Joint Degree Programme

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• What is a joint degree?
• Is it as good as a single honours degree?
• Why are some 'single honours awards' made of two titles but not joints?
• So what is good about these specific joint honours awards?
• How can you offer so many different titles?

What is a joint degree?

A joint degree is a combination of two subjects. Usually Universities offer the two subjects in 50:50 combination and the title of the degree is then SUBJECT A AND SUBJECT B. If the combination is also available as 60:40 or 70:30 then Universities usually describe them as SUBJECT A (called the major) WITH SUBJECT B (called the minor). They are called joint because normally they jointly lead to an honours degree - which has the same 'value' as a single honours degree.

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Is it as good as a single honours degree?

Yes. You will not study one subject in so much depth but, instead, two subjects in half the depth. It means you have a broader education.

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Why are some 'single honours awards' made of two titles but not joints?

Joints tend to have two totally distinct halves, for example Geography and Internet Technology. Often they are taught by different departments in a university. Its like taking two half degrees. The single honours awards are designed to be a coordinated whole award. So, in our Faculty the BSc(Hons) Film Production and Management is a single honours degree. The management side is about managing in the entertainment industry so that it coordinates with the rest of the award.

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So what is good about these specific joint honours awards?

These half awards are within the same faculty. So you are a member of one faculty, you have a single university home, you have only one set of processes to learn, you are taught on one site of the University, some of the staff teaching on one half may also be teaching on the other, AND the faculty can see your whole programme and ensure that it is sensible.

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How can you offer so many different titles?

Virtually all of the half awards have a single honours award already running in the Faculty, so we already have all the modules on the half awards running for the single honours students. The many titles are possible because, given our size, many modules are taught more than once in the week, so in virtually all cases it is possible to create a timetable from the classes already offered.