Joint Honours degrees

A joint degree allows you to study multiple subjects throughout your time at university and graduate in two or three subjects. 

In taking a joint degree, you are required to take core modules in all of your subjects. This means you will take more core modules than a single Honours student, which will reduce the flexibility and the number of optional modules you can take.  

Types of joint degrees

There are three types of joint Honours degrees at St Andrews. You can see all the possible combinations for each course on the course pages.

“And” degrees

It is possible to combine two subjects at Honours level, typically 50% in each subject, such as English and Economics.

“With” degrees

You can take some Honours degrees with a major, for example: Biology with Arabic. “With” degrees allow the majority of modules to be taken in one specialist subject (major) alongside another minor subject in the final two years.

“Triple” modern languages degrees

It is possible to combine a degree in up to three modern languages, such as French, Spanish and Italian.

You can also take a Modern Languages joint Honours degree which involves equal study of two modern languages and one additional subject.

Benefits of a joint degree

There are many benefits in specialising in more than one subject, including:

  • develop an interdisciplinary skill set
  • study multiple subjects throughout your degree
  • broaden your perspective and approach
  • enhance your employability
  • expand your career options after university.

Applying for a joint degree

You can apply for a joint degree through the normal application process.

If you are applying through UCAS, you will need to note the UCAS code for the specific joint degree you want to take. You can find UCAS codes by searching on the UCAS website.

When applying, the subject with the higher entry requirements determines the grades you need. You will also need to meet any subject-specific entry requirements as outlined on the course pages.

Switching to a joint degree

Provided you meet the requirements to progress to an Honours degree for both (or all) of your chosen subjects, you should be able to switch from a single Honours to a joint Honours degree.

You should speak with your Adviser of Studies to discuss possible options and how to switch your degree.