Bachelor of Science (Honours) (BSCH) - BSc(Hons)

CRICOS code (International applicants): 043510M

Contact us

Initial enquiries should be directed to:

• telephone +61 7 4631 5316

• email studysci@usq.edu.au.

Currently enrolled students should contact the appropriate Program Coordinator, as follows:

• Applied Mathematics/Statistics and Information Technology Majors, telephone +61 7 4631 5555.

• Psychology Major - Dr Nola Passmore, telephone +61 7 4631 1683.

• Biology, Chemistry, Climatology and Physics Majors - Dr Joachim Ribbe, telephone +61 7 4631 1452.

Further information about postgraduate programs, courses and research projects of the Department of Biological and Physical Sciences is available at http://www.usq.edu.au/sciences/biophysci/default.htm.

Further information about postgraduate programs, courses and research projects of the Department of Mathematics and Computing is available at http://www.sci.usq.edu.au/postgrad.

Further information about postgraduate programs, courses and research projects of the Department of Psychology is available at http://www.psych.sci.usq.edu.au/teaching/honours.

Program focus

The Bachelor of Science (Honours) gives students the opportunity to extend their knowledge and skills in a specific discipline area that interests them. Students conduct and report on a research project under the supervision of a staff member with the appropriate expertise. The program gives students an appreciation of the professional standards required of the practising scientist, and the ethical challenges presented by modern science and technology. Students participate in research teams, are introduced to advanced experimental and literature research methods and have opportunities to make contact with the wider scientific community in the local region, elsewhere in Australia and overseas. Majors are available in:

• Applied mathematics/statistics

• Biology, chemistry, climatology and physics

• Information technology

• Psychology*

Program objectives

Upon completion of the Honours program, graduates will be able to:

• demonstrate high levels of proficiency in research and specific methodology including research planning and implementation, analysis, interpretation and evaluation of research results, and the presentation and communication of research findings

• demonstrate awareness of a wide range of research methods and the ethical and social responsibilities of a practising scientist

• apply the skills gained in the program to their specialist area with a high degree of proficiency

• undertake research-oriented careers or progress to higher level studies in their chosen specialist area

• meet the academic requirements for membership of professional societies or registration boards as practising discipline specialists

• proceed to PhD study subject to competitive evaluation of qualifications.

Admission requirements

General Requirements

To qualify for entry to the Bachelor of Science (Honours) program students will:

• have been awarded a degree in the area of Honours study, normally, with a substantial amount of undergraduate study in the major area of the discipline in which the Honours study is to be undertaken

• be current in their major area of study. To ensure currency of knowledge, students will normally have commenced their undergraduate degree no earlier than eight years previous to the year of application and will have satisfied requirements for the award of that degree no more than three years previously

• have met minimum academic requirements in the relevant undergraduate program. These requirements normally include one or more of the following:

• achieved a Grade Point Average equivalent to the level of Credit or better for the whole program

• achieved a Grade Point Average equivalent to the level of Credit or better in the second and third years of the undergraduate degree

• achieved a Grade Point Average equivalent to the level of Credit or better in the major study in the undergraduate degree.

Additional Requirements

In addition to the above general requirements, candidates for the Psychology Major must have completed a program of study approved by the Australian Psychological Society as constituting the first three years of study in psychology within the last three years.

Candidates for the Biology, Chemistry, Climatology and Physics majors must have submitted and had approved, a project proposal for which an appropriate supervisor is available before commencing studies. Acceptance will be subject to the availability of a supervisor for the project.

Discretionary Admission

The Dean may, on advice of the relevant Head of Department, admit students who do not satisfy all the general requirements for entry but who, in the opinion of the Head of Department, have a reasonable chance of success.

How to apply

Domestic students

Application for honours programs may be made directly to USQ. You should ensure you submit your application by the closing dates.

International students

This program is offered to international students. An international student is a person who is not an Australian or New Zealand citizen and not an Australian permanent resident. Please refer to USQ International for information about entry requirements, visa arrangements and how to apply.

