The University has identified administrative issues with the Bachelor of Advanced Studies (BAS) combined 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 on from messages to staff and students in February 2024, remediation work is underway to ensure that graduates and students receive degree certificates that accurately reflect their learning outcomes.
Direct remediation actions will remove ambiguity in the number and AQF level of degrees achieved by students completing a combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies degree. Further work will be undertaken to understand and address the underlying causes of the administrative issues.
Students completing a coursework pathway in combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies degrees will receive two AQF level 7 qualifications:
Students will receive two separate degree certificates.
Students who have completed an honours pathway in a combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies degree will receive one AQF level 7 qualification and one AQF level 8 qualification:
For new Bachelor of Advanced Studies combined degree enrolments, the pathway for honours will be to exit to a Bachelor of X and apply to study a Bachelor of X (Honours).
View the remediation approach for combined BAS degrees using Arts as an example (pptx, 2.95MB).
Currently enrolled Bachelor of Advanced Studies students seeking to study honours will be able to choose to apply for either an appended disciplinary honours degree (eg. Bachelor of Science (Honours)) or the appended Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Honours). Students will receive email communications outlining how to apply at the relevant point in their candidature. Students meeting relevant eligibility requirements and choosing to enrol in an appended honours degree will be awarded the underlying disciplinary Bachelor degree (eg. Bachelor of Science).
Students due to commence their final year of candidature from Semester 2, 2024 will receive a booking form to book a consultation to seek tailored advice from the Faculty Services team on honours options. Relevant academic enquiries will be triaged to honours coordinators.
Prospective students and others in earlier years will have opportunities for engagement shared with them and based on their respective context i.e. Sydney Future Students and the Education portfolio are collaborating for engaging with international students planning to commence their studies in one of the combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies degrees in Semester 2, 2024 or Semesters 1 or 2, 2025 and who want to study honours in future.
Students who are completing a combined BAS degree from Semester 1, 2024 onwards will receive two testamurs at their graduation ceremony to reflect the two qualifications they have achieved.
Students who are completing an advanced coursework pathway will receive two testamurs: one for the Bachelor of X and the other for the Bachelor of Advanced Studies.
Most students who are currently completing an honours pathway will receive the Bachelor of X and a choice of either the Bachelor of X (Honours) or the Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Honours).
Exceptions are:
Students who are currently studying an honours pathway in one of the four-year streams in the Bachelor of Arts and BAS and Bachelor of Science and BAS, such as Animal and Veterinary Bioscience. These students will receive the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science and the choice of either the Bachelor of X (Honours) (stream name) or the Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Honours) (stream name).
Students completing honours in a Table S major will receive a Bachelor of X and the Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Honours).
Students who are expected to complete their candidature at the end of Semester 1 2024 and graduate later in the year received an email from the University asking them to elect which appended honours degree they wish to receive out of the available options. They have been offered the opportunity to discuss their options with a specialist in the Faculty Services team through a one-on-one bookable consultation. Those who do not select their preferred option by 11.59pm AEST on Friday 6 August, 2024 will receive the Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Honours) or Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Honours) (stream name) for those studying a four-year stream.
Students who are yet to commence studying an honours pathway will be admitted into an appended honours degree and receive the testamur for that degree once they complete it.
We will begin the process of reissuing testamurs to combined BAS alumni later in 2024.
We are also amending the name of each combined BAS degree from Bachelor of X/Bachelor of Advanced Studies to Bachelor of X and Bachelor of Advanced Studies. This will reduce ambiguity about the number of qualifications a student will receive on completion. The Bachelor of Advanced Studies degrees should be referred to as combined degrees, in line with our University-wide definition of combined degrees.
These changes are being applied across a wide range of systems and communications channels.
A communications plan has been developed to tailor messages to current students (based on their degree progression), prospective students, graduands and graduates about what the changes mean for them. Students can visit the Study website for more information.
The administrative issues identified involved the potential for confusion about the number of and AQF level of qualifications combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies graduates have 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 Academic Board.
No. The Bachelor of Advanced Studies combined degrees will still be offered to commencing students, with a clear communication that completion of the combined degrees will result in the award of two Bachelor degrees, a Bachelor of X and a Bachelor of Advanced Studies, and that the fourth year of study will comprise advanced coursework units of study.
Currently enrolled combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies students seeking to complete an honours degree 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). Students will receive email communication outlining their options with links to make a direct application.
The application will be assessed by the Admissions team and by the relevant honours coordinator. Students meeting the relevant admissions requirements will be issued an offer, and on acceptance will exit their combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies degree and be awarded the core bachelor’s degree (eg. Bachelor of Arts). They will then enrol in the relevant appended honours degree.
