A question for any employers out there

This is a totally general question, and I know that it depends on umpteen other things... BUT

If you're looking at employing someone, would someone with a degree WITH honours be much more attractive a prospect than someone with a degree without honours if they're both the same classification?

Do you even look at that?

Is interview technique/ambition etc of over-riding importance?

Cheers.

 

all depends on the job.

 

I would say that if someone's managed to obtain a degree without honours then they've made a pretty piss-poor fist of their degree.</p>

I'm not an employer though, I'm a career employee.</p>

 

It obviously depends on the job

But if the job required a degree the simplest way to rule out a candidate when aplications are numerous is the classification of the degree. First to go is those with an ordinary degree (without honours), then those with a third.

 

Career employee?

Oh dear.
That means you cannot comment on anything to do with business ever again, apparently.

Clunge.
Big fat hairy clunge.

''I'll bang it love - but there's no way on this planet am I mopping yer clunge out''.

You know it makes sense.

 

RE: Honours and Class are the same thing?

I dont think you can have a degree classed as a 1st, 2:1, 2:2 or 3rd Class without Honours. I think Honours and Class are the same thing.
You get Ordinary degrees and Honours degrees unless things have changed.

My degree says Honours class 2:2

ff ff ff

 

Like you said, an ordinary degree is just a pass isn't it?

Certainly used to be.

 

The person is more important than the qualification

But it may help to get on the shortlist or, if after interview, it's a toss up between two candidates.

 

RE: Honours and Class are the same thing?

Dunno... but if you average 55% in your exams but only get 90 credits, as opposed to 52% and 100 credits... would you not get a 2:2 ordinary as opposed to a 2:2 with honours?

I'm confused!

 

I don't think McDonalds will mind

They work on a 5 star qualification basis.

 

RE: I don't think McDonalds will mind

ff

Some people have their sights set a little higher!

 

Let's be honest...

..if it's not from Oxford or Cambridge it's not worth having anyway, is it?

 

RE: Honours and Class are the same thing?

Hons is if you complete a dissertation/specific exams in the subject or not?

 

I got my job

because my degree was from the same university as my interviewer!

 

RE: Honours and Class are the same thing?

An ordinary degree would be awarded to someone who did not do very well on an Honours course. Or to someone who builds up a degree from modules or units such as the OU where the ordinary degree may be awarded before the Honours degree.

An honours degree just has more units in it of a particular level.

A plain Bachelor of Science was awarded to one of my year group who was very poor throughout the course. They also awarded a guy with a poor performance an ordinary B.Sc. I'm not sure what the difference is.

I know a girl who had a breakdown in her 3rd year who was too ill to take the exams and they gave her a Special Degree.

 

From Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_undergraduate_degree_classification

The biggest distinction made is whether the degree is awarded with or without honours. Nowadays, nearly all candidates sit for honours; an ordinary (or pass) degree (i.e. a degree without honours) is usually awarded to a candidate who marginally fails the honours examination, or significant parts of it. A candidate who fails badly is usually allowed to retake the examination for a pass degree, as most universities prohibit such a student from receiving honours.

Most universities award a class of degree based on the average mark of the assessed work a candidate has completed. Below is a list of the possible classifications with common abbreviations. Honours degrees are in bold:

First-Class Honours (First or 1st)
Upper Second-Class Honours (2:1)
Lower Second-Class Honours (2:2)
Third-Class Honours (Third or 3rd)
Ordinary degree (pass)
Fail (no degree is awarded)

 

RE: Honours and Class are the same thing?

In this case the 'honours' is the difference only between 90 and 100 credits in the 3rd year, the marks are now irrelevant.

 

Question for Journo

Journo
What exactly do you want to do?
You seem in a good position - you won the Student award ( as featured in the Independent pre xmas )
What do you fancy? TV, Radio, papers etc ....
It's hard but worthwhile

 

Bite the bullet and get your dissertation done!

A degree without honours is worth 300 credit points, which equates to a HND plus 4 modules. A dissertation demontrates much more than academic prowess, also commitment, time management, perseverance etc.

That said it depends on the industry in which you are looking to go - I know in the tourism and hospitlity sector that dissertations are not as valused overall as they are in certain other sectors - but this also depends on the job you are looking at going in to.

 

I got 65% for my dissertation Stu

Which got me 30 credits, it's just one retake which'd get me the honours but as my lecturer was useless I have crap notes to revise from, which is partly why I faild it the first time.