Is Joint Honours Worth It?

Tenielle
Aug 25, 2021
4 min read

Updated: Aug 26, 2021

In one word: YES.

When I was in school I never intended to do joint honours at university, but that's mostly because I didn't know it was an option. If you're unsure about what joint honours is, it's exactly what it sounds like - studying two subjects in the same degree.

I had always planned to do a Journalism degree, so I took A-Level English Literature as a stepping stone to get there. Only during this time did I discover that I loved English Literature and wasn't ready to stop studying it.

I started researching into the possibility of studying both subjects at university, which is when I came across Cardiff University's course in Journalism, Media, and English Literature. Three years later and I have just graduated with First Class Honours in this degree title.

Joint honours brought me so many benefits, but it was also challenging at times. Here is a discussion of my experience to hopefully provide some insight for anyone considering a joint honours course.

Challenges of Joint Honours

University in itself can be challenging, but I found that there were a few extra struggles to overcome as a joint honours student.

The Personal Statement

Let's start at the beginning - how on earth do you write a personal statement that incorporates two subjects?! That was my first thought when started my university application.

This is particularly a struggle if you are applying to multiple universities with various courses and have to use the same personal statement for every application. It took a lot of redrafting, but I finally created a personal statement that successfully combined a desire to study both of my subjects.

Here are my top tips for writing a personal statement for a joint honours course:

1) Find a connection between the two subjects

If your two subjects don't compliment each other, don't panic! They already have a connection in the fact that you want to study both of them - all you have to do is express why this is the case. Ask yourself why it will be beneficial to do those subjects together.

2) Spend equal parts on either subject before bringing them together further down in the personal statement

This shows that you recognise the individuality of the subjects and all of their separate challenges and rewards, before finalising why studying them together is a good option for you.

3) Recognise the fact that the course is joint honours

Explain exactly what you think will be beneficial about doing two subjects. Joint honours can be challenging, so use that to your advantage by proving that you are someone who can succeed in a blended course.

Referencing

I think this is one of the biggest pains of doing joint honours. Of course, this will be dependent on which subjects you do, but there is the possibility that they will use different referencing styles.

Referencing is already one of the things you hear students complain about most because it can be time-consuming and tedious, but try balancing two different referencing styles! I could never remember how to do either type of referencing because I was constantly going back and forth. Luckily, there are so many resources out there for referencing and it's easy to go to these for guidance.

It's important to keep this in mind when applying for your course and it's worth doing some research into whether your two subjects use different referencing styles.

Timetable Clashes

Once again, this may depend on whether your two subjects are part of the same school or college. My subjects were not and it proved to be difficult at times.

The joy of having a degree where you can choose the majority of your modules is that you can shape and tailor your studies. The issue with joint honours is that sometimes your options are limited, depending on possible timetable clashes with your other subject.

When considering a joint honours course, bear in mind whether the two subjects belong to the same school, if the schools work together closely, and what this could mean for your module choices.

Is Joint Honours Disadvantageous: Debunking Rumours

There are quite a few rumours about joint honours courses, some of them I even believed myself, but it turns out that none of them are true!

"Having two degree subjects means DOUBLE the workload... right?"

Wrong. To best explain it, studying joint honours is equivalent to doing half of each course. You typically do half of your modules in either subject, adding up to the same number of credits that your single honours peers do. So, there is no extra workload in that sense - while single honours students spend 100% of their time on one subject area, joint honours students simply split their time 50/50 for two subjects and it all adds up to the same amount of work in the end.

Having said that, this is dependent on your subjects and the kind of attention they need. I was lucky that both of my subjects required similar workloads and styles of assessment, so doing both subjects never felt like having an extra burden.

"You must have to do two dissertations!"

This is obvious after the above discussion, but absolutely not. In fact, being a joint honours student means you get even more choice when it comes to your dissertation because you have two subject areas you can choose from.

"Doing joint honours just shows employers that you're indecisive"

Quite the opposite. It shows that you were dedicated to widening your academic horizons through multiple subjects. As a result, you gained two skillsets, two areas of expertise, and the ability to work in different environments with different methods.

Being a joint honours graduate means you can bring a plethora of skills and knowledge to the workplace.

Benefits of Joint Honours

There are so many benefits of doing joint honours, but here are just a handful I experienced during my studies:

Studying two subjects you love
Gaining a holistic academic view
Being able to take a productive break from one subject by turning to the other
Showing employers that you have expertise in a variety of areas
Having opportunities for more experience
Gaining a wider range of skills
Meeting more people
Making the most of university to find what you're passionate about

So, is a joint honours course worth it? Absolutely. There are plenty of things to keep in mind when considering a joint honours degree, but I couldn't recommend it enough. The benefits always outweighed the challenges for me, and I am so grateful for the opportunities I have had as a result.