When it comes to choosing a subject to study at university, a lot of students find themselves torn between at least a couple of different subjects. As if picking a shortlist of unis to apply to wasn’t hard enough, they also need to then narrow down the subject they want to study–something that can be difficult due to the fact that you can’t really get a true sense of what studying a subject at university level is like until you’re there–which in turn can have implications on which university to apply to.
There is, however, a potential way out of this conundrum for those who have whittled their potential subjects down to just two: the dual- (or joint-) honours degree. As their name implies, these degrees combine two subjects under a single degree, with the balance between the two usually being roughly a fifty-fifty split.
It’s a tempting option for anyone who doesn’t want to restrict themselves to just one subject. Going down this route does, however, have certain implications that are important to be aware of. We say this not as a warning against doing a dual-honours degree, but rather so you can be sure it’s right for you and also make sure that if you do choose to do one you take full advantage of the intellectual and career potential of combining two subjects together.
The crux of the dilemma of deciding between a single- and a dual-honours degree comes down to the age-old battle between depth and breadth. If you do a single-honours degree, you’ll be immersed entirely in one subject, coming away at graduation with (theoretically at least) a 50 per cent more extensive knowledge of it than your dual-honours peers. In many walks of life this can be crucial, with that 50 per cent extra amounting to subject knowledge and skills that recruiters in that field are looking for. In some cases, such as certain fields of law or engineering, a single-honours degree will be more likely to provide you with exemption from certain professional examinations or grant you access to certain professional bodies than a dual-honours degree.
On the other hand, for other walks of the diversity of subjects offered by a dual-honours degree opens more doors. Doing a dual-honours degree in which one of the subjects is a modern language is a perfect example of this. Not only do you gain expertise in one field, but you also gain fluency in a foreign language, making you eminently more employable in the process. Combining business studies with Chinese, for example, makes you an individual who’ll be highly sought after by any company that does business in China.
Ultimately, then, whether or not a dual-honours degree is a good idea depends at least in part on what would best suit your career hopes. This is less of an issue if you plan on studying non-vocational subjects, as your motivations for studying are more intellectual than professional, though even here the chance to do a dual-honours degree will potentially grant you the opportunity of gaining a greater range of transferrable skills.
Even if in spite of your best efforts you can’t make a final decision between a single- and a dual-honours degree, it’s worth bearing in mind that, so long as you attend a university with a flexible degree structure, you might not have to make the choice until later on. Many universities are happy for students to take courses in more than one subject during their first year, and then switch from single- to dual-honours (or vice versa) depending on how they get on during their initial experiences of studying their different subjects at university.