Who can apply?

To be eligible for admission into an Honours program you need:

1. 1.

   A good performance in 3rd year subjects. We have not normally accepted into Honours students who have below a 5.5 GPA in relevant third-year subjects. Note that the standard of academic performance required for admission to Honours may be higher than average in some years, depending upon the level of competition for places in a particular research group. Also, bear in mind that your subject selection and its relevance to the proposed Honours work (as well as your GPA) may also be considered.

2. 2.

   Agreement by a staff member to supervise the research component of your Honours year.

3. 3.

   Agreement by your prospective supervisor and the Head of School that your proposed research topic is satisfactory.

4. 4.

   To submit a half-page outline of your proposed research on the preliminary application form (copy attached), with an estimated budget, to the School Secretary before the appropriate deadline (see below). Your prospective supervisor must show support for your application by completing the endorsement page of your application.

How do I find a supervisor?

A list of academic and research staff (approved to supervise), staff and their research interests, can be found on the website for Marine and Tropical Biology www.jcu.edu.au/mtb. Staff may suggest specific projects within their research areas. However, students should identify a prospective supervisor and potential topics before approaching a supervisor.

How is the topic chosen?

A research topic is typically chosen by the student in conjunction with the supervisor(s). Supervisors may have specific projects that they want undertaken, or may wish students to suggest a research topic within a broad field. However the general topic is determined, the details of the research are established by the student in close consultation with their supervisor(s).

Funding for research comes from sources external from the School of Marine and Tropical Biology that the supervisor has obtained for research.

When can I start?

The School of Marine & Tropical Biology Honours program commences in either February or September. Applications for February commencement are due the first working Monday of December and for September commencement the first working Monday of July. We recommend submitting your application as soon as possible, to ensure that a place is kept for you.

Program Aims

Students gain in-depth knowledge of their chosen topic with intellectual support from their supervisor(s) and a large community of post-graduate students.

The Honours program has 4 aims:

1. 1.

   enable students to develop a specialist understanding of one area of biology;

2. 2.

   integrate specialist knowledge into a broad appreciation of biology;

3. 3.

   enable students to research biology using skills in research philosophy and methodology;

4. 4.

   promote and encourage enthusiasm and curiosity in biology.

We assume that students enrolled in Honours have attained a high standard of understanding of general biology as well as some specialised understanding in the field in which the research topic is based. Specifically, we assume that the student will be able to:

1. 1.

   demonstrate originality in research;

2. 2.

   use quantitative data effectively to provide support for scientific inferences;

3. 3.

   identify assumptions and limitations in problem solving and evaluate the adequacy of the approach of one's self and others.

Program Details

An individual research project is the heart of the program and occupies the bulk of the student's time throughout the year. There are 3 components to the program, which link into the final research thesis:

1. 1.

   Research Proposal and Project Evaluation Seminar (formative assessment)

2. 2.

   Literature Review on the topic chosen for the thesis (20 %);

3. 3.

   Research Seminar close to the end of research (10 %);

4. 4.

   Thesis (70 %);

There is also a compulsory final presentation approximately a month after handing in the completed thesis, when students get the opportunity to respond to questions posed by the assessment panel.