biological sciences HONOURs 2014 - The University of Sydney

Why do Honours?
5
Flesh fly by Jesse Hawley, honours student 2013,
supervised by Shawn Wilder (pg 50)
Today’s job market for scientific positions is
very competitive. In fact, many entry level
positions now require an Honours degree.
If you have an Honours degree it indicates
that you probably have the following
characteristics:
––
Ability to conduct a thorough review on a
subject matter completely new to you.
––
Highly motivated and a self starter.
––
Able to complete tasks in a timely manner.
––
An understanding of how scientific research
is carried out.
Ultimately, all of these characteristics
combine to suggest that you are most likely
a reliable worker, who may be allowed to
work independently on complex tasks, which
is really where most fun in working is and
what employers are looking for. Honours is a
challenging year, but all students look back on
it as a very rewarding period in their life.
Why do Honours in the School of
Biological Sciences?
Our Honours year differs fundamentally from
other Biology departments in Sydney in that
the main component is research. This means
that an Honours year in our school is the
perfect way to find out whether you have
the aptitude and ability for research in the
biological sciences. You will design and conduct
an original research project in consultation with
one or more of our academic staff members.
We strongly encourage our Honours
students to publish their work in national
and international peer reviewed journals. And
indeed many of them do. Having one or more
publications will greatly increase your chances
of obtaining an Australian Postgraduate Award
(APA) or University Postgraduate Award
(UPA).
The School of Biological Sciences awards a
number of prizes to our Honours students;
including the John H. Elliott Memorial Prize,
William John Dakin Memorial Prize in Zoology,
Professor Spencer Smith-White Prize and
the Ilma Brewer Prize. Such a prize will be an
important addition to your CV.