Honours degree

The term "honours degree" (or "honors degree") has various meanings in the context of different degrees and education systems. Most commonly it refers to a variant of the undergraduate bachelor's degree containing a larger volume of material or a higher standard of study, or both, than an "ordinary", "general" or "pass" bachelor's degree. Honours degrees are sometimes indicated by "Hons" after the degree abbreviation, with various punctuation according to local custom, e.g. "BA (Hons)", "B.A., Hons", etc.

Examples of honours degree include the honors bachelor's degree in the United States,[1] the bachelor's degree with honours in the United Kingdom,[2] Hong Kong and India,[3] the honours bachelor degree in Ireland,[4] the honours bachelor's degree in Canada,[5] and the bachelor honours degree in Australia.[6] In South Africa the bachelor honours degree is a postgraduate degree that follows on from the completion of a bachelor's degree.[7] The undergraduate master of arts degree awarded by the ancient universities of Scotland in place of the bachelor of arts may be awarded as an honours or non-honours degree; these are at the same level as equivalent bachelor's degrees.[8][9] At master's level, the integrated master's degrees in British universities, which students enter at the same level as bachelor's degrees, are also honours degrees.[10] Honours degrees should not be confused with the Latin honors attached to degrees in the US and some other countries.

Many universities and colleges offer both honours and non-honours bachelor's degrees. In most countries where honours degrees are granted, they imply a higher level of achievement than a non-honours degree. In some countries (e.g. Canada or Australia), an honours degree may also involve a longer period of study than a non-honours degree.[5][6] Students who complete all the requirements for a non-honours bachelor's degree but do not receive sufficient merit to be awarded the honours degree would normally be awarded the non-honours degree (also known as a "pass", "general" or "ordinary" degree). In England, Northern Ireland and Wales, almost all bachelor's degrees are awarded as honours degrees; in contrast, honours degrees are rarely awarded in the United States.

The current British undergraduate degree classification system, with its division into first, upper and lower second, and third class honours, was developed in 1918 to distinguish between students on the basis of their academic achievement.[11] The concept of an "honours" degree goes back a lot further than this, however, with there being examinations for honours in the original regulations of the University of London in 1839,[12] and Nevil Maskelyne being recorded as taking a bachelor's degree with honours at Cambridge in 1754.[13] Other countries influenced by this system include Australia, Brunei, Canada, New Zealand, Malta, Singapore, South Africa and Hong Kong.

Australia

The consecutive Australian with Honours degree is usually a one- to two-year research program, after the completion of a Bachelor's degree in the same field. It can also be started as a concurrent program in the fourth year of a four-year bachelor's degree. It is generally considered a postgraduate year because a bachelor's degree can be completed without it.[14] Entry to an Honours degree generally requires proven abilities and a distinction (75% or greater) average in the relevant area or the final year units, and even then is quite competitive.

In the regular (standalone) Honours, the student will complete selected courses within a supervised program of research (field, laboratory, or secondary), and produce a long, high-quality research thesis. This is usually accompanied by a seminar or presentation of the findings to an academic board for marking. In the case of a quality thesis being produced, it may be published in a peer-reviewed journal or similar publication. Students receiving high marks in their Honours program have the option of continuing to candidature of a Doctoral program, such as Doctor of Philosophy, without having to complete a master's degree.[15]

At master's level, Monash University has a Master of Business with Honours program in which students can be awarded an Honours classification upon completion.[16]

Canada

In Canada, honours bachelor's degrees take at least four years to complete, often therefore requiring an extra year of study beyond the general bachelor's degree. Honours degrees are normally required for admission to master's programs, and may sometimes allow direct access to doctoral programs.[5][17][18][19]

It is a "postgraduate" degree, which is considered to be the equivalent of a corresponding maîtrise degree under the French influenced system. Going back in history, a three-year Bachelor of Arts degree (also known e.g. in Québec as grade de bachelier ès arts) was also called a pass degree or general degree. Honours degrees are allocated a GPA grade,[20] and are considered equivalent to UK honours degrees.[21][22]

England, Wales and Northern Ireland

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Bachelor's degrees are normally awarded "with Honours" after three years of study.[23] The bachelor's degree with Honours meets the requirements for a higher education qualification at level 6 of the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications in full,[24] and is a first cycle, end-of-cycle award on the Qualifications Framework of the European Higher Education Area established by the Bologna process. Students can be awarded an "Ordinary" degree if they achieve the required learning outcomes over a smaller volume of studies than is required for an honours degree, e.g. only passing 300 credits rather than the 360 usually required for an honours degree.[25][26] In addition to bachelor's degrees, four year integrated master's degrees, which combine study at bachelor's and master's level, are also awarded with honours.[10]

The University of Oxford does not award honours with its standard BA degree, but considers students who gain a third class degree or better to have "achieved honours status".[27]

Malta

A number of Honours degrees are offered by the University of Malta, usually indicating an extra year of study with an undergraduate dissertation or a specialisation within a 3-year programme.[28]

New Zealand

The Bachelor honours degree is a separate level on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework from the bachelor's degree without honours, as in Australia and Scotland.[29] It may either be a 4-year (480 credit) course or a single year (120 credit) course following on from a bachelor's degree, and prepares students for postgraduate study.[30]

Scotland

In Scotland, all undergraduate degrees with Honours must be of four-year duration. Students can choose to do the Honours degree or the general (or pass/ordinary) degree. The first two years of both types of degrees are the same; however, after that, students who pursue the Honours route will complete more advanced subjects and a dissertation in their last year, while students who choose to do the general degree will complete their third year at a lower level of specialisation.[31]

Entry into the Honours year in Scotland is generally not restricted and students are encouraged to take the Honours year as the general/ordinary/pass degree does not provide the same level of depth and specialisation.[31]

Students enrolling in the Honours program but failing to achieve the required academic merit for Honours are awarded a pass/ordinary/general degree.

