Meet HASS Honours Alumni

What can you do with an Honours degree from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences?

Our graduates end up all over the globe undertaking PhD's, working for governments, the private sector, non-for-profits, galleries, they go on to do teaching, researching, being project managers and undertaking many other roles! Having your Honours gives you a step up from the competition and opens you up to a world of opportunities. 

Check out some of our graduates and be inspired to undertake 'One year. One extraordinary research experience'. 

13. ​Divyasree Harikrishnan, BJour (Hons)

What was the best thing about your program at UQ?

One of the best things about doing my program here was the experiences both within my course and beyond it. Doing a Journalism Honours allowed me to, in many ways, challenge conventions that I have learned in my undergraduate degree. I learned to get creative with my journalistic/academic writing in ways that I had not before. Undergraduate assignments/exams are highly formative but working on a thesis like mine (practice-led) allowed me to explore theories, scholars, research methods and writing styles that I had not before. Beyond the course, I also had the opportunity to attend and present at conferences that further enhanced by knowledge of the many different research areas out there within my field. Last, but not least, the connections I made throughout the year with my supervisor, course coordinators, colleagues, and conference attendees have been incredibly memorable. 

How did your study help you to get to your current role, and what does your current role involve?

I am still in the process of looking for a full-time job, but my Honours year has helped me settle on a long-term goal of working a couple of years to gain industry experience then go on to do my PhD in a slightly similar, but more complex area of my research. My dream is to teach at university and continue researching in my field. 

What advice would you give to students in the same discipline you studied?

From what I have seen, not many students go on to do their Honours after they graduate with a Bachelor of Journalism. I was the only one doing it full-time this year. While it is perfectly fine to go out into the 'real world' at the end of your degree, doing an Honours helped solidify by education and experiences with both research and journalism. Some may imagine that Journalism research and Journalism practice are vastly different, but to me, and within my thesis, they are co-dependent. So I highly encourage students to do their Honours because it definitely broadens your knowledge of the field. Just do it and get creative with it, break some conventions and have fun! Also, love your topic and get a supervisor who's incredible because mine was. 

What challenges have you came across in your career, and how did you overcome them?

I have not yet started my full-time work, but with my internships, in the past, and through my research practices I have learned that challenges can be overcome if you genuinely love your work because if you do challenges are no longer a hindrance. Challenges that I faced include rescheduling interviews, getting sick on important days, losing track of what I'm writing, writer's block, imposter syndrome, etc. Also, ask for help if you need it and be flexible to change and learning as you go!

Any final tips for Honours students? 

Do it, have fun, go to conferences, go out to drinks with your Honours colleagues and teachers. This will be the most challenging and rewarding year of your entire education and you will miss it when it ends. Finishing my thesis was bittersweet, but I am glad I did my Honours.