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).

Honours in MDHS

2013 Honours Projects

How to apply

  1. Decide which Department / Institute(s), Supervisor(s) and Project(s) you wish to apply for.
    To do this you must speak to potential supervisors prior to submitting your application for entry to the Honours course. 
    Applicants who have not made contact with each potential Supervisor prior to listing their project preferences will not be considered for entry to the course.
    Department and Institute Honours project booklets and websites, the MDHS Honours Expo, individual information sessions held by departments and institutes, and the Honours Application and Tracking System (HATS) are ways of helping you to make contact with potential Honours supervisors.

  2. Lodge an online application by mid November at:  http://sc.mdhs.unimelb.edu.au/how-apply
    NOTE:   Applicants must select 'MDHS Student Centre' as their area of interest on their application to ensure their application is directed to the correct area. 

    Applications for Honours are submitted to MDHS via one of the following two processes: 

    • Current and previous University of Melbourne applicants (Local and International )

    must select the “RETURNING APPLICANTS, CURRENT STUDENTS AND PREVIOUS STUDENTS” option.

    • Non-University of Melbourne applicants must select the “FIRST TIME APPLICANTS” option.

    3. All previous and current University of Melbourne applicants please note the following:
    Students who have an existing Student ID number in the University of Melbourne system but who apply as “First Time Applicants” will have their records data-matched and merged. This will delay the processing of their application.

    All non-University of Melbourne applicants please note the following:
    Please provide an original or certified copy of your complete official Academic Transcript to the MDHS Student Centre as part of your application and ensure that you include your University of Melbourne applicant or student number.

    Documents should be sent to the address below.
    Please include your Applicant / Student ID in all correspondence with the University.

    Attention : Honours Student Advisor
    MDHS Student Centre
    Level 1, Brownless Biomedical Library
    University of Melbourne
    VIC 3010 Australia

  3. Once you have contacted potential research supervisors (Step 1) and submitted your online application (Step 2), you will be issued with a password for the Honours Application and Tracking System (HATS). This system allows you to submit up to ten (10) research project preferences online.
    Please note that HATS is only available to On-Time applicants for Start Year entry.
    Late Applicants (i.e.; those applying after the Application Closing Date in mid November) must complete Step 3 by submitting a hard copy “Late Application – Project Preference Form”.
    Late applications will be assessed in January as part of the Round 2 selection process.
    The “Late Application – Project Preference Form” is made available on the MDHS Honours “How to Apply” web page after the Application Closing Date, but only allows applicants to list a maximum of three (3) project preferences.
    Students applying for Mid Year entry must contact potential supervisors from the departments offering mid-year entry (Step 1), submit an online application for entry to the course (Step 2) and submit a hard copy “Mid Year Project Preference Form”. The Mid Year form can be obtained by contacting the Student Advisor (Honours) at the MDHS Student Centre.

    4. How you will know the outcome of your application
    Round 1 offer letters are sent to applicants via post and email around the 21 of December. It is the responsibility of applicants to ensure their contact details and mailing address are correct and up to date, as offer packs will be sent to the address provided in the original course application, unless other arrangements have been made in advance.
    Students who meet the minimum entry requirements for entry to MDHS Honours but do not receive an offer in Round 1 will be considered for a place in Round 2, along with Late Applicants.
    Students who do not meet the entry requirements or are not successful in obtaining a place in the course will be advised in writing by the end of January.
                                   
    IMPORTANT NOTE:
    Please note that the above process is for applications to the Biomedical and Health Sciences Departments ONLY. Students interested in submitting preferences for projects in Genetics, the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, Optometry and Vision Sciences, Veterinary Science or Zoology, must contact those departments directly.

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

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