What Is an Honours Degree? FAQs

Earning an honours degree allows you to graduate with distinction as you earn your bachelor's. This article will explain what an honours degree is and how it differs from a regular bachelor's degree. You'll also discover the requirements for admittance to an honours degree programme, the different types of honours degrees, the advantages of getting one, and how to get started.

What is an honours degree?

An honours degree is an undergraduate degree known as a BA (Hons) or a BSc (Hons), available in all universities across the UK. It amounts to a minimum of 360 credits. Honours students are also required to complete a special end-of-degree project or dissertation. The same classes are taught for both traditional and honours degrees.

What is the difference between an honours degree and a bachelor's degree?

An honours degree requires more credits, so it’s considered a higher level of achievement. To employers, an honours degree signals a strong academic commitment, a desirable trait during the hiring process. 

Does an honours degree add more time to a UK degree programme?

An honours degree usually takes three years, but each university is different. It is possible for a degree to take four years if the university requires a sandwich placement year. A sandwich placement year is similar to an internship but typically lasts an entire year. In contrast, an internship can be shorter, like a summer or semester-long internship.

Are there any prerequisites to earning an honours degree?

Every degree program has prerequisites. For honours programmes, distinction in prior studies (2:1) with 75% or above marks is mandatory. Since an honours degree is seen as a bigger achievement, having a good work ethic, a strong commitment to academics, and the time to devote to your studies is important. 

Are there different classifications of honours degrees?

Yes. Students could graduate with different versions of an honours degree based on grades. The table below shows the different distinctions and how they’re measured.

As the chart shows, it is possible to lose honours status if grades drop below 40 per cent. In that case, students earn a bachelor’s degree instead.

According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency [1], in 2023, 29 percent of first-degree graduates in the UK earned a first-class honours degree, 47 percent earned upper second-class honours, 20 percent earned lower second-class honours, and 3 percent earned third-class honours.

What is a joint honours degree?

A joint honours degree allows students to explore two or three subjects, learning core modules in each area. Often, the two areas are related or may overlap in the workplace. For example, a student might study both communications and public relations. 

Students spend equal time studying each subject and have less flexibility in choosing electives, but it usually doesn’t add time to the degree programme. Each university handles joint degrees differently in terms of classes, assessments, and how to best blend the two subjects you’d like to study.

What is the advantage of an honours degree?

An honours degree is a differentiator. Whether you plan to apply for a job or continue with your education, the distinction of an honours degree can help.

If you pursue a master’s degree, a first-class honours degree can grant access to many universities. Students without an honours degree can still obtain a higher degree, but they’ll likely have more criteria to meet than those who have obtained an honours degree, especially those with first—or second-class honours. 

When you apply for a job, employers often notice an honours degree. This type of degree shows employers that you’re willing to:

• Work hard at your job, just as you’ve done to earn a top-ranked degree

• Take initiative, even if a task requires more work than usual 

• Push your limits to stand out in a crowd

Companies looking to hire employees have said an honours degree gives students a competitive edge over other candidates. Between the dedication needed to complete the degree and the additional coursework, employers say honours grads are more prepared for the workplace. 

Is an honours degree available in every country?

Honours degrees are common in the UK, where universities offer honours degrees as a standard.

Other countries do have honours degree programmes, too. For example, Canada, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand all have honours degree programmes, although they differ from those offered in the UK. 

In Australia, for example, to earn an honours degree, students attend university for a fourth year to conduct independent research and complete a final project. In Ireland, the criteria to earn an honours degree is more strict, with a leaving certificate required and a minimum of two subjects at H5 or higher. 

The United States doesn’t have an honours degree; however, students can graduate “with honours” based on their grades. Students with a grade point average of 3.5 or higher graduate cum laude (Latin for “with distinction”), summa cum laude (Latin for “with great distinction”), or magna cum laude (Latin for “with highest honour”), depending on their averaged scores throughout their four years. There are no extra classes or projects, however. 

Preparing for an honours degree

If you’d like to improve your skills before applying for an honours degree, Coursera can help. The online platform hosts various flexible classes to help you prepare for your next academic stage. For instance, classes like Advanced Writing or Getting Started With Essay Writing, which are part of the Academic English: Writing Specialization from the University of California, Irvine, could enhance your university readiness.