of choice in what to study in a Bachelor of Arts (Advanced) (Honours) degree, but there are a few requirements that you will have to follow. These requirements are listed here and explained in detail below.

Let's go through what each of these requirements means in turn.

What are 'credit points'?

• Students doing an Arts (Advanced) (Honours) degree are able to choose to study in a wide range of subject areas - for example, History, Japanese, Philosophy and Art History & Theory.
• A semester-length component in a particular subject area is called a 'unit of study'.
• Each unit of study is worth a certain number of 'credit points'. From 2006, most units of study taught at the University of Sydney will be worth 6 credit points each.

How do I get 144 credit points?

• Most people studying full-time take three years to complete a Bachelor of Arts (Advanced) (Honours) degree.
• Full-time students usually earn their 144 credit points by taking units of study worth a total of 48 credit points per year (usually a total of 24 credit points per semester) over the three years of their degree, that is:

48 credit points X 3 years = 144 credit points!

What are 'senior' credit points?

• In the Faculty of Arts, units of study are classified simply as either 'junior' or 'senior'. Senior units in the Faculty of Arts are worth 6 senior credit points each. Senior units of study are those units which fall in the 2000-3000 range.
• Usually, a certain number of junior credit points need to be completed before enrolling in senior units but, as the Bachelor of Arts (Advanced) (Honours) degree allows acceleration into a senior Arts program from the commencement of the degree, students in this degree enrol in senior units from their first semester and do not complete any junior credit points.

How would I get 96 senior credit points?

• Students in the BA (Advanced) (Honours) program will take senior units of study for the first 2 years of enrolment.
• If you wish to, you may take up to 36 senior credit points from other faculties as part of your Bachelor of Arts (Advanced) (Honours) degree.
• You can earn the required 96 senior credit points over your first and second years by choosing subjects that add up to 24 credit points in each semester (24 credit points X 4 semesters = 96 credit points).

Could I do more than 24 credit points per semester?

• You might want to take more than 24 credit points in one semester - perhaps to try to get through your degree more quickly.
• You will be permitted to do up to (but no more than) 30 credit points per semester in your first and second years.

What's a 'major' in the Faculty of Arts?

• To earn a 'major' in a subject area (from Part A) in the Faculty of Arts, students will normally complete 36 senior credit points in THAT subject area.
• The requirements for entry into Honours in most Arts subject areas is 48 senior credit points. So before you enter your third year, the Honours year, you must have completed the entry requirements for Honours in the subject area/s that you are completing your Honours component in.

What is 'Part A' in the Arts Table of Units of Study?

• 'Part A' refers to the units of study that are listed in the Faculty of Arts Undergraduate Handbook, Section 5 'Table of Units of Study: Part A.
• All Part A units come from subject areas taught within the Faculty of Arts.
  You MUST have at least one major from Part A to complete your Bachelor of Arts (Advanced) (Honours) degree

Can I do more than one major?

• You can do one or two majors in your Bachelor of Arts (Advanced) (Honours) degree. If you choose to do just one major, then you'll have room for more variety in your degree, if that's what you'd like. If you do two majors, you'll have a degree with more specialisation.
• If you choose to do two majors, they both might come from Part A. But perhaps you have a strong interest in a subject area taught in another Faculty too. In that case, you can choose to do one major from Part B of the Table of Units of Study ... as long as you don't forget your Part A major and Honours entry requirements as well.
• Part B units come from subject areas taught in the Faculties of Science, Economics & Business, and Education & Social Work. They are listed in the Faculty of Arts Undergraduate Handbook, Section 5 'Table of Units of Study: Part B'.
• To meet the requirements for a Part B major, you must follow the regulations set by the relevant faculty. Information on regulations for Part B majors can be found in the relevant faculty handbook.

What is Honours?

• Honours is a research based year of study on a topic in a single subject area in which you completed a major with a written thesis due towards the end of the year.

What are 4000 level Honours credit points?

• These are units of study with generic codes that you enrol in for your Honours year, to a total of 48 credit points eg. ENGL4101 English Honours A = 12 Honours credit points. Being generic, their unit of study names do not reflect the nature of the coursework that you may undertake.
• The coursework that you undertake in your Honours year is arranged with your department.

What is a 'Credit'?

If your numerical mark for a unit of study is between 65% and 74%, then you achieve the grade of 'credit' in that unit.

The grade of credit fits into a whole system of grades, as follows:

• High Distinction - 85% and above
• Disctinction - 75% - 84%
• Credit - 65% - 74%
• Pass - 50% - 64%
• Fail - Below 50%

How do I get a credit average?

• Getting a credit average does not necessarily mean that you need to get credits in each unit of study across the board. This requirement is all about balance. As long as your average is equal to credit, it's OK.
• For example, you may get a pass for one unit of study but get a disctinction for another. When you average out the two - you get a credit average.

• You can't do more than 60 credit points from any one subject area. This means, for example, you can't do two majors in the one subject area.

• You may take up to 36 senior credit points from units of study in Part B. Part B units come from subject areas taught in the Faculties of Science, Economics & Business, and Education & Social Work.
• The 36 credit point limit means you may need to think carefully before choosing your Part B units if you wish to complete a major in one of these subject areas.
• To meet the requirements for a Part B major, you must follow the regulations set by the relevant faculty. Information on requirements for Part B majors can be found in the relevant faculty handbook.

Here is an example of how you might structure your Bachelor of Arts (Advanced) (Honours) degree over the three years:

Bachelor of Arts (Advanced) (Honours) Degree Overview page

This degree replaces the Bachelor of Arts (Advanced) degree from 2007. Students enrolled prior to 2007 in the Bachelor of Arts (Advanced) degree should consult the handbook from the year they commenced for degree requirements.