Our rankings
We are ranked #1 in Australia and #4 in the world for graduate employability in the QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2020.
The University of Sydney is ranked #1 in Australia and #29 in the world in terms of research impact by the 2017 CWTS Leiden Rankings.
The Business School Honours Program is an additional year of intensive study that students with a superior academic record may undertake upon completion of the Bachelor of Commerce. The program is designed to challenge, inspire and set you apart to accelerate your global business career.
Information on this page is relevant to students who commenced the Bachelor of Commerce (Liberal Studies) prior to 2018. Students who commence study from 2018 can complete Honours as part of the Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Advanced Studies.
Honours can fast track your future, whether you want to go into advanced research study or your chosen industry.
Our program aims to produce Honours graduates who are highly motivated, organised and demonstrate superior initiative. As an Honours student, you will study advanced coursework topics and complete a research thesis. The coursework units have been developed to build your mastery of research methods and expertise in a given Business discipline.
Business School Honours graduates join an exclusive and exceptional cohort. In completing your honours thesis you will work one-on-one with an expert in the discipline to investigate a research problem and expand the existing body of knowledge within your area of study.
Success in the Honours program is driven by the applied focus of the student. If you have unanswered questions from your undergraduate degree, the program gives you the opportunity to go further.
The specialist knowledge and skills developed and applied in an honours year are sought out by employers and set you on an upward trajectory. Our alumni are now represented throughout senior positions in academia, government and the business sector.
Honours is available in many subject areas including the following.
Depends on your qualification, citizenship status
For standalone honours degrees, apply directly to the University via the online application portal before the closing date. Before you apply, visit the How to Apply information for honours (and the Business School page for specific information). When you are ready to apply, select the 'Apply' button on the right-hand side of this page. For further details refer to Business School Honours on the Current Students website.
Closing dates
The deadlines to apply, and when we'll notify you of the outcome, are explained in the table below.
| Round | Deadline to apply | Applicants notified |
|---|---|---|
| First round – all disciplines, except Business Analytics and Work and Organisational Studies | 15 November 2021 | Early to mid-December 2021 |
| Second round – all disciplines | 15 December 2021 | Mid-January 2022 |
| Third round – all disciplines | 15 January 2022 | Mid-February 2022 |
We strongly encourage applicants to apply as early as possible, offers are made on a rolling basis and places are limited. Separate scholarship deadlines apply - check the scholarships website for details.
Semester 1 (March)
For standalone honours degrees, apply directly to the University via the online application portal before the closing date. Before you apply, visit the How to Apply information for honours (and the Business School page for specific information). When you are ready to apply, select the 'Apply' button on the right-hand side of this page.
Closing dates
The deadlines to apply, and when we'll notify you of the outcome, are explained in the table below.
| Round | Deadline to apply | Applicants notified |
|---|---|---|
| First round – all disciplines, except Business Analytics and Work and Organisational Studies | 15 November 2021 | Early to mid-December 2021 |
| Second round – all disciplines | 15 December 2021 | Mid-January 2022 |
| Third round – all disciplines | 15 January 2022 | Mid-February 2022 |
We strongly encourage applicants to apply as early as possible, offers are made on a rolling basis and places are limited. Separate scholarship deadlines apply - check the scholarships website for details.
Semester 1 (March)
The Honours Program is a full-time year of study commencing in semester one. The program has two components, course work and a thesis. Students develop the coursework and thesis research expertise, analytical problem-solving skills, and written and oral communication abilities.
Honours students study three coursework units comprising a compulsory unit in research philosophy, foundations and methods and two specialisation electives within your Discipline. Depending on the specialisation of the student, coursework may be completed in semester one or across both semester one and two.
The thesis is a 20,000-word research-based dissertation on a topic in which the student has a strong intellectual interest. The research should identify an area for investigation which makes a relevant contribution to and extends the body of knowledge in the student's chosen domain. The quality of the research design, development of research question, application of appropriate methodologies and interpretation of findings, as well as the student's ability to effectively communicate this research are assessed in the thesis. Students will work on their thesis across their candidature in the program.
All honours commence in Semester 1, there is no mid-year intake. If you’re offered a place in honours, you can't defer your offer, you will need to reapply the following year. Your new application will be assessed for the subsequent intake, and it is not guaranteed that you’ll receive an offer.
If you intend to apply during the final semester of your undergraduate degree or combined undergraduate degree, it's recommended you complete all degree requirements during Semester 2. If you complete requirements during summer, you may not be awarded your degree in time for offers.
Applications are assessed in rounds. These are listed below in the table of key dates. We encourage you to apply for the earliest possible round as places may not be available in later rounds. Generally, you’ll be assessed in the round you submitted a valid application. However, we may also consider your application during a later round.
The deadlines to apply, and when we'll notify you of the outcome, are explained in the table below.
| Round | Deadline to apply | Applicants notified |
|---|---|---|
| First round – all disciplines, except Business Analytics and Work and Organisational Studies | 15 November 2021 | Early to mid-December 2021 |
| Second round – all disciplines | 15 December 2021 | Mid-January 2022 |
| Third round – all disciplines | 15 January 2022 | Mid-February 2022 |
The minimum entry requirement to the Business School Honours Program is a completed pass degree with a minimum Weighted Average Mark (WAM) of 65 across all units of study taken, and a minimum of 70 in units completed in the major relating to the intended specialisation in the Honours Program. Students are required to have a major in the field of study in which they intend to undertake their Honours Year. Entry requirements may be waived for an applicant by the Associate Dean (Programs) and Honours Program Director only in exceptional circumstances.
Places in the program are offered competitively and where there are appropriate supervisory resources. Preference may be given to applicants with a higher academic standard, applicants who have completed additional, relevant undergraduate units of study, and/or applicants who have a demonstrated research interest and ability within a specialisation.
For more information about the University’s credit policy, please see the Credit for Previous Studies page.
The University of Sydney Business School is actively involved in quality assurance and accreditation activities aimed at further enhancing the quality of our teaching, research and community-related programs. We strive for excellence and this has earned us the top international accreditations available to business schools and enabled us to forge strategic alliances.
These include: The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International); EQUIS, the quality assurance arm of the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD); and CEMS the Global Alliance in Management Education. The Business School is the only Australian business school to be admitted to CEMS, which is a prestigious alliance of 17 renowned European business schools, nine non-European academic institutions, and 60 of the world's leading multinational corporations.
Research and scholarship are the foundations of everything we do. It is an expression of our engagement with our academic colleagues in Australia and internationally, and with the professional and the business community. The University of Sydney Business School has an outstanding reputation for the quality of its research across a wide range of academic disciplines. The honours year in the Bachelor of Commerce (Liberal Studies) is an essential research training pathway to our higher degree by research programs, the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and Master of Philosophy (MPhil). The postgraduate research programs offered by the Business School attract a large number of domestic and international students each year. With more than 180 research students currently enrolled, we have one of the largest and most diverse higher degrees by research programs in the Asia-Pacific region.
Anna Bezuglova
Bachelor of Commerce (Liberal Studies) (Marketing and International Business)
“Studying at the Business School has given me some incredible opportunities, including working and studying in Paris and Los Angeles. These invaluable experiences have developed me professionally and personally, and helped me clarify what I want to do after graduation.”
