Please note: because of the introduction in 2013 of the Masters of Research degree as the pathway to postgraduate research, 2012 will be the final year of new enrolments in the Honours program.  In 2013, the Honours program will be offered only for part-time Bachelor of Arts students who enrolled in Honours in 2012, and Bachelor Ancient History (Honours) students who enrolled in 2012 or earlier.

Students currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor Ancient History (Honours) programs who are contemplating higher degree research from 2013 should consider the Masters of Research (MRes) degree.  Graduates who already hold an Honours or Masters degree will be able to transition into the new degree, which will be 2-years full time.  Their Honours or Masters degree may be credited towards part of the requirements for the MRes.  For information about the Masters of Research degree:
http://hdr.mq.edu.au/information_about/home/quicklinks2/Masters_of_Research_Fact_Sheet_March_22.pdf

Information

Ancient History Honours Convener: Dr Peter Edwell
Room 524 Building W6A
ph. (02) 9850 8845
email: peter.edwell@mq.edu.au

Forms

For further information, please download this Ancient History Honours Program Information (PDF 373KB).

Information regarding Honours Scholarships (PDF 10KB) can be found in this document.

Application forms can be found below:

• Bachelor of Ancient History (Hons) Application for 2011 (PDF 33KB)

For further information, please refer to the Honors section of the Coursework website. 

BA (Hons)

Students with the appropriate qualifications (normally coherent study in history (i.e. 12 credit points at 300 level in AHST or HIST units, a grade point average of 2.5 or above overall and a grade point average at 300 level of 3.00 or above) are cordially invited to consider undertaking Ancient History Honours in. Full-time students are required to complete their studies in one year. Students in full-time employment or its equivalent may be admitted to part-time candidature of two years' duration. The information given below should afford a general view of the Honours program and the options available for thesis and coursework. Please approach the members of staff most concerned in respect of further information about courses and thesis topics.

BAncHist (Hons)

Students in their 3rd year and prior to 30 October of that year are requested to complete the form on the Ancient History Website in order to proceed to the honours year provided they fulfil all the specific requirements for this degree: including core units and a grade point average of 2.5 or above overall as well as a grade point average at 300 level of 3.00 or above.

Students who do not meet the GPA requirements for the fourth year of the BAncHist (Hons) may be asked to take out the Bachelor of Arts. They may then apply for entry in the BA (Hons) degree if they are eligible for it.

General Ancient History

Enquiries maybe directed to Department Administrator (Room 540, Building W6A; ph: (02) 9850 8833; email: ancienthistory@mq.edu.au)

If Combined Honours, associating History with some other discipline, is proposed, you should discuss the matter with staff in the disciplines concerned and indicate the desired program in your application to the Registrar for admission.

Objectives of the Program

These fall into two broad and interrelated categories. Ancient History Honours is intended, in the first place, to help equip you for a variety of careers and qualify you as a creative person developing your capacity for independent and critical thought. The program seeks far less to impart information that is easy to come by than to train you to think intelligently about it. While the study of history is by no means the only way to cultivate such a capacity, a developed sense of history is in our view an indispensable social condition for creative thought to flourish.

Ancient History Honours is, in the second place, an initiation into the profession. If you do well enough it can be a really important step along a road which qualifies you to practise as a historian via the completion of an MPhil and/or a PhD and the publication of research. It is intended that work on your thesis, in particular, will provide your first experience of a relatively extensive piece of research which takes you to the frontiers of existing knowledge in a particular area, and perhaps a little beyond, and provides a solid foundation for postgraduate study. Of course, not all candidates do sufficiently well to pursue this path ¿ though the very determined can still sometimes find a way and we are far from expecting that all will wish to pursue it.

Requirements

These are the sole components of the program. Full-time candidates enrol in AHST490; Part-time candidates enrol in AHST495. Neither the Committee nor any member of staff may properly require or advise you to add components (e.g. coursework to acquire ancillary skills), though you may of course choose to do so yourself. In that case, please advise the Convener of your intention.

Part-time candidates must spread their coursework over two years and they are strongly advised to take historiography first. They should begin work on their theses in their first year.

Full-time candidates should submit a synopsis of their thesis within four months of commencing the Honours program, i.e. during the first week of July or the first week of December, depending on whether they enrol at the beginning of the year or mid-year.

Part-time candidates should submit their synopsis within eight months of their commencing, i.e. the first week in November or first week in March.

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