This degree will provide you with the foundation research skills that will support your future career as a scientist or researcher.

Specifically, you will develop:

• communication skills
• critical thinking capability
• advanced knowledge within your chosen discipline
• knowledge of research theory and practical methods
• research independence and capacity for self-directed learning.

Research experience is required for most academic and research positions, and increasingly for positions in other sectors.

In consultation with your discipline honours coordinator and your supervisor, you will be allocated a project to develop your skills to an advanced level.

Honours projects

These projects are developed for honours students and may be a preliminary exploration, a smaller component of a bigger research project, or part of an existing or new collaboration. All projects draw from the wide range of disciplines taught across RMIT's science programs. Many projects involve substantial cross-disciplinary work.

Career Outcomes

This pathway builds a solid foundation for a future career in scientific research.

Graduates of this honours degree frequently advance to a Master or PhD course and undertake further research in their particular area of interest.

Alternatively, honours graduates gain employment in industry and government as research assistants, advisors, and scientists in research centres like CSIRO, the Bureau of Meteorology, Defence Science, the Environment Protection Authority, major Hospitals and medical research institutes and ANSTO.

Professional recognition and accreditation

On successful completion of the program, you may be eligible to join a number of Australian scientific professional societies. Your program coordinator can provide further advice. Professional societies may include:

• Australian Institute of Physics
• Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB)
• Australian Society for Microbiology (ASM)
• Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand
• Royal Australian Chemical Institute