Honours courses

An honours course is a research-based program devoted to a research project. It is the first step towards a career in research, and a unique opportunity for students to explore their research potential.

An Honours qualification is not just for research careers! It will help you stand out when applying for professional roles in industry and government, as it represents a higher level of learning, capacity to work autonomously, teamwork, communication and many other enterprise skills at a higher level than a bachelor's degree.

You can undertake an Honours program either as an Undergraduate student after your Bachelor's (Bachelor with Honours) or as a Postgraduate student during your Master's degree (Master of Philosophy).

Check our UTS Science Honours course page for more information about the program. 

Steps to apply for an honours course 

Step 1:  Find out about the Honours program and Honours projects on offer 

You can attend an honours information session or check the projects offered. 

Attend an honours information session
Come along to the Honours information session and meet with potential honours supervisors.  Find upcoming sessions on the Science Events page.  

We will have School of Mathematics and Physical Sciences Honours Info Session on the 24th of September 10 am – 12.30 pm in Green lecture Theatre. 

Check Honours projects on offer
View opportunities from the School of Life Sciences and School of Mathematics and Physical Sciences.

Step 2: Find a supervisor 

 A supervisor is a researcher based in the Faculty of Science who mentors you throughout your honours program, many of the academics who are your subject coordinators and program directors are supervisors. Honours projects can also be completed externally under the collaborative guidance of both an external and a UTS supervisor.

Talk to supervisors about the projects you are interested in. You may speak to the supervisors during an information session. 

If you miss the information session, then you must contact the supervisors directly and arrange a time to meet with them to discuss your interest in undertaking an honours project under their supervision. 

Step 3: Finalise agreement for supervision

Once you have mutually agreed on the project and supervisor that best suits you, obtain your supervisor’s consent to supervise you. 

Step 4: Submit your application 

Submit the appropriate application forms based on your degree choice as below: 

 

Apply now 

Ensure you have viewed the steps above before applying.

Apply for a Bachelor’s Honours

Local (Domestic) Students

  1. See application deadlines and further detail about the application process
  2. Apply directly via the My Student Portal.
 

International students

  1. Complete the International Students Science Supplementary Form (PDF, 173kB). Add this form as supporting documentation in the UTS International Online Application System. Application closing dates are indicated on the application information page.
  2. Apply via the UTS International Online Application System.

Apply for Master of Philosophy courses

 
Local (Domestic) Students and International Students
  1. Apply directly via the My Student Portal.

 

Honours projects

View research opportunities from:  

School of Life Sciences 

School of Life Sciences Honours Projects 2024 (PDF, 2MB) 

In the School of Life Sciences (SoLS) you can find projects on: infectious diseases, respiratory diseases, neurological diseases, neurotrauma, biophysics of membranes, behavioural disorders, cancer, metabolic diseases, pregnancy, nanoparticles, cardiovascular diseases, stem cell biology, advanced microscopy, proteomics, pedagogy, pharmacology, bioinformatics, inflammation, plant biology, biodiversity, fresh water ecology, marine biology,  air pollution, wildlife ecology, remote sensing,

In the Australian Institute for Microbiology &Infection (AIMI) you can find projects on: intracellular microbes, microbial ecology and evolution, microbial genomics and proteomics, microbial morphology and development, computational microbial biology and emerging and opportunistic microbial Pathogens.

In the Climate Change Cluster (C3) you can find projects on: Algae biotechnology, reef-forming corals preservation, Ocean microbiology and photosynthetic organisms and environment.

For enquiries on projects or the Honours program, contact the School of Life Sciences Committee. 

School of Mathematics and Physical Sciences 

School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences Honours Projects 2024 (PDF, 2.2 MB) 

In the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MaPS) you can find projects on: Microscopy and spectroscopy, bioinspired microstructured material, self-assembly in materials and systems, nanofabrication and nanocharacterisation, advanced materials, quantum technology and communication, analytical chemistry techniques, plasmonics, organic chemistry and material synthesis, energy conversion and storage, nonlinear optics, physical and statistical modelling, group theory and machine learning and many other.    

In the Institute for Biomedical Materials and Devices you can find projects on the development of biomedical devices for disease screening, nanothermometry, application of nanoparticles for sensing and imaging.  

In the Centre for Clean Energy Technology you can find projects on novel material synthesis, battery design and fabrication, energy production and storage.  

In the Centre for Forensic Science you can find projects on  chemical criminalistics, crime scene investigation, digital forensics, fingermark detection, fire investigation, forensic biology, forensic intelligence, forensic taphonomy, forensic toxicology.

For enquiries on projects or the Honours program, contact Head of Honours Committee, A/Prof Irina Kabakova.

 

Important notice 
Please be aware that submission of these forms are an expression of interest only and does not guarantee placement in one of the School’s honours programs. The School’s honours committee will meet to assess your application. You will be informed of the result by the date indicated on the supplementary application form. Please keep a copy of your forms for your records. 

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people, upon whose ancestral lands our university stands. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.