Faculty of Medicine,Dentistry and Health Sciences Department of Pathology

Undertaking Honours in Pathology

Undertaking the Honours course in the Department of Pathology represents an exciting and challenging opportunity for students to investigate their potential for a future career in biomedical research. The objectives of the course include the development of individual student’s skills in the areas of a) planning and design of experiments b) acquisition, interpretation and critical analysis of results, c) reporting of experimental data in a concise and scientific manner consistent with that published in scientific journals and d) communication of your research project via oral presentations to the Department.

This course is a challenging and exciting opportunity to experience laboratory based research investigating mechanisms of disease. This course requires hard work, discipline and self motivation, potentially involving long hours in the laboratory often performing technically complex experiments. To be successful, you will require good communication with your supervisor, other laboratory members, your peers and your Honours Coordinator.  The effort you put into these aspects of your course will provide rewards in terms of developing the analytical skills of a scientist, learning new skills and techniques, contributing to cutting-edge research and developing working relationships with your scientific peers.

The course is composed of 3 subjects, Research Project, Critical Analysis of Pathologic Research and Introduction to Biomedical Research. The breakdown of the weightings of each subject are.

PATH40001 Research Project (75 credit points)

15%           Literature Review*
65%           Research Thesis
5%             Introductory Seminar#
15%           Defense of Thesis Seminar#

PATH40002 Critical Analysis of Pathological Research (12.5 credit points)

20%           Data Assessment Exercise (Oral)
80%           Data Assessment Exercise (Written)

BIOM40001 Introduction to Biomedical Research (12.5 credit points)

50 %          Assignment 1
50 %          Assignment 2

You will be provided with a course survival kit which contains all of the necessary administrative information that you need to know about this course. You will also receive a copy of the Honours course timetable which lists all of the important dates, times and locations for your lectures, tutorials, oral presentations, and submission dates for your BIOMED assignments and literature review hurdle assessment and thesis report.
For most students the B.Sc. (Hons) year starts in February (Semester 1) and ends in November, although a mid-year intake (Semester 2) is also a possibility at the discretion of the departmental coordinator.


Entry requirements
For entry into the B.Sc. and B.Biomed (Hons) degree, you must have completed a suitable degree (B.Sc. B.Biomed.Sci. or equivalent) and achieved a Faculty Honours Score of 65 or equivalent. To undertake B.Sc. and B.Biomed (Hons) in the Department of Pathology, you must complete the application procedures outlined in the Department of Pathology B.Sc. and B.Biomed (Hons) Project Handbook, have the agreement of a supervisor in the Department of Pathology and the approval of the Head of Pathology (See "enrolling in a B.Sc. and B.Biomed (Hons)" below).


Enrolling in a B.Sc. and B.Biomed Honours in the Department of Pathology

  1. Look through the available list of B.Sc. and B.Biomed (Hons) projects and Supervisors available on the Department of Pathology web site (Semester 1 projects will be made available in September of the previous year and Semester 2 projects will be made available in May).
  2. Contact the supervisors of the projects that are of interest to you by email or phone and arrange an appointment to discuss the project or visit the supervisor's poster at the Departmental honours information session (for Semester 1 intake only, this is normally held in late August early September).
  3. Complete and submit the "List of Preferred Projects" form which is attached to the Department of Pathology B.Sc. and B.Biomed (Hons) Project Booklet and Faculty of Science B.Sc. (Hons) Application form to the administrative assistant of the Pathology B.Sc. and B.Biomed (Hons) course.
  4. We will review all applications and following consultation with prospective student supervisors, we will send out a letter in late December or early January for Semester I intake informing you of the outcome of your application. Dates will differ for Semester 2 intake.

Contact the Honours co-ordinator
For initial enquiries about doing your BSc(Hons) in the Department of Pathology, contact the Honours Co-ordinators:

top of page