Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Science in Pharmacology (Honours)

The honours year after the Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Science is a widely recognised and highly regarded additional year of undergraduate study available to you after you complete your undergraduate course. It's a unique opportunity for you to explore your research potential and put the theory from your undergraduate studies into practice. An honours qualification in science or arts is not only well regarded in academia, but also in industry where laboratory experience andor a command of complex thought processes are highly sought after. Honours can be undertaken in any area of science or arts, usually in the subject area in which you completed most of your studies. It involves designing a research program in your chosen area of interest in consultation with one or more supervisors. Your research program may include components in more than one area of science or arts (eg. physiology and biology) and depending on the nature of your project you may also have to undertake some courses in experimental design or complete technical training to use a particular piece of equipment.

Pharmacology is concerned with the study of drugs and the key role they play in the treatment of most human diseases. Increasingly, doctors rely on drugs not only to cure disease, for example antibiotics and infections, but also in the prevention of diseases, such as lipid lowering drugs and heart disease. An honours year in this area is designed to give greater depth to your studies in biomedical science and to promote research-led enquiry and intellectual endeavour. This is achieved through the formulation of a research project in which you investigate a specialised pharmacology topic, all the while developing your laboratory skills, critical thinking skills and completing relevant coursework units. You will form close relationships with dedicated academic staff who are conducting cutting-edge research across a variety of fields, including asthma pharmacology, cancer therapeutics, chemical biology, chronic inflammation and pain, clinical pharmacology, drug design and development, neuropharmacology, pharmacoinformatic, pharmacology of cannabis, and transporter biology. Unit of study requirements for Honours in the area of Pharmacology: completion of 36 credit points of project work and 12 credit points of coursework.

Admission requirements will vary, depending on whether you intend to undertake honours in the Faculty of Science, or in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

To qualify for admission to the Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Science (Honours), you must:

Have qualified for or be a graduate with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Science from the University of Sydney or equivalent qualification from another tertiary institution,
Have completed a relevant major relating to the intended Honours discipline,
For Science Honours:

Have achieved a Weighted Average Mark (WAM) of at least 65.00 or have a credit average (65.00) in 48 credit points of relevant* 2000-level and 3000-level units of study, or (for Honours in the Arts Area) Have achieved an average of 70 or higher across the major, and
Satisfy any additional criteria set by the relevant Head of School or Discipline or Department.
For Arts and Social Sciences Honours:

Have achieved an average of 70 or higher across the major, and
completed the prerequisites, including advanced senior units of study, as outlined in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Undergraduate Handbook.
The University's Coursework Rule requires Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Science (Honours) students to complete their Honours program within 10 years of the commencement of their original qualifying Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Science degree (or equivalent). As such, if your original Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Science degree (or equivalent) was commenced more than 10 years ago or close to 10 years ago, you may be ineligible for admission.

Applicants whose original Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Science degree (or equivalent) was commenced more than 10 years ago or close to 10 years ago are strongly recommended to seek advice from the Admissions Office prior to submitting an application for Bachelor of Science (Honours). The Admissions Office will consult and confer with the relevant contacts in the Faculty of Science and the relevant School as appropriate.

For Science Honours:
Please note that, in some Schools and Disciplines, the minimum WAM requirement is higher than 65.00, particularly where entry is very competitive. For example, a minimum WAM of 75.00 is generally required for entry into Honours in Psychology.

* Relevant units of study must be nominated by the School or Discipline and must be accompanied by strong written support from the School or Discipline.

Willingness of a member of academic staff to act as your supervisor does not guarantee entry into Honours. However, admission into Honours is subject to an appropriate supervisor and project being available.

Students who are not admitted to the Science Honours program may alternatively consider the Graduate Diploma in Science. The Graduate Diploma in Science is offered as either a one-year full-time or a two-year part-time course with similar content, structure and assessment as the Science Honours year. The Graduate Diploma in Science is a full fee-paying postgraduate coursework program.
IELTS- A minimum result of 6.5 overall and a minimum result of 6.0 in each band
TOEFL IBT- A minimum result of 85 overall including a minimum result of 17 in Reading, Listening and Speaking and 19 in Writing