South Africa

In South Africa, non-professional bachelor's degrees (BA, BSc, BCom) are three year degrees (professional degrees such as engineering degrees or medicine are longer). The honours degree is an optional fourth-year and is an additional one-year qualification. Usually the honours degree specialises in one subject matter (e.g., mathematics, English). Intake into the honours degree is often highly selective. The bachelor's degree is at level 7 and the honours degree at level 8 on the National Qualifications Framework of the South African Qualifications Authority. Research components must comprise at least 25% of the honours degree.[32]

United States

In the United States, honours degrees (normally written as honors degrees, following US spelling conventions) require a thesis or project work beyond that needed for the normal bachelor's program.[1] Honours programs in the US are taken alongside the rest of the degree and often have a minimum GPA requirement for entry, which can vary between institutions.[33][34] Some institutions do not have a separate honours program, but instead refer to bachelor's degrees awarded with latin honors, which may be based either on GPA or class position, as honour's degrees.[35][36]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Structure of the U.S. Education System: Bachelor’s Degrees". U.S. Department of Education. February 2008. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  2. ↑ The Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications of UK Degree-Awarding Bodies. Quality Assurance Agency. November 2014. p. 17.
  3. ↑ "Bangalore University rolls out honours scheme for UG course". Times of India. 30 April 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  4. ↑ "National Framework of Qualifications". Quality and Qualifications Ireland. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 "Bachelors Degree". York University. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  6. 1 2 "Bachelor Honours Degree: An Explanation" (PDF). Australian Qualifications Framework Council. November 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  7. ↑ "The Higher Education Qualifications Framework" (PDF). South African Qualifications Authority. p. 25. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  8. ↑ "Studying for a degree in Arts". Retrieved 2015-02-19.
  9. ↑ The Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications of UK Degree-Awarding Bodies. Quality Assurance Agency. November 2014. p. 29.
  10. 1 2 "Frequently Asked Questions". Faculty Handbook. Durham University. What do I need to pass to get a degree?. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  11. ↑ "Tear up the class system". Retrieved 2013-12-12.
  12. ↑ Regulations of the University of London on the subject of the examinations for degrees in Arts. March 1839. p. 9.
  13. ↑ Arthur Thomas Malkin (1836). "Maskelyne". The Gallery of Portraits with Memoirs. VI. Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. p. 20.
  14. ↑ http://www.graduatecareers.com.au/CareerPlanningandResources/PostgraduateStudy/
  15. ↑ "Pathways to PhD for Honours, Final year and Masters Coursework students". RMIT University. Retrieved 2013-12-31.
  16. ↑ "Master of Business (Honours) for 2014". Monash. Archived from the original on 2013-12-30. Retrieved 2013-12-31.
  17. ↑ "Degree Options in Canada". University Guide Online. Berlitz. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  18. ↑ "Academic Terms and Definitions". University of Guelph. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  19. ↑ "UNIVERSITY STUDY IN CANADA – SHORT OVERVIEW". UniversityStudy.ca. Universities Canada. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  20. ↑ "Grade Point Average (GPA)". Queen's University, Canada. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  21. ↑ "Salford and Canada". University of Salford. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  22. ↑ "International Degree Equivalents". Graduate Recruitment Bureau. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  23. ↑ The Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications of UK Degree-Awarding Bodies. Quality Assurance Agency. November 2014. p. 15.
  24. ↑ The Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications of UK Degree-Awarding Bodies. Quality Assurance Agency. November 2014. p. 25.
  25. ↑ "Glossary". Quality Assurance Agency. Ordinary degree. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  26. ↑ "Flowchart of Progression Regulations for Bachelors Degrees/Diplomas/Certificates" (PDF). Faculty Handbook. Durham University. How does the Ordinary degree work?. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  27. ↑ "Verifying qualifications". University of Oxford. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
  28. ↑ "Prospectus for year 2015" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-01-21.
  29. ↑ "Understanding New Zealand qualifications". New Zealand Qualifications Authority. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  30. ↑ "Bachelor honours degree". New Zealand Qualifications Authority. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  31. 1 2 "The General Degree". University of St Andrews. Archived from the original on 2013-10-26. Retrieved 2013-12-12.
  32. ↑ Department of Higher Education and Training (17 October 2014). "National Qualifications Act (67/2008): Higher Education Qualifications Sub-Framework". Government Gazette. Republic of South Africa. 592 (38116): 3–42.
  33. ↑ "Honors Degree". Department of Physics and Astronomy. Northwestern University. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  34. ↑ "Honors Degree FAQs". University of Delaware. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  35. ↑ "Requirements for Honors Degrees". Harvard University. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  36. ↑ "Honors Degree". State University of New York at Oneonta. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
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