Why Honours?
Spending the additional year at University required to complete Honours gives you the opportunity to draw together your early years of study and add significant value to your resume. Honours is very different from earlier undergraduate years, allowing and requiring a greater degree of independence and flexibility that will help develop the maturity and skills for transition to employment in a range of occupations and industries or a research higher degree.
Employment
Some employers indicate a preference for employing graduates with an Honours degree. In particular, if you are interested in working as a research scientist then it is a general expectation that you will have undertaken an Honours year. The greater exposure to the research process, additional knowledge and wider experiences of Honours graduates are all attractive to employers.
Skills
The Honours year is an opportunity to engage in some independent research, but the process itself will develop a variety of transferable skills that go beyond those learnt earlier in your university career.
Managing a research project over two semesters develops time- and project-management skills, while the need to marshal resources from staff or other students develops negotiation and communication skills.
Interaction with your supervisor, your project thesis and end-of-year presentation will all hone your skills in communicating complex scientific or technological concepts. These activities will also increase your understanding of how scientific or technical arguments are constructed.
Most importantly, the whole research project is about advanced problem-solving. This is a critical skill that can be used in any industry, scientific or business-related.
Collaboration with University research staff
Land and Food is a small faculty and interaction with staff is a feature of undergraduate courses. During your Honours year you will be able to develop this relationship further. You will gain insight into the research process through observing leading researchers and senior postgraduate students up close, and gain from their advice as you pursue your own research.
Research techniques and processes
The research project is designed to integrate and extend the techniques and scientific processes learnt during your first three years. You will develop the ability to work independently and start to develop an understanding of how to guide an extended program of research. Your project may involve working with other Honours and postgraduate students. As a result, you will develop teamwork skills which are also important in reaching larger, long-term research objectives.
Advanced knowledge
The advanced coursework components of each program focus on taking you towards the edges of your discipline and broadening or deepening your knowledge base. You will be able to pursue your specific areas of interest as well as being exposed to new developments in your field.