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joint honours graduates - advantage or disadvantage?

how do employers look upon joint honours, for example i recently saw a joint honours degree of biology and economics, and you do 50% bio and 50% economics. Say after the 3 years of that i decided i wanted to go into a job which was something solely to do with biology, would they not like the fact i'd done a joint honours because i may not have covered as much relevant material as someone who has done a single honours in just biology?
Reply 1
Though you lose some specialisation in joint honours degrees you usually also learn more skills. So there's a compromise, you're not going to know as much biology but you will know more economics and have the skills associated with economics. It depends entirely on which job you're going for, a lot of jobs now just ask for a 2:1 or higher and don't specify the discipline of the degree :smile: .
Reply 2
Definitely a huge disadvantage IMO if you intend on an academic career, but other than that, possibily even an advantage in some circumstances when applying for jobs.
Reply 3
nikk
Definitely a huge disadvantage IMO if you intend on an academic career, but other than that, possibily even an advantage in some circumstances when applying for jobs.

Unless you want to pursue a doctorate in an area that is covered by two fields, say the philosophy of maths, or something, then I can see a maths & philosophy degree being more useful than either on its own.
Joint honours is hard - most employers should recognise this. Although it is 50:50 it's more like 60:60 (i know that is impossible, but hey) when you factor in the inevitable classes and vastly different philosophies between academic departments. My ex did joint honours in two closely related subjects and came across these difficulties so god knows what economics and biology will thow at you.
Reply 5
ChemistBoy
Joint honours is hard - most employers should recognise this. Although it is 50:50 it's more like 60:60 (i know that is impossible, but hey) when you factor in the inevitable classes and vastly different philosophies between academic departments. My ex did joint honours in two closely related subjects and came across these difficulties so god knows what economics and biology will thow at you.


I'd second that. Employers may or may not recognise it, but joint honours students have to develop very good time management skills, as different departments never communicate, let alone coordinate. I constantly end up with multiple big deadlines within days of each other and sometimes you have to make pretty brutal decisions about which subject needs more attention at which time.
At the same time, I've learned to apply things taught in one subject to the way I study the other, so it encourages adaptability and all that good stuff.
So whether or not employers appreciate joint honours, it's definitely a good thing in terms of personal development/employability
Reply 6
economics with bio sounds a funky mix! where are you thinking of applying?!
As has been implied, but not said - it depends what you're going into. If you go into something which demands specialism in one subject, then any distraction from that subject is a bad thing. If you go into something that just needs "a degree" (as ~40% of graduate jobs do), then joint honours is probably a small advantage, demonstrating extra breadth as well as time management.
Reply 8
keele and st andrews offer biology and economics and imperial offers biology with management, so i've been looking at those, although if i decide against the joint honours thing i'm thinking about biomedical science at imperial or economics at LSE.
Reply 9
what if its a film studies and photography joint honours?
Reply 10
Im applying for 2009 entry Biology with Management, dunno wat to expect really but its a combo i quite fancy, Imperial do biology with management AAB, does anyone know how competitive that course is?
Reply 11
Employers wont care unless you need both. A degree is a degree to most.
This thread is two and a half YEARS old, and your question isn't even relevant to it - could you really not have posted a new thread?
Reply 13
What is your opinions on mathematics with xomputer science
Reply 14
Original post by Dpnnaa
What is your opinions on mathematics with xomputer science


Hard
Original post by rosy123
how do employers look upon joint honours, for example i recently saw a joint honours degree of biology and economics, and you do 50% bio and 50% economics. Say after the 3 years of that i decided i wanted to go into a job which was something solely to do with biology, would they not like the fact i'd done a joint honours because i may not have covered as much relevant material as someone who has done a single honours in just biology?


i did biology, and economics in my first year. i should have done joint honours.

employers know you would have forgotten everything you've learnt 1 year after graduating.

if you want to do a masters degree you will be quite a bit disadvantaged, if you want to do a normal graduate office job you will be at quite a big advantage.
Original post by CollectiveSoul
i did biology, and economics in my first year. i should have done joint honours.

employers know you would have forgotten everything you've learnt 1 year after graduating.

if you want to do a masters degree you will be quite a bit disadvantaged, if you want to do a normal graduate office job you will be at quite a big advantage.


I dont think the op will care as this thread is 12 years old and the op hasnt been online since 2009 lol
Original post by madmadmax321
I dont think the op will care as this thread is 12 years old and the op hasnt been online since 2009 lol


oh jesus, thanks for pointing that out!! how bizarre somebody bumped this thread up... wonder how old the OP is now..
Original post by Dpnnaa
What is your opinions on mathematics with xomputer science


What about it?

if you like maths and cs theory, it's a pretty awesome course - at least it is for me anyway.

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