One of the questions that college students wonder throughout their education is whether it is an advantage to graduate with an honors degree. With the increasing competition in business sectors, job candidates begin to gain competence in their education life to be one step ahead in the departments to which they would like to apply. Although there are some steps to gaining qualifications, such as working while studying or doing an internship, graduating with outstanding success and earning an academic honor degree provide three essential advantages in business life and higher education applications. Let’s start with Is It Worth It To Graduate With Honors?
Who Qualifies for An Honors Degree?
An honors degree means that the student graduates from the department with a high degree of success. While some university programs, such as the Bachelor of Science (Honors) or Bachelor of Laws (Honors), provide honors degrees, other programs, known as “non-honors” degrees, do not offer the same qualifications. Hence, the requirements for an Honors Degree may differ from an institute of education to institute, as each college offers honors in different programs.
The University of Delaware’s honors degree requirements includes “At least 30 credits earned in Honors courses, at least 12 credits in the major department or courses in collateral disciplines specifically required for the major, and three credits in an Honors Degree Capstone course to be completed in one of the last two semesters of the student’s degree program” (University of Delaware). On the other hand, the University of Arizona, a different university located in the USA, has further requirements for honors; for example, “Graduating with Honors requires a cumulative GPA of 3.4 or higher at the time of graduation. Students are not required at Franke Honors College, WA maintain this GPA each semester to stay active, but need to be 3.4 at the time of graduation” (University of Arizona).
As can be seen from the requirement list of these two different universities, although the universities are located in the same country, they demand different requirements for honors degrees. Based on the differences between the two universities, it can be interpreted that although some universities may prefer to use a common honors degree, known as Latin Honors, there is no specific honor degree system valid for each university.
What Are the Advantages of an Honors Degree?
Even though there is no universal honors qualification approved by every institution in the world, it is possible to generalize the benefits of graduating with honor degrees in three points; benefits in further education, benefits in business life, and personal gains.
First of all, for students who would like to continue their academic life with higher education after a bachelor’s degree, graduating with an honor degree takes them one step beyond other academic candidates. When the academic staff sees that the student graduates with an honor degree, they have a worthy first impression of the student as they see the passion and commitment of the student to the relevant field. Furthermore, the students have a chance to advance more cumulatively to the thesis subjects they want to study in their MA degree. Finally, students graduating with honors degrees are more likely to receive benefits from the university, such as scholarships or free housing. For instance, Framingham State University offers some benefits for the students with honors degrees as they point out on their official website, “Incoming first-year students who qualify for the Honors Program receive an annual scholarship, which is determined by the Admissions Office. Other special scholarships are also available through the program, which celebrates students’ academic achievements” (Framingham State University).
Second, in addition to its benefits in the pursuit of higher education, graduating with honors also provides some advantages in the business world. First of all, the CVs and the resumes of the students who graduate with honors seem to be more accomplished; in other words, every success that the candidates have achieved during their years of study takes them one step higher than the other candidates in the business world. The honors degree section on the resume or the CV shows the employer that the candidate has the potential to be a highly organized, disciplined, and efficient employee. Thus, the candidate has a more positive image in the eyes of employers.
Third and most importantly, it increases the value and belief that a person gives to himself. College years may not be fun and easy for everyone; in other words, students may encounter many obstacles in academic terms. Consequently, they may be discouraged from continuing their post-college life. However, when they graduate, they can see their true potential with the word “honors” in their diploma and continue to the next chapter in their life with more confidence and inspiration. They may also keep it for years as a memory that will be a source of pride to their family and friends.
Conclusion
With the increasing competition in the world, especially in the business world, college students do many volunteer activities, do internships or make academic publications during their education years to make a difference in the eyes of employers. Besides their individual efforts, students studying in an Honors degree program or a Latin Honors program also have advantages in business and education by earning an Honors Degree. Graduates with Honors who wish to continue their Master’s or Doctorate education are more likely to be appreciated by academic staff, as these students indicate that they have graduated with outstanding success from their Bachelor’s degree and therefore they have the necessary dedication to become academics. In the business world, the candidate’s educational background and success are important to employers because, for candidates who do not have work experience, the GPA and the additional academic accomplishments indicate that they have ideal work enthusiasm to be hired. Last but not least, it is vital to have self-confidence and self-worth so that any academic candidate, or any candidate in each business field, can use their potential to achieve excellent work with admirable results. Thereby, it is worth graduating with an honors degree.
Work Cited
“Benefits of The Honors Program.” Framingham State University,
www.framingham.edu/academics/honors-program/benefits-of-honors-program/index.
“Declaring Your Honors Degree & Options.” University of Delaware,
www.sites.udel.edu/honors/degree-options/.
“How To Graduate with Honors.” The University of Arizona, 16 Feb. 2022,
frankehonors.arizona.edu/admissions/graduation-requirements.
