Off the back of a school system where an A-level was an A-level, and a GCSE was a GCSE, the different types of degrees that universities offer in the same subject can be a little confusing at first glance.
What are the differences between them, and what makes one better than the other? Is an honours degree the same as a masters, or better? And what are all the codes?
All of this and more will be explained here, to make sure you know what all the jargon on university websites actually means, and what you will be getting into with each course.
What is an honours degree?
Ba Hons meaning a bachelors degree with honours is the kind of thing you could never guess from the abbreviation, but with both in front of you starts to make sense.
The Ba (Hons) tag distinguishes a Ba Hons degree from a regular Ba degree by adding the honours qualifier to the qualification. There are quite a lot of things that make this different to a regular Ba, as we will cover below.
What does Ba Hons mean?
Let’s start by breaking down each part of the abbreviation. The Ba part is used here to mean bachelor of arts. This implies a bachelor’s degree, meaning a three-year program of study at base.
The Hons part of the abbreviation implies a Ba honours degree, meaning a degree that has a year of honours study attached to it.
This will, in the case of an arts degree, usually mean the course instead becomes a 4-year program of study.
What is the difference between Bsc and Ba?
So far, we have only used Ba to refer to a bachelor’s degree. This probably leaves the scientists among you staring at the UCAS page wondering what does Bsc Hons mean, if not a bachelor’s degree with honours?
Unfortunately, this is the part where I tell you they are both a bachelor’s degree, with Bsc Hons meaning a bachelor of science with honours. A Bsc Hons degree is, as was the format with the bachelor of arts with honours degrees, a standard bachelor of science degree with an added year of study on it.
Does a bachelor with honours differ between Bsc and Ba?
Comparing bachelor honours in science (Bsc) and arts (Ba) is really an impossible comparison, as the two sides of academia could not be more different.
However, there are some commonalities. In both cases, you will first complete a three-year program of study for your bachelor’s degree, and then complete a further fourth year of more focused and rigorous study for your honours.
In reality, it is more sensible to compare a Bsc Hons degree to a regular Bsc degree than a Ba Hons degree, and explore the differences between those two when choosing your degree.
What’s the difference with an honours degree vs ordinary degree?
A bachelor’s degree is the most ordinary and straightforward, fully accredited degree you can study at university.
In practical terms, this means three years of study in either arts or sciences, depending on your course, with a well-regarded and recognised degree at the end of it.
This will either be a Bsc degree meaning bachelor of sciences, or a Ba meaning bachelor of arts. What is Hons in addition to this, then?
The hons, hor, honours, of your bachelors degree is akin to doing the first half of a master’s degree course, being a full year of more focused study.
It carries with it a greater level of respect, as well as allowing you to go on to do a master’s course in just one year, rather than the usually required two years for those with a bachelor’s degree.
What is a Bsc degree vs a Bsc Honours degree when applying for a master’s degree?
One of the most common reasons to take a Bsc with honours is to make it easier to complete your master’s degree, should you eventually choose such a route.
But what does with honours mean for the shape of your master’s degree application?
Bachelors with honours are much more likely to be prepared for a master’s degree, and this is not something universities are blind to.
A degree without honours will carry considerably less weight when applying for a master’s course, for the simple reason that one with honours will imply a better prepared student.
What is an honours degree actually worth to employers?
Comparing an honours degree to other degree types in terms of value to potential employers is straightforward.
It carries a greater weight and prestige than a bachelor’s degree, with a Ba (Hons) meaning you are likely to be considered above others with a bachelor’s degree on an academic front.
However, when compared to a master’s degree, honours meaning more than a bachelor’s degree counts for relatively little.
A master’s degree is often going to be weighted much higher than the other two options, as it is the highest standard form of degree most UK universities will offer you short of a doctorate.
What does Hons mean in an arts degree?
Much as with a science degree, the Hons part of an arts degree carries with it a certain weight and also the ability to take a master’s in your chosen field that lasts only one year.
In the field of arts, your honours' year will often be where you get to start really focusing on the parts of your field that interest you the most.
This ends up making it a very popular choice, especially among those who do not want to carry out a full master’s degree for whatever reason.
A bachelor honours degree is still a very well regarded degree in the field of arts.
This is because in many cases you can prove more through a more specific Ba(Hons) degree to a potential employer about your chosen field than with a Bsc(Hons) can in a technical field.
What is a Ba Hons worth to employers compared to a Ma?
A Ma, or master’s of arts degree, is still likely your best option in terms of the level of respect your degree will hold in a field of the arts. However, while in the scientific field a master’s degree is often a flat improvement over most honours degrees, in the world of arts this is less clear-cut.
However, the intention of an honours degree in an arts field is still ultimately to set you up for a master’s degree, and as such this is still considered the eBay way to go by many employers.
How much harder is an honours degree than a bachelor’s degree?
The step-up in academic difficulty from a bachelor’s degree to an honours degree will of course vary depending on the course you take.
However, in general the step is considered to be quite substantial, more likely than not being larger than the step between any individual years of your bachelor’s degree.
This is because an honours degree is essentially comparable to doing the first year of a master’s course, which is a much more rigorous academic challenge.
This has advantages and disadvantages, as it will definitely offer more interest and academic stimulation, but at the cost of a greater workload.
Once you have been at university for a few years on a bachelor’s degree, this step up can be unexpected, but for those who rise to the challenge, can also be very rewarding.
What is honours degree difficulty like compared to a master’s?
Strangely, the step-up between an honours degree and a master’s degree is less than the step from a bachelor’s degree to an honours degree.
Again, this is due to an honours degree being considered on equal footing in most cases to the first year of a master’s degree.
It has a higher workload and a much more serious environment, as you would expect from a full master’s degree, which once you are used to can carry over directly from an honours degree to a master’s very naturally.
As with any degree you choose, though, it will no doubt be a challenging academic workload no matter what level you select to start out with. University degrees are hard, and most people find themselves being challenged even more than they ever anticipated they would be.
This is where a service like Superprof can come in. Staying on top of the extremely complex university content is much easier with someone to help guide you through it, as especially in the first year of many courses, one-on-one time with university academics can be hard to come by.
There is a near endless amount of research that shows that tutoring is one of the single most valuable academic tools students of all levels can make use of.
University study is something most people will only have the time or resources to attempt once in their lives, and therefore making sure you get the most out of your degree is vital. Especially if you choose an honours or master’s degree.
They are held in such high regard for a reason, and it’s because they are very, very challenging!
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