Honours & Masters of Biomedical Science

Further information

The following degrees each have an advanced coursework component and a research project and are grouped together on this page for convenience:

1. Bachelor of Biomedicine (Honours) or Bachelor of Science (Honours) following completion of Bachelor degree in a relevant discipline
2. Master of Biomedical Science - entry requirements are an undergraduate degree with a major in a relevant discipline with a weighted average mark of at least H3 (65%), or equivalent. This program is an alternative to the Honours to PhD pathway.

If you have not already done so, you should familiarise yourself with the structure, entry requirements, fees and scholarships and the application process for your chosen Degree.

What is Honours?

Honours is a fourth-year undergraduate course that consists of a combination of a research project and coursework subjects. The course is designed to develop the student’s capacity to solve problems, to analyse data, to read and think critically, and to communicate clearly.

Honours can give you a taste of what working as a scientist would be like as a career, allows you to demonstrate academic excellence in an area of special interest to you, and provides an entry point for further research higher degree study (i.e. PhD) and coursework courses. These skills are highly sought after by employers in biological, medical and industrial areas.

What is the Master of Biomedical Science?

The Master of Biomedical Science at the University of Melbourne is a coursework master’s degree incorporating a substantial research project. This course is an alternative to the Honours as a PhD pathway. Students undertake a major research project and discipline-specific coursework subjects. In addition, a suite of professional business and communication subjects are offered to complement and enhance the research undertaken and to progress students’ career opportunities.

The course encourages students to think innovatively and provides an awareness of the health and economic benefits of biomedical research. Graduates of this course gain an understanding of the research process, specialist knowledge and professional skills that are attractive to employers.

	Honours	Masters
Duration	1 year (full time)	2 years (full time), part time available
Level	Undergraduate	Graduate
Fee Types	Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) International Full Fee Place	Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) Australian Full Fee Place International Full Fee Place
PhD Scholarship scoring	Considers marks from 3rd year of Bachelor degree and Honours	Only Masters marks are considered
International Market recognition	Australian Honours degrees may not be recognised overseas as many countries do not have an equivalent degree.	Recognised as a graduate Masters degree
How to apply	https://study.unimelb.edu.au/find/courses/honours/bachelor-of-biomedicine-degree-with-honours/how-to-apply/	https://study.unimelb.edu.au/find/courses/graduate/master-of-biomedical-science/how-to-apply/
Course Structure	Coursework subjects: 25 points Research project: 75 points	Coursework subjects: 75 points Research project: 125 points

Information Sessions

Each of the Departments in the School runs Information Sessions for their prospective Honours and Masters students. These are advertised in the 'News and Events' section on the home pages of the Departments' websites.

These sessions include an overview of the Honours and Masters Programs and an introduction to the Research Projects available. You will be given a copy of the list of Honours and Masters projects that will be available for the coming year. In most cases, there will be honours students from the previous year who will speak of their experiences as Honours or Masters students.

Light refreshments will be available at the end of each of the sessions and there will be an opportunity to speak with potential supervisors.