Apply to transfer from Honours to Masters by research

Are you in your final semester of your Honours degree?

As current arts and science Honours students at La Trobe, you have an opportunity to expand and develop your current research by transferring into the Master of Arts or Master of Science degrees and apply for a dedicated stipend valued at A$28,300 to support your research.

  • you will build on the foundations that you’ve already developed during your Honours year and explore your project in further depth
  • you will have access to a dedicated pool of competitive scholarships available only to Masters Pathways applicants
  • as a graduate research candidate, you will benefit from the full suite of research development opportunities offered by the University’s Research Education and Development (RED) team
  • you may transfer directly into the second year of a Masters by Research degree and can submit a completed thesis at this standard at any time, or, if you're an international student, apply for entry directly into the second year
  • you may be in a position to graduate with a globally recognised Masters degree in almost one year
  • with a Masters by research degree you will have a competitive edge if you decide later to apply for a doctoral degree
  • if you transfer to a Masters degree and choose not to complete it, you can change your mind at any time before you submit your thesis for examination and graduate from your current Honours degree.

Please note that if you are currently enrolled in an Honours program in Psychology, transferring to the Masters by Research will mean that you will no longer be on a pathway to provisional registration with the Psychology Board of Australia as you will not graduate with an Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) accredited Level 2 program (e.g. 4th or Honours year of psychology study).

Applications for 2024 mid-year are now open – click here to apply

  • Candidature offers will be conditional on your school’s support and on completing your Honours degree in the first instance with a WAM of at least 65. Your school may choose to set a higher WAM requirement and this would be included on your conditional offer.
  • If you receive a conditional offer, ensure you accept by the date listed in your offer.
  • Scholarships will be awarded on a competitive basis and offers will be made to successful recipients in late July once final results for honours have been released.
  • If you are successful, the Graduate Research School will enrol you in the Master of Science or Master of Arts, normally effective from 5 August 2024. Candidates holding a stipend are required to commence during the period 1 – 31 August 2024.
  • You can still apply for direct entry to the PhD to commence a new project. Your PhD application will not be jeopardised if you accept an offer to transfer from your Honours degree to the Master of Science and Master of Arts.
    • You will be commencing in the second year of the Master of Arts or Master of Science and will be provided with progress milestones.
      • These will be a Pre-Submission review (6 months from commencement) and an Expected Work Submission Date (8 months from commencement).
      • Your Expected Work Submission Date can be postponed up to your Maximum Candidature Date (12 months from commencement).
  • The transfer process is outlined below:

    DateStage

    Monday 19 February 2024

    Applications open

    Tuesday 30 April 2024

    Applications close

    June 2024

    Conditional candidature offers are sent

    Friday 21 June 2024

    Acceptances due

    Wednesday 17 July 2024

    The official release of results

    July 2024

    Students notified if conditions of the offer have been met and scholarship offers sent to successful recipients

    Monday 5 August 2024
    (unless otherwise specified on your offer letter)

    Transfer students commence in the Masters

    Early September 2024

    Withdrawn from Bachelor (Honours)

    Resources

    If you need further information, please make sure to check the following resources: