This discussion is now closed.

Check out other Related discussions

BSc or BSc (hons) whats the difference

meir

3

Please, can anyone tell me what difference/advantage a BSc (hons) has against a BSc, or are they both the same?

Reply 1

nikk

15

meir

Please, can anyone tell me what difference/advantage a BSc (hons) has against a BSc, or are they both the same?

(hons) refers to 'honours' which I believe is awarded for the third year dissertation. If you do a normal BSc course, then I assume you don't have a final year disseration. I could be wrong though!

Reply 2

Muse

13

For the most part, the following degree classifications are awarded with honours.

-1st
-2.1
-2.2
-3rd

if you fail to achieve a 3rd class degree but still pass, you will have a degree but not with honours.

Reply 3

AT82

I think both are right, different universities seem to do different things, at my university if you fail to get a 3rd you can still get a pass degree without honours.

I know at Liverpool John Moore's you have to a final year project to get the honours, on my course you have to that just to pass, but you could still fail it and get a none honours degree.

Reply 4

meir

OP

3

the course i'm doing hasnt got a third year dissertation but does award an honours

if you get a 3rd you get (hons), but if you dont get 3rd you dont pass

i should also say that some courses here are advertised as "BSc (hons)" and some just straight "BSc"

Reply 5

username5154

0

15

Most courses are set to honours level. If you don't do well and get less than a 3rd class, that means you get a degree without honours. Some uni's determine the grade in the 2nd year to see if you are eligible for an honours level stuff, if you don't do that well, you still go onto the 3rd year but get a non-honours degree.

Reply 6

meir

OP

3

ty all for your replies

Reply 7

nikk

15

I am sure that at my university the honours part of it all depends on your dissertation rather than anything else.

Reply 8

ThePants999

14

Then that's just your university. There's a huge difference in general between an honours degree and a non-honours one. As has been mentioned, you can get a non-honours degree if you do very badly in attempting to get an honours degree; you can also choose to do one (for my course at Oxford you do five papers instead of eight, and in Scotland I think you can do one in three years as opposed to four for an honours degree).

Reply 9

AT82

Also I don't think you can put letters after your name unless you get an honours degree.

Reply 10

greenmuzz

2

in simple terms, honours should be better, and thus a little harder.

If I remember rightly, in Scotland your average course is four years - first three will get you a degree, fourth is the honours year.

In Reading, you could passs the course without honours if you didn't achieve a third.

Reply 11

Fluffy

15

NikNak

(hons) refers to 'honours' which I believe is awarded for the third year dissertation. If you do a normal BSc course, then I assume you don't have a final year disseration. I could be wrong though!

It's to do with classification, not dissertation. Anything above a 3rd is a degree with honours. Some places only offer 'Ordinary' degrees, but this is increasing rare in this day in age.

The reason that a dissertation can make the difference, is that it is part of you course - usually given a set number of credit points (and usually quite a few at that!). The dissertation can be the difference between a pass degree and an honour degree...

Reply 12

username5154

0

15

I read somewhere that if you don't do well in the second year, you get to go onto the third year, but not get an honours degree or something like that. In addition, you don't do that many modules too. :confused:

Is this true?

Reply 13

Fluffy

15

trev

I read somewhere that if you don't do well in the second year, you get to go onto the third year, but not get an honours degree or something like that. In addition, you don't do that many modules too. :confused:

Is this true?

Not as far as I can see, ot have seen. If you do badly enough in year 2 it can be impossible to get a good degree classification, but it shouldn't stop you getting honours (at least 3rd), as most unis require a minimum of 40% to stay on any given course.

Reply 14

meir

OP

3

thank you for all you replies to my question

it seems that each uni has their own rules and regulations concerning Hons, but from what i can make out from replies, Hons degrees are thought of slightly more highly.

Reply 15

Chicken

12

I know someone in my year that did quite badly last year, so has opted to drop down to an 'ordinary' degree level, which means he is only taking 80 credits worth of units this year, as opposed to 120 credits that i'm taking (i'm on the honours course).

Reply 16

username5154

0

15

meir

thank you for all you replies to my question

it seems that each uni has their own rules and regulations concerning Hons, but from what i can make out from replies, Hons degrees are thought of slightly more highly.

Indeed. Most likely the regulations would be how well you've done in the second and third year. If you get 40% and above, you will get an honours degree.

Reply 17

username5154

0

15

Chicken

I know someone in my year that did quite badly last year, so has opted to drop down to an 'ordinary' degree level, which means he is only taking 80 credits worth of units this year, as opposed to 120 credits that i'm taking (i'm on the honours course).

That's what I was trying to say in one of my post, lol. Do most uni's allow you to do that if a person did badly? Does this still include a dissertion kind of thing too?

Reply 18

Fluffy

15

It is a standardised award! It shouldn't vary! Else what is it's value? Standards are monitored by the National Qualifications Framework (Specifications and Benchmark Statements), which comprises a series of qualification descriptors to cover all awards from Certificate of HE through to Doctoral qualifications.

The only things that can stop you getting an honours degree is that you don't have enough credit points, dispite the grades you get for those you do take or that you don't do very well in your assessments.

If you can not argue your case to the examination board with regard to number of credit points, you might not even get an ordinary degree, and would end up with a Diploma/Certificate of Higher Education.

This is why places like Buckingham can offer a 2 year degree - they start credit points from day one, where as most univerities (OxBridge and their double first system is the only example I can think of) do a general 'bringing everyone up to the same level' easy first year, starting degree credit point awarding modules in Year 2.

Reply 19

Howard

5

timeofyourlife

For the most part, the following degree classifications are awarded with honours.

-1st
-2.1
-2.2
-3rd

if you fail to achieve a 3rd class degree but still pass, you will have a degree but not with honours.

That's called an "ordinary" degree.

BSc or BSc (hons) whats the difference

Related discussions

Articles for you