Earlier in 2024, the University of Sydney notified students that administrative issues had been identified in relation to our combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies degrees. These relate to how the University awarded the degrees to graduates and potential confusion around the nomenclature of honours awards and honours pathways for currently enrolled students.
Following approval of a remediation approach by the Academic Board in February 2024, a range of actions are underway to ensure that graduates and students receive degree certificates that accurately reflect their learning outcomes.
The vast majority of our students and alumni are unaffected, and the administrative matters being addressed do not affect the high-quality learning outcomes achieved by all our students.
The administrative issues identified the potential for confusion about the number of and AQF level of qualifications combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies graduates achieved.
The remediation plan consists of two components: direct actions to remediate the combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies degrees, and identification and remediation of underlying causes.
Direct remediation actions include:
Assessment of the underlying causes of the administrative issues is currently being undertaken. Progress and findings will be reported to the University of Sydney’s Academic Board.
If you commenced your combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies degree before 1 July 2024 and want to apply for honours study, you will have the option of applying for a disciplinary appended honours degree (eg Bachelor of Arts (Honours)) or applying for the appended Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Honours).
You will receive an email communication from the University outlining your options with links to make a direct application. If you meet the relevant admissions requirements, you will be issued an offer, and on acceptance will exit your combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies degree and be awarded the core bachelor’s degree (eg Bachelor of Arts). You will then enrol in the relevant appended honours degree.
No. To be eligible for admission to honours, you still need to meet the relevant academic requirements and to apply for admission. Standard honours admissions requirements will apply. In addition, to be eligible for admission to the Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Honours), you will need to have enrolled in a combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies degree prior to 1 July 2024 and complete two majors.
Please note: this option is not available to students who commenced a combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies degree after 1 July 2024 or students enrolled in other degrees.
The changes address the administrative issues identified by the University with the combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies degrees. By ensuring you enrol in and complete honours through an appended degree, the University will ensure that the degree certificates issued will accurately reflect the achievement of a Bachelor (Honours) degree.
If you are enrolled in a combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies degree, you will receive email communications during the week commencing 29 April from the University outlining your options. Emails about future study options will be sent in the lead up to the relevant application deadlines each semester too.
The honours year of study will be identical between the appended Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Honours) and other appended honours degrees. The key difference is the name of the qualification that will be placed in front of ‘(Honours)’ on your testamur, and the admission criteria for the Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Honours) still requires the completion of two majors.
There is no difference in terms of the learning and teaching outcomes, research project or AQF level – both will lead to the awarding of an AQF level 8 Bachelor Honours qualification.
The decision is purely a personal consideration for you and should be based on your preference for the respective Bachelor Honours name to attribute, but there are no other differences.
We will be able to adjust your application between the disciplinary honours degree or the Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Honours) degree during the admissions process and at your request.
If you commenced your studies prior to 1 January 2021, you may be affected by the Job-ready Graduates fee changes. The Australian Government’s Job-ready Graduates program made changes to fees for CSP students who commence a new course of study from 1 January 2021. Under the package, some students are 'grandfathered students', meaning they continue to pay their original fee rate. If you transfer to a new course to study honours, you may not be grandfathered and may be charged the new fee rates for honours. Read our page on the Job-ready Graduates Package for more information about the changes.
If you’re currently enrolled in a combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies degree, applications for commencement in Semester 2 (where relevant) close on 25 June of the commencing year.
Please note: it is not possible to commence all subject areas in Semester 2, and you should refer to your respective subject areas for available intakes.
Applications for commencement in Semester 1 close on 15 January of the commencing year.
If you enrolled in a combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies degree before 1 July 2024, you will receive an email about how to apply when you reach the relevant point of your studies. You do not need to take any further action at this stage.
If you are considering honours, we recommend you consider your unit of study choices in consultation with the relevant honours coordinator to ensure you are on track to meet the relevant admissions requirements.
The choice of appended honours degree is only available to you if you commenced your studies in a combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies degree before 1 July 2024. Future commencing students will need to enrol in a disciplinary appended honours degree if they wish to undertake honours study.
If you commenced a combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies degree before 1 July 2024, the Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Honours) will be available you. If you commenced your combined degree after 1 July 2024, you will be able to apply for a disciplinary appended honours degree (such as the Bachelor of Arts (Honours)).
If you’re enrolled in a combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies degree and planning to apply to commence honours next semester, you will receive an email with a link to book a direct consultation with one of our specialist staff.
For all other enquiries, please submit an online enquiry or call us on 1800 SYD UNI (1800 793 864) (in Australia).
The two testamurs reflect the two qualifications they have completed.
When your combined degree was introduced it was intended that the Bachelor of Advanced Studies would be the new pathway to completing honours studies. We have contacted you because you have the option of being awarded your honours degree through two different naming conventions and you can decide which you prefer. The content and level of the award will be the same regardless of which you choose. The only difference will be what appears on your testamur.
You will be awarded the associated Bachelor degree regardless of which option you select.
If you are completing an advanced coursework pathway you don’t need to do anything. You will receive two testamurs at your graduation ceremony.
If you started studying honours before 1 July 2024, you will receive an email towards the end of your candidature asking you to choose to be awarded either the Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Honours) or the relevant disciplinary appended honours degree (eg Bachelor of Science (Honours)) at your graduation ceremony. If you do not express a preference by the relevant deadline then you will be awarded the Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Honours)
If you are studying honours as part of a four-year stream, you will be given the choice between the Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Honours) (stream name) and the relevant disciplinary appended honours degree that will also include the relevant stream name.
If you complete honours in a Table S major you will receive your underlying Bachelor degree and the Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Honours).
You will receive two testamurs: one for your underlying Bachelor degree (eg Bachelor of Arts) and the other for the appended honours degree you enrol in and complete.
You will receive replacement testamurs alongside other alumni later in 2024. We’ll contact you to explain your options and we will arrange to deliver your reissued testamurs directly to your preferred postal address.
Not at this stage. We are currently reviewing graduation testamurs for students completing an appended honours degree subsequent to a single Bachelor degree.
Yes. Your testamur remains valid. When we issue two new replacement testamurs this will remove any ambiguity and ensure that you have the two testamurs reflecting the two qualifications you completed through the combined degree.
We will be contacting you later in 2024 to explain the process for receiving new testamurs.