As a highly indecisive person, selecting a university course was a difficult decision, especially when faced with choosing between two subjects I loved. Fortunately, joint honours degrees provide the opportunity to study two subjects simultaneously.
The popularity of joint honours courses has increased over the years. According to a Ucas spokesperson, 58, 255 students applied for joint honours degrees in 2013. Ian Eastwood, programme leader for combined honours courses at Manchester Metropolitan University’s (MMU) Cheshire campus revealed having over 600 students across three years. At the University of Derby, 15% of degree students are enrolled in joint honours programmes.
Despite having various benefits, such courses require a lot of hard work. Balancing the deadlines, reading lists, and lecturers’ expectations across the different subjects can be overwhelming, especially for first-year students. Due to the intensity of the courses, it is important to prioritize which assignments come first and divide your time equally.
The reading requirements for a joint honors degree are tailored towards single honours students, hence a change in the usual academic strategy is essential. For instance, faculty may prioritize their own subject when setting deadlines resulting in conflicting demands on one’s time. However, there is a positive side to joint honours courses, where students experience a two-fold degree of enrichment that can make them valuable in an increasingly flexible employment market.
Joint honours students need to be very passionate about each of the two subjects in order to complete the course successfully and should work on their time-management skills. Despite the hard work and time involved in undertaking such a degree, it can be doubly rewarding for those who are committed to the programme.
