History and Philosophy of Science (BH-ARTS_SPEC_16)

Overview

Honours in History and Philosophy of Science is an advanced and specialised course, involving an addition year of study at fourth year level, requiring a higher standard of performance than a pass degree. It is available to all students who have completed the requirement for the Bachelor of Arts, with a major in history and philosophy of science and an average of at least H2A (75%) in second and third-year subjects within the major, or equivalent. Students taking Honours in HPS will be expected to write a 15,000-word thesis, and take four coursework subjects. The core subject offered in Honours will provide an overview of important contemporary developments in history and philosophy of science. Students can also take a methodological subject of their choice and two elective subjects.

Intended learning outcomes

On completion of this specialisation, students should be able to:

Demonstrate a detailed knowledge and understanding of different contemporary perspectives in the history, philosophy and sociology of science
Access and appreciate different intellectual traditions and debates in history and philosophy of science and the social studies of science and technology
Demonstrate a capacity to apply rigorous methods of inquiry independently and appropriate theories and conceptual frameworks
Apply critical and analytical skills and methods to real-world situations, debates and problems in complex changing social and political contexts
Communicate effectively both verbally and in writing on complex, intellectually challenging topics to both an academic and a lay audience.

Last updated: 13 January 2026

Structure

100 credit points

Students undertaking pure honours in history and philosophy of science must complete:

History and Philosophy of Science Thesis (50 points), consisting of subjects HPSC40018 HPS Thesis Part 1 and HPSC40019 HPS Thesis Part 2; and
Compulsory subject HPSC40016 History and Philosophy of Science (12.5 points); and
Three subjects (37.5 points) from the History and Philosophy of Science elective list.

Students undertaking combined honours in history and philosophy of science and another program must complete

History and Philosophy of Science Thesis (50 points), consisting of subjects HPSC40018 HPS Thesis Part 1 and HPSC40019 HPS Thesis Part 2; and
Compulsory subject HPSC40016 History and Philosophy of Science (12.5 points); and
Three honours subjects in the combining discipline (37.5 points).

Honours thesis in the combining discipline (50 points); and
One honours subject in the combining discipline (12.5 points); and
Compulsory subject HPSC40016 History and Philosophy of Science (12.5 points); and
Two subjects from the History and Philosophy of Science elective list

Total 100 points

Subject Options

History & Philosophy of Science Thesis subjects

Note: the thesis requires two consecutive semesters of enrolment.

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
HPSC40018	HPS Thesis Part 1	Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)	25
HPSC40019	HPS Thesis Part 2	Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)	25

History & Philosophy of Science: Compulsory Honours subject

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
HPSC40016	History and Philosophy of Science	Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5

Elective subjects

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
HPSC90012	Trust, Communication and Expertise	Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
HPSC90013	Science, Controversy and Public Policy	Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
HIST40030	History for Historians	Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
HIST40041	History Research Workshop	Not available in 2026	12.5
SOTH40001	Emotions in Society	July (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
PHIL40020	Reading and Writing Philosophy	Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
PHIL40018	Topics in Contemporary Epistemology	Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
ARTS90026	Interdisciplinary Industry Project 1	Not available in 2026	12.5

Links

http://shaps.unimelb.edu.au/students/honours

Last updated: 13 January 2026

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History and Philosophy of Science

Contact information

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