No. Honours study has always required students to meet the relevant academic requirements and to apply for admission. Standard honours admissions requirements will apply to all students. In addition, to be eligible for admission to the Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Honours), a student will need to complete two majors prior to commencing their appended honours degree.
The changes address the administrative issues identified by the University with the combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies degrees. By ensuring all students completing honours study are enrolled in an appended honours degree, we will ensure that the degree certificates issued will accurately reflect the achievement of a Bachelor (Honours) degree.
All students enrolled in a combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies degree will receive email communications in the week commencing 29 April to outline their options. Students will receive further information when they are potentially eligible to study honours, including follow-up communications as application deadlines approach.
All students enrolled in a combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies degree will receive email communications in the week commencing 29 April to outline their options. Students who may be eligible to commence honours study in Semester 2, 2024 will receive direct links to apply for either an appended honours degree related to their bachelor’s or the appended Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Honours). Follow-up communications about future study options will be sent in the lead up to the application deadlines.
All students enrolled in a combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies degree will receive email communications in the week commencing 29 April to outline their options. Students will receive further information when they are potentially eligible to study honours, including follow-up communications as application deadlines approach.
The honours year of study will be identical between the appended Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Honours) and other honours linked to their bachelor’s name. The key difference is the name of the qualification that will be placed in front of ‘(Honours)’ on their testamur. 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 students and based on preference for the respective Bachelor Honours name to attribute, but there are no other differences.
Yes. The Admissions team will be able to adjust the application between the disciplinary honours degree or the Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Honours) degree during the admissions process at the student’s request.
Students who commenced their studies prior to 1 January 2021 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. Students who transfer to a new course to do honours may not be grandfathered and may be charged the new fee rates for honours. Visit our Job-ready Graduates Package for more information about the changes.
Yes, the honours subject area will be listed on the appended honours degree testamur underneath the degree name in the same way regardless of the appended honours degree the student has completed.
For students 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. It is not possible to commence all subject areas in Semester 2, and students should refer to their respective subject areas for available intakes.
Applications for commencement in Semester 1 close on 15 January of the commencing year.
Students currently enrolled in a combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies degree who are not yet at the stage of considering an honours application will receive an email outlining their honours study options, including the option to apply for the Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Honours). They will receive further information about how to apply when they reach the relevant point of their studies. They do not need to take any further action at this stage.
Any student considering honours should carefully consider their unit of study choices in consultation with the relevant honours coordinator to ensure they are on track to meet the relevant admissions requirements.
The choice of appended honours degree is only available for students who are already enrolled in a combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies degree. Future commencing students will need to enrol in a disciplinary appended honours degree if they wish to undertake honours study.
The Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Honours) will be available for students already enrolled in a combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies degree. It will not be available for future commencing students.
Staff can email [email protected] with any questions, which will be triaged to the relevant team within the University.
Students seeking advice on honours eligibility and entry can book a consultation through an online form.
Enquiries will be triaged to the appropriate team. Please note: this link should be shared only with students planning to apply to commence their studies in Semester 2, 2024. Closer to the application period for Semester 1, 2025, a link will be shared with eligible students, and will be updated here for staff.
The two testamurs reflect the two qualifications students and graduates have completed.
Combined BAS students who complete an advanced coursework pathway in their final year do not need to do anything. They will receive two testamurs at their graduation ceremony.
Combined BAS students who are currently studying an honours pathway will receive an email towards the end of their candidature asking them to choose to receive either the Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Honours) or the relevant disciplinary appended honours degree (e.g. Bachelor of Science (Honours)) at their graduation ceremony. If they do not express a preference by the relevant deadline then they will be awarded the Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Honours), and for those studying a four-year stream, this will be the Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Honours) (stream name).
Combined BAS students who apply for and are accepted into an appended honours degree will receive two testamurs: one for their Bachelor degree (e.g. Bachelor of Arts) and the other for the appended honours degree they enrol in and complete.
Combined BAS students who complete honours in a Table S major will receive their Bachelor degree and the Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Honours).
No. These graduates will receive replacement testamurs alongside other alumni later in 2024. Tailored communications will be sent to these graduates outlining their options, and the University will arrange to deliver their reissued testamurs direct to their preferred postal address.
There is no change to testamur issuance for other degrees at this stage. We are currently reviewing graduation testamurs for students completing appended honours degrees.
Yes. Their testamur remains valid. When we issue two replacement testamurs this will remove any ambiguity and ensure that alumni have the two testamurs reflecting the two qualifications they completed through the combined degree.
We will be contacting alumni later in 2024 to explain the process for receiving replacement testamurs.
Send questions about changes to the BAS degree suite to [email protected].
Send questions about changes to the BAS degree suite to [email protected].