Program fees

Student contribution amount

For domestic students who are offered Commonwealth supported places, the Government pays some money directly to the University, but students are also required to make a contribution. This contribution is called the ‘student contribution’. For more information about student contribution amounts, including the calculation of fees for a particular program of study, refer to USQ fees.

International fees

International students pay tuition fees. For details about international student fees, refer to the International Fee Schedule provided by USQ International.

Program structure

The Honours program consists of eight units of study including project courses and specialised courses. The program has seven majors - Applied Mathematics/Statistics, Psychology, Biology, Chemistry, Climatology, Information Technology and Physics. The structure of the majors is given in the following table:

Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Science (Honours) must seek advice from the appropriate Program Coordinator on:

• selection of appropriate specialised courses of study

• selection of an appropriate project

• detailed procedures for supervision, preparation and submission of progress reports and project material.

The project courses give students appropriate opportunity for research and scientific investigation of a topic within the area of the major study.

Required time limits

Students have a maximum of 2 years to complete this program.

Major studies

On enrolment, each student must choose one of the majors Applied Mathematics/Statistics, Biology, Chemistry, Climatology, Information Technology, Physics or Psychology.

IT requirements

All students studying this program are required to have access to the Internet and to have a computer capable of running the latest versions of Internet web browsers such as Netscape Communicator or Internet Explorer. To achieve this level of capacity, the recommended minimum standards for Windows and Macintosh systems are outlined at http://www.usq.edu.au/ict/students/standards/default.htm.

Students undertaking the Information Technology major should use the IT requirements as stated in the Bachelor of Information Technology (Faculty of Sciences) entry.

The University has installed a wireless network for students' computers. In order to take advantage of this facility and further enhance their on-campus learning environment, students should consider purchasing a notebook/laptop computer with wireless connectivity. A notebook/laptop may be required for some courses.

Exemptions

No exemptions will be given from any courses in the program. Candidates must complete all courses at USQ.

Enrolment

Mid-year intake

There is no mid-year intake into the Bachelor of Science (Honours) program in psychology.

In this section:

• Recommended enrolment pattern - Applied mathematics/statistics major
• Recommended enrolment pattern - Biology, chemistry, climatology and physics majors
• Recommended enrolment pattern - Information technology major
• Recommended enrolment pattern - Psychology major

Recommended enrolment pattern - Applied mathematics/statistics major

This major is only available in on-campus mode.

Logical course combinations include either:

1. two of: MAT8102 Chaos , MAT8103 Numerical Methods for Partial Differential Equations and MAT8104 Advanced Low-Dimensional Modelling of Complex Systems

2. MAT8200 Advanced Optimisation,

3. two of: STA8103 Stochastic Process Modelling , STA8304 Time Series and STA8302 Advanced Statistical Methods .

Notes

The semester of offering of on-campus courses may vary depending on student demand and staff availability.

Recommended enrolment pattern - Biology, chemistry, climatology and physics majors

These majors are only available in on-campus mode. Students may commence their studies in either semester 1 or semester 2. Students should refer to the Department of Biological and Physical Sciences Honours Coordinator, Dr Joachim Ribbe : telephone +61 7 4631 1452 for the 2007 Honours Guidelines.

Recommended enrolment pattern - Information technology major

Notes

Topics available from time-to-time for Computing Complementary Studies include: Logic Programming, Functional Programming, Formal Methods in Software Engineering, Human-Computer Interaction, Parallel and Distributed Languages and Programming, Object-Oriented Design Patterns, Distributed Object Programming, Graphics Tools Development, Spatial Data Structures and their Applications, Object-Oriented and Multimedia Databases, Algorithm Design for High Performance Computing, and Quantum Computing.
All students must have their course enrolments approved by the Program Coordinator.

Recommended enrolment pattern - Psychology major

The Psychology major may be studied externally, however compulsory attendance at four residential schools of one week's duration each will be required on-campus in Toowoomba during each year of the program. The number of required residential schools may depend on the chosen sequence of study and choice of thesis topic. Students considering undertaking the program externally, at a distance from Toowoomba, must contact the Program Coordinator, Dr Nola Passmore on +61 7 4631 1683 regarding the choice of project topic.