Evaluation of 40 credit points thesis in Bachelor of Engineering Course in Western Sydney University, Australia

![CDATA[Engineering bachelor degree course generally consists of a final year major project/ thesis in a four-year study. In many universities, this is undertaken as a design project, either by a single or group of student(s). Many engineering schools have an embedded honours component where the project/thesis is integrated in the final year of study. In contrast, university science course is typically of three-year duration, followed by an additional year of honours study by the academically outperforming students. To enhance honours program, the former College of Health and Science, Western Sydney University (WSU) in Australia undertook a major benchmarking exercise of its honours programs in 2009. The author as the then School of Engineering Honours Coordinator compared honours courses in a number of major engineering schools in Australia and made wider consultation with relevant WSU academics and committees to make a submission to the honours benchmarking committee. The outcome of this exercise resulted in the implementation of an engineering honours program in WSU comprising of a thesis component worth 40 credit points. In this paper, the author, as the School Honours Coordinator and as supervisor of honours students presents his coordination, supervision and learning experiences of engineering honours thesis at WSU. It has been found that the 40 credit points honours thesis in WSU enhanced the learning outcomes of the students, which was demonstrated by the students’ increased recognition in the state competitions, HDR enrolments and peer-reviewed publications.]]