UPDATE: The HCISS school has received word that the Honours cuts are not going forward, however much uncertainty remains if this only affects this school, and why people have been told by the university this past week that they cannot enroll in the program. The ineptitude on display by the university is unsettling, having left many in great grief about shattered plans only for a vague backtracking to come. Until it is certain that no programs are getting cut and why these directives were communicated in the first place, our petition will remain.

UPDATE 2: A communication from Deputy Vice-Chancellor Mark Hoffman was sent out today stating there will be Honours intakes in 2025. In yet another case of UoN being poor communicators, this still is vague and technically doesn't change what was stated previously, as it was already known that 'some' Honours programs were remaining, it is still then unsure if the total slue of cuts is also remaining, barring the HCISS courses which are seemingly planned to all be combined into a singular 'Humanities' program.

"...though some will have changes to the course offerings." still leaves us in doubt about the nature of what is going on, having many still feeling they're in a limbo. HCISS students were said to be the only ones that received additional information yesterday, once again reinforcing the uncertainty that non-HCISS disciplines are still potentially in hot water. None of this is helped by the allusions to the 'modern operating model' set for 2026 which have had no such assurance of safety for these programs. Until the university can deliver real answers and reverses the harm it has done, this petition will remain in place and continue to grow.

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The University of Newcastle have outdone themselves again. After a shameful display of forcing Trimesters on the students and staff without adequate consultation, ignoring the cries of dissent, they have now cut the Honours programs for every degree except 15. 

If you don't study in one of these programs, you cannot do Honours study in 2025:

• Bachelor of Science
• Bachelor of Development Studies
• Bachelor of Environmental Science and Management
• Bachelor of Food Science and Human Nutrition
• Bachelor of Health Science
• Bachelor of Mathematics
• Bachelor of Midwifery
• Bachelor of Nursing
• Bachelor of Aboriginal Studies
• Bachelor of Biomedical Science
• Bachelor of Biotechnology
• Bachelor of Business
• Bachelor of Commerce
• Bachelor of Computing
• Bachelor of Criminology

If you study anything else, be it Arts, Social Science, Computer Science, Music, Law, etc. you cannot complete an essential pathway to professional research in postgraduate study.

We as staff and students call on the management of the University of Newcastle to immediately reverse this change that especially affects international students that planned on doing an Honours program. This must be changed immediately and not dependent on a bloated 'forum' without true consultation.

Between Trimesters and these cuts, the Chancellery must stop seeking forgiveness after the fact, and instead get permission beforehand.