Bachelor of Information and Communication Technology (Honours)

This is a one-year honours degree for students who have already finished a bachelor degree in information and communication technology, or a closely related field. It sits at AQF level 8, above a standard three-year bachelor degree and below a master's. The point of an honours year is research training: you take advanced coursework and write a thesis, and you graduate with a qualification that signals you can plan, carry out and report on a substantial piece of independent work.

How the year is structured

Australian honours years of this kind are usually two semesters of full-time study, though some students spread it over more time. You'll typically enrol in a mix of advanced units and a research component, with the thesis weighted heavily in the final assessment. Credit is counted in units of study and credit points, and the exact balance between coursework and research is set by the university. The thesis is the centrepiece, you work with a supervisor, define a question, review the literature, gather and analyse data or build and test a system, and present your findings. Some students continue into a doctorate afterwards; an honours degree with a strong result is the usual route.

What you actually study

The coursework builds on what you did in your undergraduate degree. Expect research methods, project management, and advanced material in areas such as networking, software development, data, or information systems, depending on your thesis topic and the supervisor you work with. Because the cohort is small, you get more contact with academic staff than in a large undergraduate lecture theatre. The University of Tasmania runs this course across its campuses and has research strengths in areas tied to its location, Antarctic and marine science, agriculture, health, and the data and sensing systems that support them. ICT honours projects often connect to those fields.

Who it suits

You might be finishing a bachelor degree and want a research qualification before a PhD. You might be a few years into an IT career and want to move into a role that involves analysis, design, or technical leadership. You might be an international student looking for a short, focused qualification that adds a recognised Australian honours award to your existing degree. Either way, you need a solid undergraduate record and a topic you can commit to for a year.

Practical things to know

English requirements for international applicants are set by the university; IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall is the common undergraduate standard, with higher scores for some fields. TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and the university's own English programmes are accepted as equivalents, and the Department of Home Affairs sets a separate English threshold for the Student visa itself. If you hold a Student visa, you can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session. After you finish, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream lets eligible graduates stay and work in Australia. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register, check the official course page and CRICOS entry for current fees, intake dates, and the exact units on offer.

• ICT project officer or technical lead in government, health, education, or utilities
• Software developer or engineer in product teams and consultancies
• Data analyst or data engineer in finance, retail, agriculture, or research organisations
• Network or systems administrator in managed services and enterprise IT
• Research assistant or PhD candidate in university and CSIRO-style research groups
• Cybersecurity or IT support roles in banking, defence contractors, and public sector agencies
• Technology consultant in professional services firms

Honours graduates are hired across the Australian economy wherever organisations need people who can work with data, systems, and software, and who can also write clearly and manage a project from start to finish.