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Admission to Candidature

1. Admission to candidature shall be determined by the head of school on the recommendation of the course coordinator.

2. Except as provided in Rule 3., a candidate for admission to the final honours course shall have:
(a) satisfied all requirements for admission to the degree of Bachelor of Social Science in The University of New England; and
(b) passed units to the value of at least 60 credit points in the subject in which the candidate wishes to proceed; and
(c) attained at least Distinction standard in at least 18 credit points at 300 level in the subject in which the candidate wishes to proceed; and
(d) fulfilled any additional requirements prescribed and published by the subject or subjects concerned and approved by the school.

3. With the approval of the head of school on the recommendation of the course coordinator, a person who has fulfilled the requirements for a degree or other qualification of equivalent standing of a university or other institution recognised by the school for this purpose and who meets requirements considered to be equivalent to those specified in Rule 2. may be admitted to the final honours course leading to the degree of Bachelor of Social Science with Honours.

Preliminary Course

Candidates must complete a course of study sufficient to enable them to meet the normal requirements for entry to the course. The program for any preliminary course shall be determined by the school on the recommendation of the course coordinator. The General Rules shall apply to the preliminary program.

Period of Candidature

The period of candidature shall be:
(a) one year as a full-time candidate;
(b) up to two years as a part-time candidate.

Course Requirements

1. To qualify for the award a candidate must pass units to the value of 48 credit points comprising:
(i) an advanced course work component to the value of 24 credit points in the relevant subject; and
(ii) a dissertation component to the value of 24 credit points in the relevant subject.

2. A candidate shall complete a final honours course and pass the examination in either Psychology or Sociology.

3. Each Bachelor of Social Science (Honours) candidate is required to spend periods in face-to-face consultation with his or her supervisor(s). The nature and extent of such consultation will be determined by the supervisors and head of school after consultation with the candidate prior to commencement of each year of candidature.

4. A candidate may not enrol concurrently for other units at this University or at another institution, except that, upon the recommendation of the course coordinator the head of school may grant permission to do so.

Program of Study

Candidates shall complete an approved program of study as outlined in the Course Schedule comprising:

To view complete Program of Study click here (Psychology)

To view complete Program of Study click here (Sociology)

Award of Degree

Candidates who meet the course requirements shall be awarded the Bachelor of Social Science with Honours.

Classes of Honours

There shall be three classes of honours, namely Class I, Class II, and Class III. Class II shall have two divisions. There shall be no re-examination.
An exceptionally distinguished candidate who has been awarded First Class Honours may be awarded a University Medal.

An honours graduate who subsequently satisfies the honours requirements of another subject shall be granted a Certificate of Honours in that subject.

Examination of Dissertation

1. The dissertation will be assessed by at least two examiners.
2. The examiners may be internal or external to The University of New England at the discretion of the head of school.
3. The final class of honours will be determined on the basis of marks awarded for both dissertation and course work.
4. A dissertation will not be examined by a candidate's supervisor, but the supervisor should be consulted in the determination of the final result.

Suspensions and Extensions

The school may grant an extension or suspension of candidature, or a combination of both, to full-time candidates for up to six months or to part-time candidates for up to 12 months as follows:
(a) to compensate by way of extension of candidature, a candidate for time lost by ill-health or unforeseeable and unavoidable difficulties; or
(b) to compensate by way of suspension of candidature, a candidate who produces evidence that he/she shall not be in a position to pursue work towards the Bachelor of Social Science (Honours).

Re-enrolment

1. A full time candidate may be granted special leave by the head of school to re-enrol in a subsequent year if he or she withdraws from candidature by 31 August, or by 31 January for candidates commencing in Trimester 2.

2. A part time candidate may withdraw from candidature up to 31 August (or 31 January for candidates commencing in Trimester 2) in his or her first year of enrolment without prejudice to the right to re-enrol in a succeeding year.

3. A part time candidate who withdraws later than 31 August (or 31 January for candidates commencing in Trimester 2) in his or her first year of enrolment but prior to two months before the submission of the dissertation as required by the head of school may re-enrol in the same subject for the degree, provided that:
(a) two years will have elapsed before such re-enrolment;
(b) the topic of study undertaken within the dissertation is different from that of the original enrolment.

4. A candidate who withdraws later than two months prior to the date on which the dissertation is required shall be deemed to have failed.

5. Unless a candidate shows good cause why such action should not be taken, the school may, on the recommendation of the course coordinator, withdraw a candidate on the ground of his or her having failed to meet the requirements of the course and deem him or her to have failed in it.

6. A candidate who is deemed to have failed may, after a lapse of three years, be permitted to apply for re-admission to the course, provided the proposed dissertation work is in a different topic of study from that of the original enrolment.

Appeals

Candidates are referred to the University Policy on Appeals.

Improper Conduct

Candidates are referred to the Student Coursework Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct Rules.

Additional Requirements

Psychology
A candidate for Psychology honours in the Bachelor of Social Science with Honours degree must have successfully completed:

1. PSYC202 (or PESS202) at Credit grade or better; at least 18 additional credit points of PSYC units at 200 level, of which 12 credit points must be at Credit grade or better; and
2. PSYC302 plus at least 18 additional credit points of PSYC units at 300 level. Of these 24 credit points, at least 18 credit points must be at Distinction grade or better, and 6 credit points must be at Credit grade or better.

Note that satisfaction of these requirements does not guarantee a place in the program. The School of Behavioural, Cognitive and Social Science imposes a quota on Psychology Honours enrolments. The closing date for all applications to enter honours in Psychology is 31 October in the year prior to that in which enrolment is sought.

Sociology
Except with permission of the Sociology postgraduate coordinator, a candidate for Honours in Sociology shall have obtained 60 credit points in Sociology of which up to 12 credit points can be substituted by units in another related area; have three Distinctions or better in 300 level Sociology units; and have passed SOCY340 (Social Theory) and either SOCY333 (Qualitative Research Methods) or SOCY341 (Survey Methods).