Bachelor of Design in Architecture

An honours degree is an additional qualification that builds on your undergraduate studies through a supervised research project and advanced coursework. At the University of Sydney, the Bachelor of Design in Architecture (Honours) is a one-year, full-time program designed for students who have demonstrated academic excellence and research potential.

How to Apply

Follow these steps to apply for the Bachelor of Design in Architecture (Honours) as a domestic or international student.
Note: This guide applies specifically to the Bachelor of Design in Architecture (Honours). For other honours programs, please refer to the relevant faculty pages.

Step 1: Check Your Eligibility

To qualify for enrolment, you must:

• Have completed the Bachelor of Design in Architecture pass degree (or an equivalent degree from another university).
• Achieve a weighted average mark (WAM) of at least 70 across your undergraduate studies.

Step 2: Develop a Research Topic and Find a Supervisor

Before applying, you must:

• Develop a dissertation topic relevant to your field of study.
• Obtain confirmation from a full-time or fractional academic staff member who agrees to supervise your research.
• You may also nominate an associate supervisor if your topic extends beyond your primary supervisor’s expertise.

Search for supervisors by discipline, keywords, and research themes.

Step 3: Submit Your Application

Applications are submitted online and must include:

• Academic transcripts
• A brief research proposal
• Confirmation of supervisor support for supervision
• Any additional documentation required by the faculty

Additional Notes

• The honours year consists of four units of study across two semesters.
• There are no formal classes; students are expected to maintain regular contact with their supervisor.
• The final dissertation should be between 15,000 and 25,000 words, with flexibility for design-based or experimental research components.

Admission

To qualify for enrolment in the one-year, full-time honours program a student must have qualified for the award of the Bachelor of Design in Architecture pass degree, or an equivalent degree from another university, with a weighted average mark of at least 70.

Before making their application a prospective honours student must develop a dissertation topic and receive confirmation from an appropriate member of full-time or fractional academic or research staff that they are willing to supervise them. It is also possible to have an associate supervisor where a student’s research topic extends beyond the immediate expertise of their primary supervisor.

The Honours year

Honours must be undertaken full time over two consecutive semesters. It comprises four units of study (ARCH4003 and ARCH4004 in the first semester and ARCH4005 and ARCH4006 in the second semester).
There are no formal classes. Honours students are expected to make arrangements for weekly contact with their supervisor on an individual basis to chart their work, receive advice, review and monitor progress.

Submission date and form of dissertation

A student undertaking a dissertation shall:

• lodge two copies of their dissertation with the Principal Examiner by the end of the first week of the formal examination period in the final semester of enrolment.
• the dissertation should be between 15,000 and 25,000 words in length.
• a lesser word length is expected and acceptable for a dissertation that has a significant non-text-based exploration (for example, dissertations that include a significant design or art component, or empirical or experimental research component). In these cases the word length will be determined and agreed with the candidate's supervisor(s) and the Principal Examiner.
• state in the dissertation, generally in the preface and specifically in the notes, the sources on which the research was based, the extent to which the student has made use of the work of others and the portion of the dissertation which is claimed to be original; and
• not lodge as the student's own work any work previously submitted for a degree of the University of Sydney or any other university, but may incorporate such work in the dissertation provided that the student indicates the work so incorporated.

A student may lodge the dissertation for examination bound in either a temporary or permanent form according to the following conditions:

• temporary binding must be able to withstand ordinary handling and postage.
• the preferred form of binding is the 'perfect binding' system
• the cover of a temporarily bound dissertation must have a label showing the student's name, name of the degree, title of the dissertation and year of submission.

A student must lodge the final dissertation in a permanent form according to the following conditions:

• following examination and emendation if necessary, at least one copy (the library copy) of the dissertation must be bound in a permanent form
• if amendments are required, all copies of the dissertation which are to remain available within the University must be amended.

Non-completion

Students who do not complete the honours year will be awarded the pass degree. Those who terminate their study prior to the end of the second semester of study will be awarded a grade of 'DC' or 'Discontinue without failure'.
Students who fail or discontinue the honours program may not re-enrol in it, except with the approval of the Dean.

Determination of honours

A candidate's performance shall be assessed by a Principal Examiner and two other examiners. The Principal Examiner shall normally be the Degree Program Director unless otherwise nominated by the Dean. After consultation with the supervisor, the Principal Examiner shall appoint two examiners to examine the dissertation.
The Principal Examiner is appointed to oversee the examination process within the policies of the University for the assessment and examination of coursework.
The role of the Principal Examiner is to:

• make available to each honours student the criteria and assessment instrument for the examination of the honours dissertation
• appoint two examiners for each dissertation
• ensure that all examiners have been appropriately briefed on the assessment criteria. Where practicable, new examiners will be provided with examples of dissertations, which have been assessed within various bands to help calibrate the assessment
• review the examiners' reports and conduct a parity check. Parity is defined by the principle of equal marks for equivalent work.

The examiners shall report to the Principal Examiner.
The Dean shall, on the recommendation of the Principal Examiner, award the degree of Bachelor of Design in Architecture with honours whenever the following sections are satisfied:

• the examiners have recommended the degree be awarded without reservation or subject to emendations to all copies of the dissertation which are to remain available in the University; or
• the Principal Examiner unanimously accepts the recommendation of the supervisor that the degree be awarded subject to emendations despite reservations expressed by any examiner; and
• the overall performance is 70 or greater.

The Dean, on the recommendation of the Principal Examiner, will determine the class of honours, if any, on the overall performance of the candidate in the Bachelor of Design in Architecture using a mark derived from weighting the mark for the honours dissertation at 70 percent and the weighted average mark of the pass degree at 30 percent.

The honours dissertation itself receives a mark, which is recorded on the transcript next to ARCH4006. The other units will be converted to 'SR' for 'Satisfied requirements' upon successful completion of the dissertation.
The honours degree of Bachelor of Design in Architecture shall be awarded to eligible students, with the following grades:

• Honours Class I (with a mark of at least 80), or
• Honours Class II, Division 1 (with a mark of at least 75), or
• Honours Class II, Division 2 (with a mark of at least 70).

The University Medal may be awarded as described in the frequently asked questions section.

A candidate for the honours program who does not meet the requirements for award of honours shall be awarded the Bachelor of Design in Architecture pass degree.
The Dean may also recommend that an unsuccessful candidate be permitted to prepare for re-examination if of sufficient merit and the supervisor has so recommended.