Honours Programs
High-achieving undergraduate students studying at the Faculty of Design*, Prahran campus, may apply for entry into our prestigious honours programs.
The honours program adds a fourth year to three-year undergraduate courses. It is a competitive program that equips students with highly sought skills in industry practice, research and development. The honours program is also a pathway for students interested in an academic career and can fast-track students into Swinburne design master or doctoral programs.
In addition to honours by coursework, students may apply for our Industry Placement program or acclaimed Swinburne Design Factory.
* Students studying Product Design Engineering or the Design/Business double degree are not eligible for Industry Placement and should consider the Industry-Based Learning (IBL) program.
"The honours component of the degree was crucial in the development of my critical ability. I find myself increasingly able to distance myself from a project and consider how well it addresses the brief objectively."
Adrian Fraser - Bachelor of Design (Communication Design) (Honours)
Industry Placement
Industry Placement involves a paid 24 or 48-week placement in a professional firm with expertise in the same area as a student’s main study discipline (e.g. communication design, or film and television). These include creative industry enterprises, business settings, or the design or media departments of public service organisations. Industry Placement is available to students studying a three-year bachelor degree in design or film.
Students apply for Industry Placement in the second year of the three-year Bachelor degree. Industry Placement occurs in the third year and then the student returns to complete a fourth year at Swinburne before graduating with an honours degree.
See www.swinburne.edu.au/design/industry/ip for more information.Swinburne Design Factory
The Swinburne Design Factory is a space devoted to interdisciplinary project-based-learning.
Teams of business, design, engineering, and information technology students collaborate on challenging externally sponsored projects. Students gain experience in collaboration across disciplinary boundaries to develop radically new ideas about the nature of products and services while being exposed to the conceptual frameworks and methods to create change for organisations, and for people.
The Swinburne Design Factory launched in 2011. It is part of a global network that includes the original Aalto University Design Factory (in Helsinki, Finland), and the Aalto Design Factory Shanghai (at Tongji University, China).
See www.swinburne.edu.au/design/design-factory for more information.
Honours by Coursework
The honours by coursework programs add a fourth year of specialised academic study to a three-year bachelor degree. At Swinburne Faculty of Design there is an emphasis on research as a way of strengthening your design judgement, accompanied by specialist studios in your discipline area of interest. Honours by coursework is also a pathway for students interested in a Swinburne Design master or doctoral program.
Students who have completed their undergraduate degree at another institution are welcome to apply for honours by coursework programs.
"It was in the final year of my degree that I feel my individual design approach began to progress. I thought that taking this into a further year of study would help me further develop as a designer."
Emily Perkins - Bachelor of Design (Interior Design) (Honours)
| Honours Coursework Programs | Local Students | International Students | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor of Design (Communication Design) (Honours) | Local | International | |
| Bachelor of Design (Digital Media Design) (Honours) | Local | International | |
| Bachelor of Film and Television (Honours) | Local | International | |
| Bachelor of Design (Industrial Design) (Honours) | Local | International | |
| Bachelor of Design (Interior Design) (Honours) | Local | International |
