Get A First Class Degree

Recently a lot of people seem to question the value of a degree’s in general, but in particular the value of a first class degree, or upper second class degree (2:1).

According to an article on Times Online:

“UNDERGRADUATES who study for as little as 20 hours a week are more likely to be awarded a first-class degree at a newer university than those at older institutions, a survey says.

Scientists at Cambridge have to work 45 hours a week to obtain a top-class degree; those studying physics and chemistry at the University of Central Lancashire have to study 19 hours a week for a 2:1 or a first.

The Higher Education Policy Institute survey of 15,000 first-year and second-year undergraduates questions the true value of a degree, showing that some students work far harder than others, depending on the subject. Although tuition fees are now paid upfront in a loan by the Government, graduates must pay them off once they earn £15,000. Banks estimate that by 2009 a student’s debt will be approaching £30,000, which most will be paying off until their mid-thirties.

The survey, published today, shows that while, on average, students claim to be working 25.7 hours a week in lectures, seminars or private study, medics and dentists are apparently working ten hours a week more. Overall the study shows that undergraduates on courses in mass communications put in five hours fewer than the average each week.

The differences were more pronounced between subjects than between different universities, although those at older universities studied more.

Bahram Bekhradnia, of the institute, said: “If students are putting 32 hours a week into engineering and 21 hours a week into business studies, is a degree telling you the same thing about the universities and the experience the students have had? You can get a 2:1 with different amounts of effort.”

The authors say: “This report does not prove that the degree classification system is flawed, but it certainly raises questions that need to be addressed.” They note that 60.9 per cent of students of physical sciences at Plymouth University receive a 2:1 or first-class degree for working 20 hours a week.”

Personally I find it hard to believe that you can achieve a first class degree by investing just 20 hours per week. Furthermore, if 20 hours is an average, the implication is that some students will be working for less than 20 hours a week and still achieving a first class degree, even harder to believe!

So where does all this leave degree students?

Well if a first class degree is of less value in certain subjects, or from certain institutions, then you really don’t want to be be one of the people with a 2:2 or a 3rd do you!

I never went to university to get a degree, I went to get a first class degree. With such a high proportion of people now attending university most employers ask for a first class degree, or at least an upper second class degree (2:1), so you really cant afford to give your degree course anything less than your best shot.

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