The Honours program in the School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences builds upon the foundations provided by a three year undergraduate degree. The aim of the program is to provide students with the necessary knowledge and skills in research to enable them to undertake higher degree studies and advance their professional training.

The School offers the following Type A Honours degrees

Bachelor of Food Science and Nutrition (Honours) H418
Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science (Honours) H442

These two honours programs in the School have common features, specifically

• They contain coursework units and a written thesis
• The program is undertaken over one year full time (part-time is also an option)
• Students are allocated a supervisor and co-supervisor

Honours Handbook(pdf 517KB)

Honours Preference Form (pdf 114KB)

Students who complete an honours program:

• Extend their knowledge by broadening their understanding of university life and the role of academic research
• Challenge themselves through independent study not found in their undergraduate degree
• Qualify for entry to research degrees (PhD and masters programs)
• Enhance their employment opportunities with specialist knowledge and superior skills in research, analysis and communication
• Specialise in an area of interest from exercise and sport science, food science and nutrition, physical activity and health or molecular biology and physiology
• Mark themselves as a top student as they are willing to pursue the challenges of research and can work independently at a high level
• Become a consummate consumer of research not only in their area of work but also in general life
• Develop time management and independent study skills in a year where the major assessment task is not due for ten months and there are few formal deadlines for motivation along the way

Requirements for Type A Honours degree

Students must have completed a Bachelor degree, have a mid credit average (Weighted Average Mark (WAM) of 65) calculated in all the units taken in their degree and to have also completed a major in the discipline involved. Eligible students with degrees from other universities are welcome to complete their honours year at Deakin University.

Requirements for Type B Honours degree

Students must be currently enrolled, or have completed the Master of Dietetics, with a minimum distinction average (WAM of 70) from all units completed during year one of the Master of Dietetics, will be eligible to articulate into the Master of Dietetics (Honours).

This intense year means that you should be able to commit 35 hours a week to your honours qualification. The honours degree is 50% coursework and 50% research; both parts count towards your final mark and both are therefore important. The coursework is directed towards giving you the necessary skills and training to complete your research project. There is an emphasis on both written and oral presentation of your work. The research project is conducted in second trimester and this is where you complete your data collection, analyse the data and write a thesis.

Type A Honours degree

Coursework:

Literature review and research proposal (HSE401)

You are asked to read and review the previously published research (i.e. the literature) in the area of your project, find aspects that have not been fully investigated and then propose your research that will answer a specific research question. This will provide you with a thorough understanding of your area of research, form the introduction to your thesis and allow you to understand how your research project fits within the current research literature. You will present your literature review and research proposal to your peers as an oral presentation.

Research methods (HBS400)

This unit examines the ethics of research, research design and statistics. Again it is directed towards your research and you can choose to take the quantitative, qualitative or lab-based stream. This unit is designed to help you develop the skills for your methods and data analysis for your research project.

Research project:

Data collection and analysis

After you have planned your research and received ethics approval (if required), you are ready to collect your data. Data management and analysis and then placing your results in context with previous research are essential steps in your project.

Thesis

The final step is to write your research in a thesis format. This 12 000 word document is set out in chapters and describes the existing research literature, your research methods, the results of your research and then discussion of your findings. You will then present your findings at the Faculty Honours day at the end of the year.

Type B Honours degree

Research projects:

Dietetics Research Project 1 (HSN755)

This unit is completed in the first half of the trimester and includes a 5200 word literature review, a 2000 word written research proposal and an oral presentation of the research proposal.

Dietetics Research Project 2 (HSN756)

This unit is completed in the second half of the trimester and includes a 4000 word thesis, a 3000 word supplement report on future directions and an oral presentation of the original research report.