Apply to transfer from Honours to Masters by research

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$29,160 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, there will be a generous window in which you can change your mind and graduate from your current Honours degree.

Applications for the 2025 mid-year are now closed. Check back in August-September 2025 for end-of-year applications.

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).

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 December 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 11 August 2025. Candidates are required to commence during the period 1 – 31 August 2025.

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:

Date	Stage
Friday 28 February 2025	Applications open
Monday  17 March 2025	Any questions? Join our dedicated Zoom drop-in session to speak to the Graduate Research School team about the pathway transfer
Monday 31 March 2025	Applications close
End of May 2025	Conditional candidature offers are sent
Response required-by date indicated in your offer letter	Acceptances due
Wednesday 16 July 2025	The official release of results
End of July 2025	Students notified if conditions of the offer have been met and scholarship offers sent to successful recipients
Monday 11 August 2025 (unless otherwise specified on your offer letter)	Transfer students commence in the Masters